Where and how do you keep all your gears?

[ianhar]

Hi as the topic goes, where do you keep all your gears to ensure it is safe from dust etc. how often do you guys clean up your gears?



P/s: im sorry but i dunno where to post this, moderator can remove this to other board if necessary.

[neuroanatomist]

I keep my gear in Pelican/Storm hard cases - I have several, all stored in the den closet. My 'go to' kit for around the house shooting, 5DII with 24-105mm and a 430EX II, are in the small Storm im2075. My next most-used set of lenses is in the easy-to-grab Storm im2300 - the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II and several primes (35L, 85L II, 100L Macro, and 135L).  Less frequently used gear is in the large Pelican 1600 - 7D, 16-35L II, 17-55mm, TS-E 24L II, MP-E 65, 100-400, 1.4x II and 2x II TCs, MT-24 EX, second 430EX II, etc.  The Storm im25000 carryon case is empty except when I'm traveling with it.

I like the security of keeping the gear in waterproof hard cases - pipes can burst, etc., plus I have a pair of curious toddlers.  The gear is also kept free of dust, and dry during the humid New England summers (I keep desiccant packs in each case, the color-changing type to indicate when they need to be replaced.

[unfocused]

You're supposed to clean it?

(Just kidding...sort of). I admit I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum. Much of my gear seems to reside in the extended cab portion of my pickup for much of the year (tripod, monopod, light stands, umbrellas, softbox, etc.) I try to remember to take it inside during extreme weather, in which case it ends up in a closet or in the basement, wherever I can find room (I do try to keep it all in one place so I can find it).

Electronic equipment (cameras, strobes) along with lenses get a bit better care. My camera and most lenses pretty much live inside my main camera bag most of the time. Bigger issue is what to do with all those things that you accumulate and only use occasionally. Most of them seem to find their way into a spare camera bag for at least temporary storage. I have accumulated multiple camera bags and backpacks (Trying to find the perfect one and needing different sizes for different outings) They live in a closet except when I switch them out with my main bag.

Okay, I'm pretty much a pig, so don't use this as advice. Just trying to show there is a broad range and not right or wrong way to go about things. And yes..I admit...I seldom do any regular cleaning other than blowing dust off the lens. My philosophy is that the less cleaning (within reason) the better, as I believe you're more likely to introduce or create problems from amateur cleaning than from being reasonably careful in the first place.

[RC]

My body and lens are in a safe.  Tripods, light stands, etc. are on closet shelves.

All my gear is well taken care of so I clean it as needed.  I no longer store batteries in my speedlites.  Had a major battery leak in my 580 which cost me $100 for Canon to repair it  .

[DanoPhoto]

With the Pelican/Storm cases, is there a real difference between the foam and the padded dividers?  Or is it more of a preference issue?


Right now, I am using a combination of backpacks and individual lens cases for storage.


Silica packs aplenty!!!

[dr croubie]

My gear is everywhere...
Most of my lenses (old, Pentacon 6 and M42) are in my bedroom, in a $6 ikea plastic tub, stacked however they fit in.
My camera with one lens attached is by my feet in my garage/rumpus room, where my computer and home-made sound system is, the CF card is on the piano-stool I use for a mouse-mat plugged into a card reader since I transferred pics last night, battery is in the charger by my feet next to the camera so I don't forget it if i grab my camera in a hurry to photograph a bug outside.
If I go inside into the family room, there's probably a lens or two on the couch and maybe a few filters or step-rings on the armrest.
On the floor is my Lowepro 350AW, with 70-300L and Samyang 35/1.4 (the two lenses I care most about) safely inside. (I should care about my 15-85 more because of the price I paid, but I think it's in the plastic tub, I barely use it anymore these days since I'm not travelling).
Most other EF-mount lenses are on a shelf, precarisouly in front of a cupboard door (at least it's a cupboard noone ever goes in).
The tripod is still set up from yesterday's shooting on the ground next to the breakfast bar, the speedlite was sitting there until I needed space for my coffee. The flower I was photographing is still on a black towel held by alligator-clip-things I bought 15 years ago to hold pcbs I was soldering. The other half of the breakfast bar is taken up by electronics components, transistors/resistors, and RGB-LEDs (I was making myself a colour-changeable Macro-ring light).
In the dining-room is my gorillapod and another macro-subject I was shooting a week ago, a leaf held by another alligator-clip-stand. There is also my tc-80n3 I use as a remote (hardly ever use for timer functions), and a set of kenko rings, hopefully somewhere inamongst a pile of papers on the dining table next to it is my 85/1.8 and 50/1.8ii, I haven't seen them for a few days...

[branden]

Bodies and lenses and film go in a cabinet in my office, the gadgets like chargers and remotes and flashes go in one of these toolboxes on top of the cabinet.  Flash stands in a microphone bag, tripod in the trunk of my car.

[neuroanatomist]

With the Pelican/Storm cases, is there a real difference between the foam and the padded dividers?  Or is it more of a preference issue?

The dividers can be rearranged if (when!) your gear changes. The foam needs to be cut/plucked to fit specific gear.  So, the custom fit of the foam will provide slightly better protection, for example if you were shipping the gear. But to 'rearrange' the foam, you usually have to buy a new insert. 

For storage at home, the padded dividers are much more convenient. Personally, I have the dividers for all of the cases except the small im2075. For that one, the top and bottom of the padded dividers were too thick for the camera to fit. The thinner, softer top and bottom foam hold it tight. On the larger im2300 and Peli 1600, i use the dividers. 

I don't actually use the dividers on the carryon im2500 - it's the perfect size to hold gear loaded inside my Lowepro Flipside 400 AW, for great protection on the flight (if forced to check) and the convenience of a backpack when I arrive. If taking only a small amount of gear, I load it in Toploaders/Lens Cases and put those in the hard case - again, for a convenient way to carry the gear when using it on the trip.

[lol]

Stuff I use often tends to get left where I last used it if its at home, or in a bag if taken outside. When rearranging the kit bag though, any available space is a storage location. Not good as I can never find the right lens or body sometimes... less commonly used stuff is stored in a space in a bookcase, and I have some small draws for small accessories.

The only thing I try to avoid is leaving kit in my kitchen as everything gets coated in grease after a while in there.

[DanoPhoto]

@neuro - thanks for the insight.  Already stored the advice about the backpack in the hard case away for future travels.  Not sure how he Karma thing works but that was a +1 for me.

[unfocused]

dr. droubie: thanks for giving me something to aspire to. Careful though, your good karma might rise!

[ianhar]

Thanks for everyone replies. Enjoyed all the post. Since i'm cat sitting my friend's cat for a while now, i have been extra cautious with my camera gears. The cat's hair is everywhere in the house and i dont want any of it to be in the camera.

I dont have much money to invest on pelican yet, they are quite expensive in australia. So i used a sealed ice box and put some silica pack in it.

[AprilForever]

My gear is everywhere...
Most of my lenses (old, Pentacon 6 and M42) are in my bedroom, in a $6 ikea plastic tub, stacked however they fit in.
My camera with one lens attached is by my feet in my garage/rumpus room, where my computer and home-made sound system is, the CF card is on the piano-stool I use for a mouse-mat plugged into a card reader since I transferred pics last night, battery is in the charger by my feet next to the camera so I don't forget it if i grab my camera in a hurry to photograph a bug outside.
If I go inside into the family room, there's probably a lens or two on the couch and maybe a few filters or step-rings on the armrest.
On the floor is my Lowepro 350AW, with 70-300L and Samyang 35/1.4 (the two lenses I care most about) safely inside. (I should care about my 15-85 more because of the price I paid, but I think it's in the plastic tub, I barely use it anymore these days since I'm not travelling).
Most other EF-mount lenses are on a shelf, precarisouly in front of a cupboard door (at least it's a cupboard noone ever goes in).
The tripod is still set up from yesterday's shooting on the ground next to the breakfast bar, the speedlite was sitting there until I needed space for my coffee. The flower I was photographing is still on a black towel held by alligator-clip-things I bought 15 years ago to hold pcbs I was soldering. The other half of the breakfast bar is taken up by electronics components, transistors/resistors, and RGB-LEDs (I was making myself a colour-changeable Macro-ring light).
In the dining-room is my gorillapod and another macro-subject I was shooting a week ago, a leaf held by another alligator-clip-stand. There is also my tc-80n3 I use as a remote (hardly ever use for timer functions), and a set of kenko rings, hopefully somewhere inamongst a pile of papers on the dining table next to it is my 85/1.8 and 50/1.8ii, I haven't seen them for a few days...

This sounds about like me... I had my 300 2.8 on the glass table for a while...

[PeterJ]

My storage system is cyclic, about every 12 months I decide to get organised then 6 months later it spends about 6 months like dr croubie's setup before the process repeats . In my area humidity is about 50-60% during the warmer months outdoors, and only gets higher during colder months when I've normally got a heater running. I normally leave my gear sitting on a shelf to keep dust off in cloth covers / bags not tightly sealed to let some air flow in, or just sitting on a shelf depending on the part of the cycle. Given the modest cost of a hygrometer I guess I really should buy one, but suspect my gear spends most of it's time around 50% RH, which I gather is pretty reasonable.

[candyman]

I keep all my gear in a small office room that can be locked. It is on the 2nd floor (save from water/flooding). It is a dry room. Most of the gear is stored in a back-pack. So in case it is needed, I can quickly get it and go. My studio equipment is also stored in the office room. Because the room is locked, it is save for my children.
My back-pack is a Kata Slingbag (holds 2 DSLR, several lenses, flash, tripod/monopod and other assecoires)