Canon Announces New Lens Caps!

[Cali_PH]

It would be nice if, one day, someone produced lens-specific caps with the focal length printed on them. Four of my lenses, with identical 58mm caps, would be hard to tell apart in my camera bag were it not for the white stickers I've put on the caps, on which I've written the focal length.

BlackRapid does make some nice REAR caps for some of the more common focal ranges, I think they look pretty slick.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=lensbling&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=

[tomusan]

[quote author=trojdor link=topic=10731.

Control myself? Wow. If sarcasm were an artform, you are truly aspiring to greatness.
On the other hand, if you are not a native English speaker, then I do sincerely apologize for correcting your spelling.

Like you, I also see my gear as tools...my living depends on them. That's why I can't risk damaging them!
I was taught to take care of my tools. You may not have been.

As a professional, I've broken many lenses...and bodies...usually due to my own carelessness. Probably more than you've owned. Most were damaged from dropping, but yes, if you do this long enough, I've damaged front elements on expensive lenses when the lens cap popped off, or I was just lazy and didn't put the cap on.

I've watched a Mamiya RZ67 bounce across a floor. I've seen one of my Hasselblads shatter into thousands of pieces when dropped onto concrete. Twice I've watched two fully loaded Nikons atop tripods fall to the floor in pieces when I tripped over the sync cords. And yes, I've heard the screech as hardware such as a film back scraped across the unprotected front element of lenses.

It has cost me many thousands in repair bills, but I try to learn from my mistakes. If I allow a $3,000 lens to be destroyed on a shoot I charge $3,000 for, my net profit is zero. That's just bad business.

I humbly suggest you learn from my mistakes, otherwise you'll eventually learn it the way I did.
PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT!
[/quote]


Finally, an answer to my question! See, it is not that hard...

By the way, please don't treat my like I am a 19 year old who just did his first job as a pro! I have 25 years of experience as a press photographer, so your comments about " learning from my mistakes" and "probably damaged more equipment than you owned" are highly unappopriate, wouldn't you agree?

I just launched my question (sorry to hear by the way you thought it was a bit too forward for your taste) because I wanted to hear from amat..., non- professionals (see, now you got me insecure about my spelling) why on earth they insist on using lens caps, when they have a tendency to 'over protect' their gear with filters, pouches and big camera bags while shooting peaceful landscapes, or fluffy animals in a zoo. That is not such a weird thing to wonder about, now is it?

Anyway, still looking forward to hearing from amateurs ;-) about the effects of not using lens caps (and tripping over wires, and dropping stuff doesn't count!)


Peace!

[trojdor]

It would be nice if, one day, someone produced lens-specific caps with the focal length printed on them. Four of my lenses, with identical 58mm caps, would be hard to tell apart in my camera bag were it not for the white stickers I've put on the caps, on which I've written the focal length.

By the way, I'm intrigued by some of the comments about the look of these new caps. I admit that I'm blind to some aesthetic cues (due to the way my head is wired!) but is it really possible for a lens cap to be judged good-looking or not good-looking? 

I agree. Additionally, I've always thought it would be nice to have color-coded caps, so I could quickly spot the right lens from a short distance.

[bycostello]

yay...  i leave mt cap off half the time as too fiddly to put back on when the lens hood is on..

[AdamJ]

Finally, an answer to my question! See, it is not that hard...

By the way, please don't treat my like I am a 19 year old who just did his first job as a pro! I have 25 years of experience as a press photographer, so your comments about " learning from my mistakes" and "probably damaged more equipment than you owned" are highly unappopriate, wouldn't you agree?

I just launched my question (sorry to hear by the way you thought it was a bit too forward for your taste) because I wanted to hear from amat..., non- professionals (see, now you got me insecure about my spelling) why on earth they insist on using lens caps, when they have a tendency to 'over protect' their gear with filters, pouches and big camera bags while shooting peaceful landscapes, or fluffy animals in a zoo. That is not such a weird thing to wonder about, now is it?

Anyway, still looking forward to hearing from amateurs ;-) about the effects of not using lens caps (and tripping over wires, and dropping stuff doesn't count!)


Peace!

We're all professionals here - not one amateur. Didn't you know that?

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Now how about some nice redesigned lens caps for the super-teles!!!

I'm sure that everyone would go out and buy them up at $250 each.

Your estimate makes the actual price of $120 seem like a bargain. 

And... to think that I was exagerating so much that I thought I had listed 5 or 10X the price.  However, I know what the hoods cost.  I had a extra hood for my 600mm f/4 that I sold after the lens was gone.

[rpt]

Finally, an answer to my question! See, it is not that hard...

By the way, please don't treat my like I am a 19 year old who just did his first job as a pro! I have 25 years of experience as a press photographer, so your comments about " learning from my mistakes" and "probably damaged more equipment than you owned" are highly unappopriate, wouldn't you agree?

I just launched my question (sorry to hear by the way you thought it was a bit too forward for your taste) because I wanted to hear from amat..., non- professionals (see, now you got me insecure about my spelling) why on earth they insist on using lens caps, when they have a tendency to 'over protect' their gear with filters, pouches and big camera bags while shooting peaceful landscapes, or fluffy animals in a zoo. That is not such a weird thing to wonder about, now is it?

Anyway, still looking forward to hearing from amateurs ;-) about the effects of not using lens caps (and tripping over wires, and dropping stuff doesn't count!)


Peace!

We're all professionals here - not one amateur. Didn't you know that?

Quite true. And I have a "professional" camera to prove it 

[JBeckwith]

I saw the title of this thread and thought it was going to be a sarcastic mocking of the underwhelming lens releases of late but sadly it's actually a real story.

[Zv]

As an amateur I keep the lens caps on when the camera / lens is in my bag to avoid scratches. When I reach my destination I remove the cap and stick on the hood. I don't use filters (except on my 17-55 which I want to sell one day). I like these new ones it will make lens changes easier.

I'll admit when I bought my first DSLR I would replace the cap after EVERY shot! I was so paranoid that some unforeseen object would fly right into the glass and smash it to smithereens!!  Amateurs eh? 

[wickidwombat]

It would be nice if, one day, someone produced lens-specific caps with the focal length printed on them. Four of my lenses, with identical 58mm caps, would be hard to tell apart in my camera bag were it not for the white stickers I've put on the caps, on which I've written the focal length.

BlackRapid does make some nice REAR caps for some of the more common focal ranges, I think they look pretty slick.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=lensbling&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=

haha they are awesome

[Zv]

When was the last time you even saw a soccer mom with the lens cap hanging from the lens of their Rebel?  That is so... '70's to me.

I hear the 70's are coming back (and I suppose technically they will, later this century). 

You're right, I don't really see dangling lens caps on dSLRs anymore.  What I do see are people leaving a CPL on the lens...all the time, even indoors at night.

I've seen this happen. I pointed it out to him and he just grabbed his flash...

I also knew a dude who had CPL on at night indoors. I quizzed him about it and he gave some vague explanation about reducing reflections. I was only a noob myself so I didn't Q it - but if only that was now!!

Where is this mis-info coming from?

[DBCdp]

I have to agree with trojdor in that the expense/quality/need of the equipment makes it a necessity to protect it. My lenses always have caps on in the Pelican case with hood reversed. When selecting a lens it's a very quick matter to drop the caps in the bay the lens came out of and flip the hood after attaching. I also use B+W filters so that I don't have to clean the lens element itself. I've had fingerprints smudge a lens element and found it a pita to clean on site, hence the filters. Fingerprints, sweat, dust are all a big problem when the vast majority of one's working days are in the 100 degree range. Easy enough to spin one off if necessary under time constraints.

Define professional tomusan? Define amateur? I don't do so much business that I can afford replacing lenses and/or repair work regularly, would prefer to keep my profits going where I choose. Just because I don't live on the high end of professionalism doesn't mean I depend any less on my equipment.  I'll never understand why someone can get so challenging over the simplest of statements when others are trying to offer sage advice.

It's been my experience that years of experience don't necessarily make one better at what they do, all too often it just makes them very good at doing it wrong. Please take note the preface to this statement, IN MY EXPERIENCE. So if one doesn't want to be mistaken for a sniveling 19 yr old first timer, one shouldn't make such an obvious effort to sound like one!

I'm sure that as many people here are photographers there's at least that many different ways to approach the business.

Cudo's to Canon's attentiveness in a small detail. Will I purchase replacement lens caps due to the new design? Nope.

[CatfishSoupFTW]

this excited me more than the 24-70 f4L IS XD

[mrmarks]

It will be nice if Canon can also come out with new hoods (with textured surface) that are more scratch resistant, such as that for the 70-200L2 and 24-70L2, for all lenses.

[rj79in]

Finally, an answer to my question! See, it is not that hard...

By the way, please don't treat my like I am a 19 year old who just did his first job as a pro! I have 25 years of experience as a press photographer, so your comments about " learning from my mistakes" and "probably damaged more equipment than you owned" are highly unappopriate, wouldn't you agree?

I just launched my question (sorry to hear by the way you thought it was a bit too forward for your taste) because I wanted to hear from amat..., non- professionals (see, now you got me insecure about my spelling) why on earth they insist on using lens caps, when they have a tendency to 'over protect' their gear with filters, pouches and big camera bags while shooting peaceful landscapes, or fluffy animals in a zoo. That is not such a weird thing to wonder about, now is it?

Anyway, still looking forward to hearing from amateurs ;-) about the effects of not using lens caps (and tripping over wires, and dropping stuff doesn't count!)


Peace!

We're all professionals here - not one amateur. Didn't you know that?

Quite true. And I have a "professional" camera to prove it 

He he ... I wish being a "professional" would be so easy!

Anyhow, I use lens caps extensively unless I've stuck on a UV filter on the lens or have the hood on. Can't afford damage to my gear while on a "hobby" activity