The lens cap.

BradS · Jul 2, 2019

How many photos do you have of the dark side of the lens cap?

(not just rangefinder cameras...old folders too! )

In a hurry to finish off the last few frames on a roll that has been in the camera ...seemingly for months, I realized as I was rewinding that I, once again, exposed at least the last three, maybe four frames with the lens cap on...ARRRRGGGH!!!

bdial · Jul 2, 2019

Some of my best pictures are the inside of a lens cap, or else a dark slide.

BradS · Jul 2, 2019

I have the opposite problem with the dark slide. You know....open the shutter with the preview lever, focus, frame, contemplate, take a meter reading, set the exposure controls, cock the shutter, pull the dark slide...
and mumble explicatives to self or laugh out loud.

Kino · Jul 2, 2019

I have a vintage Beauty Lightomatic II 35mm Rangefinder with the lens cap painted a neon safety orange.

It puzzled me at first as to why someone would paint the cap such an obnoxious bright color, but I soon realized it was probably a result of the former owner constantly leaving the lens cap and spoiling so many shots!

In retrospect, not a bad idea...

jim10219 · Jul 2, 2019

I don't think I've ever done that, to be honest. I've done a lot of stupid things, but maybe having spent so many years early on with SLR's and P&S cameras that won't even allow you to shoot with the cover closed has trained me to make that a habit.

Same with the dark slide. I've pulled one out in the field before to see if I had already exposed a sheet of film. I don't know how that thought happened. I've left the preview switch open before. I've forgotten to stop down the aperture, set the wrong time, and misread the light meter at least once a month. I've shot my shadow or reflection I don't know how many times when I didn't want to. I've even shot empty film holders. But I haven't ever forgotten to pull the slide or left the cap on.

Now I'll probably do it the next time I go shooting. Thanks for that!

Luckless · Jul 2, 2019

Do fingers from old point-and-shoots count? If so I have a handful of those from when I was a kid.

A cap that doesn't clearly obstruct the viewfinder seems like a dangerous and poorly designed tool. But I've missed plenty of shots with an SLR that I've quickly raised to my eye thinking the cap was off and I had forgotten I had put it back on at some point.

Thankfully the only rangefinder camera I currently own is a large format press camera, and currently its 'lens cap' is the rail-bed, which makes it pretty difficult to try and take a photo while it is still on.

Forgetting which filter I have on a TLR is what really gets me these days.

Theo Sulphate · Jul 2, 2019

I never use lens caps.

On the very rare occasion I have a second lens in my camera case, that lens will have a rear lens cap. The front of the lens will likely have a hood or a filter. It doesn't matter because the case is well padded.

macfred · Jul 2, 2019

I printed small stickers as a kind of reminder (STOP! lens cap! ) and attached them to the back of my FUJI GW670, 690 and GA645 series rangefinder cameras - do not think this stops me to take photos with the lens cap …

grahamp · Jul 2, 2019

I have no idea. It is not as though I *keep* them!

BAC1967 · Jul 2, 2019

grahamp said:
I have no idea. It is not as though I *keep* them!

It's easier to keep track of the lens cap if it's on the lens.

logan2z · Jul 2, 2019

I don't use filters so I tend to keep the lens cap on between shots. This leads to an award-winning photo of the inside of my lens cap about once per roll with my Leica.

Arklatexian · Jul 2, 2019

BradS said:
How many photos do you have of the dark side of the lens cap?

(not just rangefinder cameras...old folders too! )

In a hurry to finish off the last few frames on a roll that has been in the camera ...seemingly for months, I realized as I was rewinding that I, once again, exposed at least the last three, maybe four frames with the lens cap on...ARRRRGGGH!!!

Years ago, I read in a Graphic-Graflex Photography Book to always think of the word "FAST" when taking photographs. FAST stands for "FOCUS, APERTURE, SHUTTER, THINK (not TRIP) The THINK is for you to remember to remove the lens cap and dark-slide!......Regards!

macfred · Jul 3, 2019

One of my best with lens cap on ...

Theo Sulphate · Jul 3, 2019

macfred said:
One of my best with lens cap on ...

The purity of the single tone is exhilarating.

RalphLambrecht · Jul 3, 2019

BradS said:
How many photos do you have of the dark side of the lens cap?

(not just rangefinder cameras...old folders too! )

In a hurry to finish off the last few frames on a roll that has been in the camera ...seemingly for months, I realized as I was rewinding that I, once again, exposed at least the last three, maybe four frames with the lens cap on...ARRRRGGGH!!!

that's why I prefer SLRs.

Kino · Jul 3, 2019

macfred said:
One of my best with lens cap on ...

View attachment 226278

Ah, you've been holding-out on us!

macfred · Jul 3, 2019

Theo Sulphate said:
The purity of the single tone is exhilarating.

This one was captured during my 'black periode' ...

Hatchetman · Jul 3, 2019

I use a light yellow filter as a "cap." if I forget to take it off, which happens pretty frequently, it's not the end of the world.

StepheKoontz · Jul 3, 2019

I used to do this often with my Fuji rangefinder. I haven't done it in a while tho..

MattKing · Jul 3, 2019

Hatchetman said:
I use a light yellow filter as a "cap." if I forget to take it off, which happens pretty frequently, it's not the end of the world.

Don't use much colour slide film, do you ?
It is this phenomena that explains the relative difficulty of finding good replcement double lens caps for my Mamiya TLR lenses.

macfred · Jul 3, 2019

MattKing said:
Don't use much colour slide film, do you ? ...

I do ... Not so long ago I shot my GW670iii with TriX and a yellow filter - after ending the roll I switched to Provia and forgot the filter ...

Theo Sulphate · Jul 3, 2019

For those who don't realize the cap is on, why not just fold over a loop of gaffer's tape so that it protrudes into the view?

Perhaps you've seen those VW Beetles with eyelashes around the headlights - I should design and patent the same thing for lens caps.

Vaughn · Jul 3, 2019

The dual lens cap on my Rollei broke, so I was using only trhe bottom half. So to answer the OP -- I do not know as I have not counted them.

Sirius Glass · Jul 3, 2019

BradS said:
How many photos do you have of the dark side of the lens cap?

(not just rangefinder cameras...old folders too! )

In a hurry to finish off the last few frames on a roll that has been in the camera ...seemingly for months, I realized as I was rewinding that I, once again, exposed at least the last three, maybe four frames with the lens cap on...ARRRRGGGH!!!

bdial said:
Some of my best pictures are the inside of a lens cap, or else a dark slide.

Many until a put yellow gaffer tape on the edge of the lens cap and on the lens hood that I can see either through the view finder.

Sirius Glass · Jul 3, 2019

BradS said:
I have the opposite problem with the dark slide. You know....open the shutter with the preview lever, focus, frame, contemplate, take a meter reading, set the exposure controls, cock the shutter, pull the dark slide...
and mumble explicatives to self or laugh out loud.

I specialize in

Opens the lens shutter set on 'T'
Open the focal plane shutter.
Focus on the ground glass.
Close the focal plane shutter.
Load the film holder.
Set the aperture.
Pull the dark slide.
Crank the focal plane shutter to the correct slot.
Realizing that I just exposed the film with a diagonal streak.
@#$%$$%^^&*&!!!!

The lens cap.

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