[luckyrabbit]

Will it harm the camera or lens if I store them attached? Or should I take off the lens and store them separate?

[UpNorth]

I've owned Pentax SLR's/DSLR's for over 20 years, and I have ALWAYS left a lens attached to every camera. Sometimes one of my old film cameras would sit for a year between use, and I never had a pinch of trouble with either the bodies or the lenses by keeping them together.
Plus, the less you're opening them up, the less chance there is to get "stuff" in the camera or on the back of the lens.

Hope that helps,

Tim

[rburgoss]

If you have only one lens, then there is no reason to ever take it off unless you notice some sensor or viefinder dust that needs cleaning. In fact, any lens will make a better "body cap" than any body cap.

If you have several lenses, then leave your "most used" on when in storage, or leave on your "last used" so there is no need to remove and reinstall lenses.

One thing you should never do is to leave a digital body without a lens or body cap for long periods of time. When I say long periods, I am talking about anything longer than 20 seconds... not days!

[HouseOfHorla]

if it's digital. only one word to say. duuuuust.

[luckyrabbit]

Thanks for the information. It is digital, and I have been taking the lens off to put the cap back in. Now I'm worried about dust! I won't be able to check till my DA lens gets here (my current lens is manual).

[luckyrabbit]

send them all to me and I will store them carefully


OR


Now I've seen it all, I can die happy. How stupid can you be? Is this actually a serious question? Do you still hold your hand up for permission to go to the toilet?


WORK IT OUT YOURSELF

I have never owned a slr or dslr. My questions may seem stupid to you, but I actually have no idea. I am learning. I didn't know I would be ridiculed. If you don't like my thread, then don't respond.

[RobA_Oz]

I have never owned a slr or dslr. My questions may seem stupid to you, but I actually have no idea. I am learning. I didn't know I would be ridiculed. If you don't like my thread, then don't respond.

We all learn by asking questions. Sometimes the answer's a slap around the ears, which can be a learning experience all by itself: other times it's just a pain in the ears

Teachers and trainers these days are fond of saying that there's no such thing as a stupid question.

To answer your question, then: aside from the dust issue, it's probably a good idea to store your camera in a padded bag, with the lens supported in a cradle if it's horizontal. There is a variety of opinions about vertical storage, but you should think through the consequences of jolting and vibration if you carry your camera in a bag (and most of us do, I suspect, when it isn't being used for taking pictures).

[alohadave]

send them all to me and I will store them carefully


OR


Now I've seen it all, I can die happy. How stupid can you be? Is this actually a serious question? Do you still hold your hand up for permission to go to the toilet?


WORK IT OUT YOURSELF

There's no need to be rude. You were a beginner too at one point.

[HouseOfHorla]

happy to edit the post as requested by Peter Z. below.

big to keithlester for having the courage to offer an apology.

big to luckyrabbit for accepting.

[Peter Zack]

I would ask the rest of you to modify your posts. The offending post has been deleted. I would like to say to the member luckyrabbit, that this is not normal treatment and we welcome your questions anytime.

[AndrewG NY]

To answer your question, then: aside from the dust issue, it's probably a good idea to store your camera in a padded bag, with the lens supported in a cradle if it's horizontal. There is a variety of opinions about vertical storage, but you should think through the consequences of jolting and vibration if you carry your camera in a bag (and most of us do, I suspect, when it isn't being used for taking pictures).

I will offer a somewhat contrasting opinion. Possibly better to store the camera in a fungus-unfriendly environment--dry, possibly with some amount of air circulation, and probably not subject to big temperature swings that might encourage condensation. Fungus also likes darkness so (some) light exposure might not be a bad idea either.

That being said, this is a bigger issue for longer-term storage. Protecting from physical damage and internal dust is the first issue and RobA's suggestions here sound good to me. It's nice to protect from fungus but not if it means you're going to be knocking the lens on the floor.

[kauaiguy]

Hi, luckyrabbit,

besides the good bits of info already given, you might also think about putting your loose lenses in a place that's low in humidity - since i live on an island, humidity is always a problem, so my lenses are in zip lock bags with "indicating" desiccant. i gently press most of the air out of the bags before sealing them. why all the trouble? there's fungus spores in the air, and some of them are known to eat coatings on lenses, given the right temperature and humidity.

i also keep my favorite, or most likely to be used lens on my camera day to day. if i was to not use the camera for a week or longer, i'd store the lens like i mentioned above, and put the camera, with a body cap, in it's own bag with desiccant. and of course, all lenses and camera would be in a padded bag, safely stored away. some people in humid climates have 'dry boxes', heated environmentally sealed storage lockers, to keep their goodies in, but i haven't gone that direction, yet.

good question, and welcome to the forums!

[keithlester]

Please accept my apology for being rude. I am very sorry. This is not my normal behaviour, as you will see if you check my other posts. I was having some bad things happening in my life, and I took my anger out on you. It was uncalled-for, vulgar and stupid.

[Sean Nelson]

Please accept my apology for being rude.

Kudos! I wish more people had the courage to make a post like this!

[luckyrabbit]

No worries!