Kickstarter: The Universal Lens Cap by KUVRD

Talys

Canon R5
CR Pro
Feb 16, 2017
2,127
451
Vancouver, BC
ahsanford said:
unfocused said:
I could not believe they were actually suggesting that these rubber sleeves would provide any real protection for a lens that gets dropped (as shown in the video). They better put aside a significant portion of their proceeds to hire a good attorney when some fool bounces his lens on the ground and then points to the video as an implied promise that their little sleeve was supposed to protect the lens.

I believe they did this to show that the silicone stays in place even in the event of a drop, something a traditional lens cap typically won't do. But I agree, it's irresponsible to imply you are drop-proofing your lens. Try that same test with a heavier lens and it won't matter if there's a small margin of silicone -- that lens would be toast.

- A

That's like saying, if you wrap your glass tabletop real tight with a few layers of shrinkwrap poly before you wack it with a hammer, the glass will still retain its shape even though it's broken into a thousand bits and is unusable as a tabletop :D

But then again, to demonstrate how they don't fall off, in the video, they also take a mounted lens and wack it against a table a few times, lol.

Seriously, though, this lens cap will looks like it's tight-fitting, and is described as both water/dust resistant and fitting a huge variety of lens diameters. That means that it must fit tightly, which sounds like a pain (and slow) to both put on and take off, compared to traditional lens caps.

Also: what about lens hoods? It doesn't seem possible to store a lens with hood, either facing forward or reversed, with this cap.

And finally, a lens cap is supposed to protect the outer element from light damage like incidental scratches. It's not supposed to replace a pelican case.
 
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Even they take a patent on something like this, it will be mass produced in China by some chinese factory and sold on cheap sites for 1/10 of the price. The cost of this is very little after the molds are made. A factory who can make the mold themselves, can put them out for pennies.
Who knows, maybe the factories will make knock off versions with Canon and Nikon printed on the tops, like they already do for plastic injection molded lens caps.

As much as I applaud them for making this, cheap photo accessories are a dime a dozen these days.
 
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unfocused said:
I can't believe that more than 500 people thought this was a good enough idea to actually pledge money for this product.

Or maybe, they just have really big families.

580 at this point! :) Well, this is our thought. With a Lifetime Warranty and a free 30-Day Money Back Guarantee from when you receive the product, we feel that this is a good approach to showing people we're not here to screw them out of their money. We're all photographers here and hope that the Universal Lens Cap provides a benefit to each of our photography is really our main hope! But who know, maybe there are just a lot of big families out there!
 
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slclick said:
I was just talking to my preteen son about how things that try and do everything do many things only mediocre to poorly and things that have solitary purpose tend to do them much better. But hey, I don't have a marketing degree.

We feel the exact same way! Complexity creates confusion, simplicity stimulates growth. The two biggest issues we've found with lens caps are that they always pop off and they only fit a specific filter ring diameter. Once we went through 6 molds, trying to create something that fixed these issues, we also found that the Universal Lens Cap has a whole host of other features, ones we were totally unaware of! Being Waterproof, Dust-Proof, Shock-Absorbent, functioning as a Front & Rear Lens Cap are ALL second to the Universal Lens Cap being 'Universal' (fitting every DSLR & Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera Lenses) and that it doesn't fall off! Anyways, sorry to talk your ear off, just wanted to say that we are in total agreement with each other about things trying to do a hundred different things at once!
 
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unfocused said:
I am really, really hoping the Kuvrd person will see this thread and react like that crazy filter guy and start picking fights. We could use the entertainment.

Haha, you think I would, but I'm actually getting a kick out of reading all this! Some of you guys come up with some pretty funny stuff! Keep up the good work!
 
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jolyonralph said:
Also, I guess people are running out of sensible names now that haven't been used by everyone else.

YOU ARE EXACTLY RIGHT. We had all kinds of good ideas but kept running into domains taken, copy-right issues, etc. Eventually, we just got tired of it and thought, "What are some words that we could spell phonetically? Or maybe, close to their phonetic spelling?" And low and behold, we came up with KUVRD. haha.
 
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Does anybody else feel that the bounce in the second GIF looks very odd and should be way higher, even if you factor in some energy loss from the (thin) layer of rubber which cushions the fall? I'm trying hard not to put on my tinfoil hat here, but I can't shake off the feeling that either this was shot in a high gravity environment of about 2G (lol), or the image has simply been tampered with.
*ducks and runs*
 
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neuroanatomist said:
unfocused said:
I can't believe that more than 500 people thought this was a good enough idea to actually pledge money for this product.

Cameron: But we don't have any money.

Michael: Yeah, well, what we need is a backer.

Cameron: What's that?

Michael: Someone with money who's stupid.

</obscure movie reference>

Haha... I guess you could phrase it that way. I give props to backers though! In just in the past couple of years, crowdfunding has been able to successfully help thousands of businesses and startups! Early-Adopters of products, services and ideas have never had a platform by which they are continually exposed to people with varying ideas, products and services! Now that this is possible, it's hastening innovation in a whole new way! Really cool stuff!
 
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ahsanford said:
jolyonralph said:
Also, I guess people are running out of sensible names now that haven't been used by everyone else.

Millenials in rock bands, entrepreneurial endeavors, etc. absolutely LOV dropping letters from existing words to name their projects. It gets them:

  • Top of google's search results -- if this thing was called 'Covered' it would get lost amongst insurance carriers, CoveredCA, tupperware, trash can lids, etc.

  • A free lane towards trademarking as there's very little chance of this being used elsewhere

  • A free lane towards social media handles so that their identity is 100% consistent across all platforms (FB, Twitter, business URL, IG, etc.)

  • The hip millennial startup vibe -- love it or hate it, it's a thing and has proven successful commercially

I'm no fan of it myself, but they are not doing it without good reason.

- A

Excellent points! All from which we are benefitting currently!
 
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ahsanford said:
neuroanatomist said:
slclick said:
I can't help but think it was devised for another use (which failed) and they repurposed it.

Some other purpose for which an impermeable rubber slip-on barrier is required? :eek: :-X

Yep. Was thinking the same thing.

PVC piping end-caps.

- A

Very good point! That's a good idea!
 
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basisunus said:
The only lens that I have is Canon TS-E 17mm F/4L :p

So guess what? It works for that too! It'll stretch over it, it won't fall off and the 8 bumpers and protruding circle in the middle help with shock absorption!

You can always put your Traditional Lens Cap on first and then the Universal Lens Cap... double the protection and better chances at not loosing your Traditional Lens Cap!
 
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unfocused said:
ahsanford said:
Just a first glance look at this thing:...

...this appears to be a textbook example of a solution looking for a problem, or possibly someone with tunnel vision on one design concept despite it blowing up 6-7 other requirements that are already being well met with current technology.

I was tempted to dissect this as well, but you've done a great job.

Can't resist adding:

I believe the video specifically mentions the beach and/or sand. I can just imagine the damage these things would do once you get some sand inside and it starts to grind into your lens.

I could not believe they were actually suggesting that these rubber sleeves would provide any real protection for a lens that gets dropped (as shown in the video). They better put aside a significant portion of their proceeds to hire a good attorney when some fool bounces his lens on the ground and then points to the video as an implied promise that their little sleeve was supposed to protect the lens.

I really do hope that they call the largest size "magnum."

Thanks CR Guy for posting this. It's a fantastic break from all the dreary fights over Canon's impending doom.

That magnum part was hilarious! We were thinking the nickname the Camera Condom! haha.. Anyways, in our Kickstarter Campaign, no where does it say that it's Shock-Proof. At the very bottom of the KS Campaign, we also discuss what is insured and what is not;

===

The Universal Lens Cap does have a warranty. In fact, a lifetime warranty! For as long as you own the product, you're 100% insured against defects in material and workmanship. However, we do NOT provide a warranty against damage or any other defects/issues caused to your lenses WHILE using or NOT using the Universal Lens Cap. In addition, we will not replace lost or stolen Universal Lens Caps.

If your lens breaks while using our product, we are not liable for your camera gear, its repair/replacement, nor act as a financial insurance agency against potentially harmful issues to your camera gear, especially your lenses. The Universal Lens Cap acts as an aversion tool to mother nature and potentially harmful elements. That is it. We strongly advise you seek out and invest in insurance for your gear just as any other professional would do in any other industry! :)

===
I'm sure we'll run into problems with people frustrated that their lens dropped and broke, that finely grain sand got into the ULC and roughed up the glass. Those issues are inevitable. Our hope is that we can continually advise people how to use the ULC, how it's beneficial and help remind them of our product's limits.... the same limits found in a Traditional Lens Cap.
 
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ahsanford said:
unfocused said:
I could not believe they were actually suggesting that these rubber sleeves would provide any real protection for a lens that gets dropped (as shown in the video). They better put aside a significant portion of their proceeds to hire a good attorney when some fool bounces his lens on the ground and then points to the video as an implied promise that their little sleeve was supposed to protect the lens.

I believe they did this to show that the silicone stays in place even in the event of a drop, something a traditional lens cap typically won't do. But I agree, it's irresponsible to imply you are drop-proofing your lens. Try that same test with a heavier lens and it won't matter if there's a small margin of silicone -- that lens would be toast.

- A

Hey, thanks for responding with your first sentence! Much appreciated! To respond to your second sentence, we intentionally stated that the ULCs are Shock-Absorbent and never state that it is drop-proof or shock-proof. You're totally right with a heavier and more expensive lens because we tried it! We purposefully conducted drop tests at a height from the hip, dropping one lens 43 times onto concrete (twice the size of a lens shown in the GIF), and another two lenses 27 times and 18 times onto asphalt before noticing internal damage... Now, we're pretty sure most photographers aren't clumsy enough to drop their lenses 18 times in a row... onto asphalt... repeatedly... but in regards to shock absorbency, it does absorb shock... but it is NOT DROP-PROOF and it is NOT SHOCK-PROOF.
 
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