changing lenses with the camera ON

[Assaf]

Well, when removing a lens, the sensor is fully exposed to light.
So, is it obligatory to turn the camera OFF before changing lenses (as the manual says) or is it OK the leave it ON? Will it burn the sensor 😕

Thanks
Assaf

 

[sanmich]

Maybe not "burn" the sensor but expose it to dust?
or maybe the extra light can mess its calibration (just a wild guess here).
At any rate, I have a hard time thinking that long term damage can occur from exposing the sensor.

 

[JoeV]

Exposing the sensor to dust and light is the same, regardless of the power condition of the camera. However, I always power off the camera prior to changing lenses because it isn't healthy for an electronic circuit to disconnect it with power applied. When an AF lens is attached, it's motor and sensors are part of the AF circuitry of the camera.

~Joe

 

[uhligfd]

I have never been anal about it. It is just so easy to forget to turn camera off before switching lenses and back on again after the lens switch has happened and I have forgotten most of the times (a few thousands in 50+ years of photography), and all my waywardness without any negative effect, except for the positive one - of course - that my power-on switches have definitely never worn out ...

 

[Pickett Wilson]

I've never turned a digital or film Canon camera off when changing lenses and have never had any kind of problem as a result. I suppose it is possible to cause a problem, but I've never had one in thousands of lens changes.

 

[Assaf]

I ask this question since MFT cameras are different than others.
They don't have a shutter, so, if you take off the lens the sensor is fully exposed.

 

[LKeithR]

The manual for any digital camera will tell you to turn it off before changing lenses so you so it's probably best that you do so. Having said that, I occasionally forget to turn off my camera when changing lenses and I've had no issues so I wouldn't worry if you do forget once in a while. I've also read that when the camera is on the sensor is active and therefore more likely to attract dust through static electricity. Bottom line is that you're not likely to kill the camera if you don't turn it off when changing lenses but good practice suggests that it's better that you do. This applies to virtually all electrical/electronic circuits...

 

[kuzano]

varied electrical circuits....

varied electrical circuits....

This is a reach in thinking for me... but it seems that if the camera is on when the contacts go across each other, you are creating circuits that were never intended in both the camera body and the lens.

Somehow, it's never occurred to me to NOT turn the camera off when switching lenses.

I've ruined enough jump drives by pulling them from my computers without turning off the juice by using the "safely remove" icon in the notification tray.

However, long before that, it's always seemed "wrong" to rub electrical contacts across each other with live juice flowing through them.

But then, we're not paying all that much for these bodies and lenses, are we?

 

[cosmonaut]

Well it's a computer. I wouldn't change a lens with it on. Treat it like a computer not a 50 year old slr. Why would you even want to change it with it on?

 

[Nikon Bob]

I think like the three previous posters for the same reasons. Turn off then change the lens.

Bob

 

[RayPA]

So, is it obligatory to turn the camera OFF before changing lenses (as the manual says) or is it OK the leave it ON?

I like to turn the camera power off every time I change the lens on digital cameras, regardless whether the lens is native to the system or not. Although, I try to be especially diligent with native lenses, because the lenses usually have electrical contacts that mate up with the camera body. I think it's a good 'best practice' type of thing.




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