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

[Theo Sulphate]

For those that know, what keeps lubricants stay where they're supposed to stay? In particular, I wonder about aperture blade lubrication.

To preface my concern, I have many cameras on shelving so that they are in the "normal" orientation. Also, I have lenses attached to each. For lenses that are not mounted on cameras, I usually store them objective side down with a rear lens cap covering the rear element. Long lenses I place laying flat, so they won't topple over if bumped.

It seems that regardless of orientation among many lenses, I have had only *one* lens where the lubricants ran onto the blade: it was a bought-new-in-1988 Nikkor 50/1.4 that's spent 99.9% of its life mounted on its equally new F3/T. From 1988 to mid 2016 it was fine, then one day oil everywhere. It was never exposed to temperatures over 80F while not in use and maybe 90F for a few hours decades ago. The lens has since been repaired. The repairman, who I know personally, said there was a brief time Nikon used a different lubricant and my lens may have had that. But, anyway, the lens orientations I've been using haven't seem to have resulted in problems.

 

[Ap507b]

A few years ago I was running down Waterloo train station platform with a gadget bag over my shoulder when the strap broke due to the weight in it. The bag landed on the floor top first and I got a dent in the prism of the Nikon F3 in the bag. If only I had put the camera in upside down the AH-2 tripod plate would have taken the whack. Appreciate what is said about lubricants shifting with gravity but maybe there is a case when travelling to shield the more vulnerable bits?

 

[Kino]

"Frank's Law of Falling Camera Bags" states: any camera bag, dropped from a sufficient height to do substantial damage will rotate to impact the floor and inflict maximum damage to said contents, regardless of prior thoughtful placement and perfectly arranged padding.

 

[Ap507b]

LMAO. There was something on the inside that got driven into it to cause the dent. Can't remember what it was. There was an F5 in the bag too but the titanium finder shrugged it off. Own fault as had way too much in the bag.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

For those that know, what keeps lubricants stay where they're supposed to stay? In particular, I wonder about aperture blade lubrication.

Surface tension, aka capillary attraction, in cameras and other tiny mechanisms. Aperture (and shutter) blades, if wet, will jam due to the same effect. Sometimes aperture and shutter blades are factory coated with a matte Teflon type substance. They need no lubrication, but do need to be prevented from sticking to each other.

 

[AgX]

For those that know, what keeps lubricants stay where they're supposed to stay? In particular, I wonder about aperture blade lubrication

Petrol based lubricants are kept in place (more or less) by a matrix made out of metal-soaps (certain salts of carbonacids).

Aperture blades should not be lubricated by oil or grease. At its best by Molybdenum Disulfide powder.