A Lesson Learned

scorpius73

scorpius73

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I was in Italy for 11 days on my honeymoon. I went to Rome and Florence. I took my 2 favorite cameras, a Zeiss Ikon ZI and a Leica M6. I had so much fun shooting. My photography mentor at work told me once how to tell the difference between a pro photographer and an amateur. The amateur always has lens caps on his lenses. :bang: By the 5th day of switching between the 2 cameras and leaving the caps on the lenses when shooting. I finally just look all the lens caps off. I have 20 rolls of film to develop. I'm wondering about the percentage of shots I missed because of the lens caps. I had to laugh at myself when while explained to my wife why I was taking all the caps off. She knows I baby my gear.
How many of you just keeps the caps off?
 
When I travel I mostly use a collapsible 50/3.5 (either an Elmar or an Industar-22). I have to remove the lens cap (and the filter) to set the aperture. That makes it easy to remember.
 
Well, at least you have come back home with your cameras.... Generally, I dislike using filters, unless I need to do that for the sake of B&W filtering, but I always use lens hoods, so as I go out into the street, the hoods get clipped on and the caps go into my pocket.
 
How did it happened? M6 exposimeter led flashes if cap is on!
Anyway, the cap is only for storing, my M6 always stays without it when hanging from my neck. Obviously, cap goes back when the famera goes to sleep in the bag.
Sorry for the fotoes..
 
squinza said:
How did it happened? M6 exposimeter led flashes if cap is on!
Anyway, the cap is only for storing, my M6 always stays without it when hanging from my neck. Obviously, cap goes back when the famera goes to sleep in the bag.
Sorry for the fotoes..
Click to expand...

Oh.... You mean that the thing that flashes to warn you that the cap is on is supposed to be some sort of exposure meter?

Cheers,

R.
 
squinza said:
How did it happened? M6 exposimeter led flashes if cap is on!
Anyway, the cap is only for storing, my M6 always stays without it when hanging from my neck. Obviously, cap goes back when the famera goes to sleep in the bag.
Sorry for the fotoes..
Click to expand...

Sometimes I was using my Sekonic L-308s lightmeter for readings. I would just transfer the transfer the reading to the camera. So, the blinking arrows I did not pay attention to.
From now on the caps will stay on the lenses when not in use. When I go out shooting I will take the caps off until the end of the day. Thats another reason they have filters on them.
I cant wait to see my images. Mostly tourist shots. Run of the mill stuff. Nothing to turn the photography world on its head. Just memories of a great time and trip.
 
I always use hoods, but don't routinely use caps, though I suppose I might between shots if I was shooting in a sandstorm or something like that. Most of the time, I don't use protective filters, either, though again, the presence of flying sand or similar abrasives would probably be the exception that proves the rule; for similar reasons, I will sometimes use a UV or P filter if I know a lot of fluids or water will be splashing on my lens.
 
squinza said:
Well we italians are not always robbing tourists, sometimes we have a rest 🙄
Rome and Florence are safe places, anyway.
Click to expand...

I felt totally safe in Rome and Florence. I cant wait to get back there. I did speak to an older gentleman in Florence. He had an M8 around his neck. We spoke for a second. He was very interested in my Ikon.
 
I only leave the caps on when the camera isn't being used. By that, I mean when it's sitting on the shelf and I'm asleep. I don't even bring caps with me when I go out shooting, and it always irks me to see people walking around with a cap on their lense.
 
David William White said:
Yes, caps prevent photography from taking place, and are therefore evil.
Click to expand...

OK.

Now get up an hour or two before dawn, in order to be able to walk from a remote country inn to a ruined part of the Great Wall of China for sunrise.

Choice: camera in bag, cap on, fully protected and inaccessible OR camera around neck, walking on stony, rough path, chance of stumbling/tripping, no protection.

As I said in an earlier post, OpTech.

Cheers,

R.
 
Since I use the never/everready cases that come with most of my russian cameras, the caps come of my cameras and are replaced with filters and since the cameras and lens are very well protected by the everready cases I dont feel any need to use caps most of the time. this system works pretty well. I am plannig to get a kit to replace the rivits that hold the bottom and top of the cases and replace them with snap fasteners. - Michael
 
Caps are easier to forget and lose than umbrellas. I use them at home to keep dust from building up, at least that's the notion. If they came along with me and my camera, there's a good chance I'd leave one of 'em on some coffeeshop counter or some such place. [EDIT: 'Course, if I was inclined to get up well before dawn and hike through impenetrable forest with my camera bag in one hand and a machete in another, like Roger, I'd be sure to use caps. 🙂 But I'd drop out of the expedition as soon as I saw that pre-dawn thing.]
 
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I'm at a loss for words; Don't quite know how to phrase the thoughts I'm having.

The best I can do is this: how difficult is it to take a quick peek and remove a lenscap... really? I, too, sometimes get enchanted with the view, the scenery, the breadth of photographic potential... but never so much as to totally "lose sight" of the goal.

But, gee... I sure am sorry for your loss of pictures.

p.s. I don't even want to comment on how odd I found these two sentences. 😉

"I was in Italy for 11 days on my honeymoon. ... I had so much fun shooting. "
 
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