Transporting LF Lenses

jmolligo · Apr 25, 2008

I was curious as to other photographers' methods of carrying several and/or heavier (larger) lenses on location or in the field. Do you leave them on boards, or transport them off boards in a wrap or small case, do you leave a lens on the camera, etc?
Thank you for any and all input.

Uhner · Apr 25, 2008

I rarely bring more than three lenses in the field. I keep mine mounted on their lensboards and wrapped in thick protective cloth that close with Velcro.

Kent10D · Apr 25, 2008

This is an interesting question. I'd be interesting in reading about and/or seeing how people manage their lenses in the field too.

I suppose if you have a partitioned bag you can just pop the lenses in their own partitions -- with the caps on, of course. But has anyone made a purpose-built case, or come up with any other ingenious solutions?

Ole · Apr 25, 2008

jmolligo said:
Do you leave them on boards, or transport them off boards in a wrap or small case, do you leave a lens on the camera, etc?

Yes - all of the above!

Since I have more lenses than boards (I use five different boards on five different cameras), I put the most likely used on boards for the camera I'm bringing. The rest go in pockets/partitions in my camera bag. There's usually one lens on board folded inside the camera too, on those cameras that can fold with a lens on/inside.

Since I have iris lens board for many of my cameras, I might just mount the really big and heavy ones (360mm f:5.6 Symmar and the likes), and bring the smaller ones "loose" without lensboards.

I also have a Speed Graphic with an iris lens board, where I usually just bring a pocket-full of old lenses, individually wrapped in pieces of an old flannel bedsheet.

David A. Goldfarb · Apr 25, 2008

I leave them on the lensboards. I never want to be mounting and unmounting lenses from lensboards in the field. Variations on that would be barrel lenses that I use with an adapter on the front of a big Ilex 5 shutter or a convertible lens, where I've got several elements that can be interchanged on one shutter, but in both of those cases, the shutter stays mounted to the lensboard at all times.

For 4x5" I usually use a Crumpler case with compartments. For the other formats I usually carry the lenses in lens wraps or small bags. If I'm traveling light, I might just carry my Technika on a strap over my shoulder, tripod on a strap over the other shoulder, and a couple of lenses in a small bag or a fanny pack or in my jacket pockets.

If you have a camera that takes large lensboards, you might consider mounting smaller lenses on smaller lensboards and using an adapter board to reduce bulk in the case.

For lenses on smaller boards, there's an Orvis fly fishing reel case that some people like, if it hasn't been discontinued.

Dave Miller · Apr 25, 2008

Uhner said:
I rarely bring more than three lenses in the field. I keep mine mounted on their lensboards and wrapped in thick protective cloth that close with Velcro.

Me too.

Dan Fromm · Apr 25, 2008

I carry my lenses in shutter on boards. For lenses in barrel, if the lens has its own adapter for front-mounting it will be in the adapter. If not, not. I have a few barrel lenses that are on boards.

I use a variety of plastic food storage containers to hold the lenses. Depending on the lens and container, anywhere from one to four lenses/container. All padded with foam.

One exception, which stays home most of the time. A very bulky tele lens that is on a board lives in a lens wrap.

I have a Ruxxac (spelling?) dolly, carry the lenses and cameras etc. in a tool bag, bought at Home Depot, on it. The tool bag has built-in wheels and a handle, but rolls well only on pavement.

MurrayMinchin · Apr 25, 2008

My gear gets subjected to all kinds of wet, windy, or snowy weather conditions and gets jostled about in a packsack so I kept my two Schneider's in the cardboard boxes they came in, fully assembled on boards with shutters. It was annoying trying to wiggle a lens out of the inner box after the top was removed, so I cut one side of the inner box to form a flap that falls away when the outer box top is removed. Sure it may add a few grams to my packs weight, but they offer great protection.

Murray

Monophoto · Apr 25, 2008

I only own two lenses. I keep them mounted on boards, each with its own cable release, in a velcro-closed lens-wrap in a dedicated area in my backpack.

climbabout · Apr 25, 2008

LF LENSES

I shoot an 8x10 and generally carry only 4 lenses with me. I used to have them in separate lens wraps but after seeing a thread on LF tip on the LF forum I now carry all of them in a padded cell which has a zippered top. They're separated by padded spacers and each lens is on it's own 4x4 lensboard and with it's own shutter cable attached. I use a 6x6 to 4x4 reducer on the camera to save space from having all the lenses on 6x6 boards. I find setting up to be a bit faster this way.
Tim

TheFlyingCamera · Apr 25, 2008

Lenses stay on boards, wrapped in lens wraps, and depending on the camera, they go in a separate compartment in the same bag, or a separate bag carried alongside.

resummerfield · Apr 25, 2008

All my lenses are mounted to lensboards when I first buy them, and are never removed. When I go on a project, I select the appropriate lenses, and put them in a Gnass padded case with a zippered top, which usually holds about 4 lenses. That case goes into a backpack, along with the camera. I think Gnass is no longer making cases, but a very similar case, in multiple sizes, is made by Dead Link Removed.

jp80874 · Apr 25, 2008

I shoot 8x10 and 7x17 cameras that use Sinar boards. I use a 12x12x10” padded cooler bag. Inside are six lenses on boards. Each lens is in a zip lock bag to protect from dust, dirt and sand. To protect from condensation the zip is left open. One shutter requires a longer cable release throw or probe so it is in that bag, but not mounted. I found leaving it screwed in too precarious. Also in the padded bag are: light meter, additional cable releases, loupe, nine inch level, duct tape, stop watch, small first aide kit, small tool kit, and dark cloth. Everything acts as padding for everything else. I carry the padded bag on the seat of a babyjogger. Film holders go below the seat. Camera and tripod are bungy corded onto the padded bag with spikes through the foot rest. http://babyjogger.com/performancesingle.htm

John Powers

Bandicoot · Apr 25, 2008

Virtually all my lenses live on boards, but how I pack them varies.

I have a few lenses that I keep on Century Graphic boards (which are tiny) and I can fit six such lenses into a small Tupperware sandwich box. If I'm taking fewer than that, one can go on the camera and two stack one above the other in a 'tall square' shaped food container made by Lock 'n' Lock.

Most of my lenses are on Arca boards, as many as possible on the 6x9 size boards (109/110mm square) with just a couple requiring the 4x5 size (171mm square). The lenses on the 6x9 size boards fit directly to my 6x9 cameras and the 4x5 'field' version, and I have a reducing board to use them on the studio 4x5 and the larger size cameras. This saves a lot of bulk.

I want to make a reducing board to fit the lenses that are on Century boards onto the Arcas too - anyone got a spare front standard or two from a broken CG?

The lenses on Arca boards live in a couple of cases:

One is a large-ish Lightware 'suitcase' that I have divided up into a series of square compartments that the boards fit: this way I can put in one 'tall' lens or stack two or three flatter ones in each compartment, with a little square of closed cell foam separating them. This case also has compartments that hold some other things, like a Sinar zoom back, a Da-Yi 6x17 back, spare GG, etc.

The other is a wooden case made from an empty wine box - the 'flat' sort that 1/2 doz. claret bottles come in. This is divided in two down the middle and the two long compartments lined top and bottom with foam and the edges with saw cut slots that the boards will slide into. This lets me arrange the boards however they best fit according to the size of the lens on each. There's a lid and when I get round to it I'll fit a suitcase type handle. This is much smaller than the Lightware case, but holds nearly as many lenses - nothing else though apart from a couple of cable releases and centre ND filters.

Either of these might come with me on a trip where I'm working from the car, depending on what I expect to need.

For travelling light the boards go in Velcro wraps into compartments in a LowePro backpack, or in bad weather a couple can go into a larger size of the Lock 'n' Lock boxes. (There's another size Lock 'n' Lock that perfectly holds five 4x5 film-holders.)

Peter

Mark Sawyer · Apr 27, 2008

For hiking, I have a large f/64 backpack that holds my 8x10 KMV, 5 holders (6 if I cram), the usual odds and ends, and 3 to 5 lenses, depending on their sizes. I wrap the lenses in hand towels, which protect them quite nicely. All have their own 6x6 boards, but I've stopped leaving the cable releases on after breaking a couple.

Doremus Scudder · Apr 27, 2008

Low-tech solutions for me:

I carry five lenses mounted on Technika boards. Three of these go into "custom-made" double-thickness cardboard boxes (read made by me with a Swiss Army knife and duct tape) and live in my fanny pack along with my wooden field camera and two sets of filters (with lens caps on, of course). The cable releases stay on, wound around the lenses (one release for each).

I hate lens wraps: bulky, slow, and require two hands. I can get a lens in or out of my open-top boxes with one hand easily.

One lens (either 135mm, 150mm or my 203 Ektar) folds up in the camera, one more goes in the outside (foam-padded) pocket of my filmholder pouch. (Meter, and other accessories go in my "photo-vest," a short fly-fishing vest.)

The entire backpacking package is: 90mm Schneider SA f8, 135mm Wide-field Ektar, (150mm Nikkor-W), 203mm f7.7 Ektar, 240mm Fujinon-A, 300mm Nikkor-M. Lightweight and good performers all. (Yes, I know that is six... usually the 150mm stays in the car or gets toted by my hiking partner/beautiful assistant.)

For my cameras with larger boards, I have reducing lensboards mounted so I never have to change boards.

Works for me, keeps the hands free to scramble, and I can work out of the fanny pack without putting it on the ground.

Best

Doremus Scudder

www.DoremusScudder.com

Bruce Watson · Apr 28, 2008

resummerfield said:
When I go on a project, I select the appropriate lenses, and put them in a Gnass padded case with a zippered top, which usually holds about 4 lenses. That case goes into a backpack, along with the camera.

My method exactly.

Allen · Apr 28, 2008

I use the fishpond Stowaway reel case it holds 5 of my lenses on 4X4 lens boards and 8 4X5 film holders.

Allen

edebill · Apr 29, 2008

resummerfield said:
All my lenses are mounted to lensboards when I first buy them, and are never removed. When I go on a project, I select the appropriate lenses, and put them in a Gnass padded case with a zippered top, which usually holds about 4 lenses. That case goes into a backpack, along with the camera. I think Gnass is no longer making cases, but a very similar case, in multiple sizes, is made by Dead Link Removed.

I can testify to how well the Photo Backpacker system works. I have one set up to carry my Tachihara 4x5, 3 lenses, loupe, dark cloth, 8 film holders and tripod inside a small REI house brand frame backpack. I love it, and there's room for food, water, rain gear, etc in the parts of the backpack not taken up by the Photo Backpacker system.

All 3 lenses live on lensboards with their own cable release attached. One lens doesn't have lens caps, so I put it inside a plastic bag before putting it into the case.

I have a second backboard with compartments to carry my 35mm gear.

I've been using the two of them for well over a year, and I like the results better than any of the many other solutions I've tried. At least where the problem is carrying a full camera kit, with tripod and multiple lenses on long hikes where I want additional gear other than just the photography stuff.

mark · Apr 29, 2008

Cotton Diapers make dandy wraps (well cleaned and bleached of course) My lenses are on lensboards and wrapped in cotton diapers.

orto · May 1, 2008

Big and heavy lenses mounted on boards should be hold in their padded (foam) cases supported under their bodies, not the board. Especially if the lens is supported by the board in its (lens') vertical position. If not, any knocks on the lens puts the fine thread of the mounting ring under tension that could, in some cases, not be healthy.

Deckled Edge · May 1, 2008

Allen said:
I use the fishpond Stowaway reel case it holds 5 of my lenses on 4X4 lens boards and 8 4X5 film holders.

Allen

I bookmarked this. Thanks!!

reggie · May 1, 2008

For my big heavy lenses (for my 12x20) I keep them on the lensboard(!) and I carry them in a stout Pelican case (one case holds at lest 3 lenses). For my 8x10, I also keep them on lensboards and I put them in pouches attached to my f64 backpack and I wrap them in lens wraps cloths. I usually carry a Cooke XVa and one or two other lenses so the weight isn't too great for the 8x10.

-R

michael9793 · May 1, 2008

Okay,
I use Photobackbackers cases in the pack ( he is a sponsor so check it out ) I make my boards, router drill press and hardwood plywood, black spray paint and in an hour I can make a 6 or 7. carry 5 lens in my 4x5 pack and 3 in my 8x0 one which is triple convertable.

mike

mark · May 1, 2008

This might work too
Dead Link Removed

Transporting LF Lenses

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reggie

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mark

Transporting LF Lenses

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