Any reason not to put a camera in a bag upside down?

williaty · Jul 26, 2017

The "normal" way to put a camera into a camera bag is landscape orientation, with a small number of bags using lens-straight-down orientation. Is there a real mechanical reason for that, or are we just used to feeling things need to be "right side up"?

In my current bag, my SLR camera rides around in landscape position. However, this means I extract it from the bag by grabbing the prism housing which, due to my having large fingers and being unable to fit them well between the housing and the lens, is really dodgy and makes me worry I'm going to drop it some day. If I flipped the camera completely upside down and set it directly on the prism housing (obviously the bag is padded), then it becomes easy to grab the portrait grip on the motor drive and pull it out with a sure grip. Alternately, putting it in the bag in portrait orientation allows me to grab the main grip, which is again more secure feeling.

Is there any reason not to put it in the bag either completely upside down or in portrait orientation?

Sirius Glass · Jul 26, 2017

No, the camera position in the bag should not matter, however if the camera was dropped out of the bag how the camera hit the pavement could make a difference.

BrianShaw · Jul 26, 2017

Seriously?

My Nikons have been stored in bags in "portrait" orientation for years without damage. What makes you think there is a problem? It's not like storing your auto on its side!

Methinks your overthinking things.

Theo Sulphate · Jul 26, 2017

With sufficient padding, it shouldn't matter.

summicron1 · Jul 27, 2017

only if the finder is not nailed down properly. Otherwise, I've stored them every which way.

pdeeh · Jul 27, 2017

If you put a camera on it's "end" for longer than a few minutes, all the Silver halides in the film start to migrate to the bottom and you get uneven exposures.

williaty · Jul 27, 2017

You guys are acting like this is a stupid question but in MANY of the other precision instruments I work with, storage orientation is critical. Turn it upside down and leave it and lubricants will migrate to the wrong place, assemblies that are floating will end up out of alignment, etc. A lot of stuff isn't designed to have gravity pointing in novel directions for long periods of time.

Steve Smith · Jul 27, 2017

As long as the darkness doesn't leak out...

Steve.

monst · Jul 27, 2017

if the case was that it should be kept upright then i'm sure there would be a warning saying"don't store the camera upside down" in the manual or actually on the camera.

AgX · Jul 27, 2017

Put the camera into the bag they way it either best makes use of the bag space or the way it best lends itself to your grip without having to re-grip it afterwards.

The only technical reason for a certain orientation of the camera within a bag woulde be the padding:
eg. if the padding is real thin, then putting the camera with its base down to the base of the bag would spread flat impact force better that putting the camera down on its small edge.

Minoltafan2904 · Jul 27, 2017

pdeeh said:
If you put a camera on it's "end" for longer than a few minutes, all the Silver halides in the film start to migrate to the bottom and you get uneven exposures.

Riiiight

bdial · Jul 27, 2017

I've not encountered any cameras where storage orientation was important. Consider that the cameras that live in the rigid, fitted-foam cases typically would be sitting on their sides when the case is closed and upright.
Mine are usually stored upright on shelves or in soft sided bags, but I've put them in the bags while working in every orientation imaginable, with no discovered problems. Cameras typically don't have enough lubricant in any one place for it to migrate due to storage orientation.

darkosaric · Jul 27, 2017

pdeeh said:
If you put a camera on it's "end" for longer than a few minutes, all the Silver halides in the film start to migrate to the bottom and you get uneven exposures.

But only in stand development. This is a reason why for some stand development works like a charm, and for some (who put the camera upside down) does not work.

pdeeh · Jul 27, 2017

Yeah darko, but remember that unlike you, most people take the film *out* of the camera before putting it in the development tank.
By the way, this might be why you have to buy so many cameras?

darkosaric · Jul 27, 2017

pdeeh said:
By the way, this might be why you have to buy so many cameras?

Touché !

jim10219 · Jul 27, 2017

williaty said:
You guys are acting like this is a stupid question but in MANY of the other precision instruments I work with, storage orientation is critical. Turn it upside down and leave it and lubricants will migrate to the wrong place, assemblies that are floating will end up out of alignment, etc. A lot of stuff isn't designed to have gravity pointing in novel directions for long periods of time.

This is true. In fact, I've seen quite a few shutters where the lubricants have all migrated to the bottom. That being said, this didn't happen from being placed in a camera bag and taken on location, but from being left on a shelf for decades collecting dust. And they were all stored in their "proper" orientation, and the lubricants migrated anyway. I've yet to see a camera that took the long term effects of gravity into consideration in it's design. In fact, outside of a guillotine shutter or bellows supports, I can't think of any camera that factors gravity in any capacity into it's design! So probably the best storage method is to not leave it in the same orientation for extended periods of time. Or better yet, use it often and have it CLA'ed when necessary.

E. von Hoegh · Jul 27, 2017

jim10219 said:
This is true. In fact, I've seen quite a few shutters where the lubricants have all migrated to the bottom. That being said, this didn't happen from being placed in a camera bag and taken on location, but from being left on a shelf for decades collecting dust. And they were all stored in their "proper" orientation, and the lubricants migrated anyway. I've yet to see a camera that took the long term effects of gravity into consideration in it's design. In fact, outside of a guillotine shutter or bellows supports, I can't think of any camera that factors gravity in any capacity into it's design! So probably the best storage method is to not leave it in the same orientation for extended periods of time. Or better yet, use it often and have it CLA'ed when necessary.

It happened because they were grossly overlubricated. The amount of lubricant in a shutter mechanism is comparable to that in a pocket watch, which (watch) is specifically designed and adjusted to run in any position.

What will cause migration of normal amounts of lubricant in a camera (or watch) is exposure to excessively high temperatures such as a car in summer, however this will result in lubricants spreading away from where they are needed, not pooling. A possible exception being grease in a lens mount.

On topic, I usually store my cameras in bags on end, "portrait" orientation. Makes them easier to grab.

RichardJack · Jul 27, 2017

Ko.Fe. · Jul 27, 2017

The only right placement of the camera in my bag done in the way to make sure no stress is applied on the lens hood. If lens has no hood and it is made right, position of camera in the bag is commanded by positioning of any item in the bag. I'm just sliding it into one of the compartments.

Sirius Glass · Jul 27, 2017

pdeeh said:
If you put a camera on it's "end" for longer than a few minutes, all the Silver halides in the film start to migrate to the bottom and you get uneven exposures.

That is exactly what I am worried about!

narsuitus · Jul 27, 2017

williaty said:
Is there any reason not to put it in the bag either completely upside down or in portrait orientation?

This is a good question and very similar to one I remember about lenses being stored lens up or lens down.

It is difficult for me to predict the position of the camera in relation to the ground because the position changes if I carry the bag or case on my back, by its handle, by its strap, or roll it on the ground.

I have placed my cameras in bags or cases with the top up, top down, face up, face down, left-side up, and left-side down. Thus far, it has made no difference with my analog cameras.

For non-analog cameras, I try to place them face down so particles do not fall onto the sensor.

For cameras with interchangeable viewfinders, I rarely store them top up because I do not want to pull the camera out of the bag or case by its viewfinder.

Sirius Glass · Jul 27, 2017

I prefer to carry and store lenses with the base towards the ground for some reason, maybe because I think that they can take shocks and bouncing better. An argument could be made that it is better to pull the lens out of a camera bag by its base rather than the front of the lens.

MattKing · Jul 27, 2017

Do you use your camera bag(s) to store your camera(s) over the long term, or do you use them just to carry the camera(s) when they are likely to be used in the near term?
The observations about migration of lubricant are really only relevant to long term storage.
I would suggest that cameras in camera bags should be stored in ways that:
1) maximize the protection to the camera;
2) maximize the accessibility of the camera when you are out using it; and
3) minimize the possibility of damaging camera when you "grab" it from the bag "on the fly".
If you do store the camera(s) long term in the bag(s), then there should be no problem with migration of lubricant, unless you aren't using the camera(s) enough!

grommi · Jul 27, 2017

"Any reason not to put a camera in a bag upside down?"

Yes, it looks crappy!

AgX · Jul 27, 2017

pdeeh said:
If you put a camera on it's "end" for longer than a few minutes, all the Silver halides in the film start to migrate to the bottom and you get uneven exposures.

The same time by reorientating the camera regularly you prohibit the amorphous glass of the lens elements from bulging due to gravity.

Any reason not to put a camera in a bag upside down?

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