Originally posted by aslyfox I have never worried about keeping a hot shoe cover on my camera bodies
should I ?
does it make a difference between an SLR and DSLR ?
It depends. Should you use a hot shoe cover?
Shoot mostly indoors? No. Mostly outdoors? Yes.
Never use an external flash? No. Sometimes use external flash? Yes.
Weather sealed camera? No. Non-weather sealed? Yes.
Dry climate? No. Humid climate or near the water/coast? Yes.
Older SLR accessory 'cold' shoe? No. Multi contacts modern SLR/DSLR hot shoe? Yes.
I do believe with older SLRs due to age/oxidation, any reduced conductivity in the shoe contact can affect triggering the flash.
If you never worried about this before, why are you now?