Where and how do you store your cameras?

[the hoarder]

As most of you have more than a few cameras I was wondering about where you keep them when they're not being used. Is it ok to keep them tucked up safely in their leather ever ready cases or is that a recipe for fungus?

 

[sebastel]

drybox. unavoidable in the local climate (shanghai).

 

[ZuikoAndHisM3]

I'm also in the UK - South of England to be precise. I personally keep them on a shelf when not in use. Any lenses in boxes (storage of spare gear I'm not currently using.) are basically put in with a bit of silica gel packets.

I don't feel that in the UK the weather is too much of a concern - as long as you're keeping your gear in your home and not a shed, I wouldn't worry too much. I work in a Charity Shop which deals in Cameras a lot compared to others and I see gear that has been out of use and stored in an attic/cupboard for 5-10 Years and doesn't gather more than a little dust.

 

[bence8810]

In a cheap dry box I got at a local store. It is just a plastic box with a humidity gauge on it and I need to replace the silica gel from time to time. Serves good purpose - Tokyo gets really humid in the summer and protection is unavoidable.

Ben

 

[Rob-F]

Metal Craftsman five drawer tool cabinet, in the air conditioned/ heated basement. I keep silica gel packets in the drawers.

 

[sevo]

I try to heap them up on separate piles, by format, category and brand... 😉

 

[citizen99]

Top shelf of the bedroom wardrobe, in ex- ice cream plastic boxes if they don't have original packaging. As I'm in the UK, climate is not normally a worry, although I would not close the box down on one if it was already open in humid conditions.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Dry cabinet for the expensive stuff, all over the place for the rest. Hand cameras in use (M9, Df): mostly on my desk.

Cheers,

R.

 

[peterm1]

I local store had a close out deal on a whole bunch of plastic storage boxes mainly of a size large enough for one camera or a couple of larger lenses or maybe 4 small ones when wrapped in micro fibre-cleaning cloths. The cloths can be bought in bulk at hardware stores for dusting, car cleaning. kitchen wipes etc and I find them perfect not only for such uses but for wrapping up camera gear to protect against minor bumps when in storage. One large cloth wrapped around a lens for example gives more protection than the old fashioned leather lens cases that used to be supplied with lenses and sometimes still is. The boxes themselves have a click-lock lid and a inner silicone rubber seal to keep the air out, being designed mainly for food storage so this too is pretty well ideal for camera gear as it excludes both moisture, dust and insects. In any event my city has a pretty dry climate most of the year so moisture is seldom a problem. I like this arrangement as it allows me to stack the boxes in a convenient place such as the back of a walk in closet but it does have one disadvantage. I am lazy and have not labelled the boxes so when looking for specific equipment I have to go through each box in turn till I find it. I realize this is easily fixed with a marker pen and an hour of my time but I have just never got around to it. I have never been the sort to display my equipment in a case so this arrangement suits me well. It also served me well a few years ago while living in another state - an upstairs apartment had a burst pipe which flooded my apartment. But my camera gear (which at that time was stored on the floor of my wardrobe right under the flooded area) was safe and sound - no ill effects at all.

Since the originator of this thread asked about leather cases I can now say that bearing in mind the above experience, I have a collection of them stored on a shelf unused in my garage - including some quite expensive Leica ones that this thread reminds me I should sell.

 

[furcafe]

Not sure what you call them in Blighty, but I use plastic storage tubs (essentially giant Rubbermaid or Tupperware containers) from the hardware/houseware store, for long term storage.

As far as leather cases, I generally keep them separate from the bodies, but that's mainly because I like to keep cameras ready to load. I've read that they can be friendly habitat for fungus, etc., but have never experienced it (no need for dryboxes in the Mid-Atlantic USA).

 

[lxmike]

In my Billingham bags, with cilica gel sachets in situ

 

[filmtwit]

Re-purposed globe wernicke barrister bookcase (4 levels) & (library) card catalog (12 drawers) for all the small stuff.

 

[majid]

Frequently-used cameras sit on a shelf or inside a couple of camera bags.

Less frequently used gear in a Pelican 1630 rolling case, with some reusable silica gel packs (the kind that are in aluminum canisters and can be reactivated by putting them in an oven):
http://smile.amazon.com/Dry-Packs-Indicating-Aluminum-Dehumidifying-Canister/dp/B0025OO8DO

My house is not particularly humid, but just yesterday I discovered a Leica Monovid I haven't used in a couple of months has developed a layer of mold while sitting inside its fitted leather tube in a plastic shoebox (not in the Pelican), so the silica gel is clearly a necessary precaution.

 

[doolittle]

Ikea Billy Bookcase with glass doors with a few silica gel sachets.

 

[MrFujicaman]

Most of the cameras are in a locked gunsafe. A few others and stuff like filters and light meters are in wooden cigar boxes.

 

[kxl]

In various bags kept in various closets throughout the house. Living inland in Southern California, humidity is not a big concern -- we have a desert climate.

 

[barnwulf]

I built 6 - 4 ft wide shelves in a closet that is 30 in. deep for my cameras, lenses and bags. It's on the lower level of my house and since I live in Utah, US which has a very dry climate and it's air conditioned in summer. It's a pretty ideal storage place for photo gear and prints. - jim

 

[Tom A]

Mainly they are stored wherever I can find a flat surface! Book cases, cabinets and a tool cabinet with a heavy duty lock on it. Not too airtight either. The plastic boxes are practical, but can become a breeding ground for mould and fungus.
Cameras in use are usually in my bag or on the table - easy to grab when heading out.

 

[Huss]

I bought two air tight container trunks from The Container Store : www.containerstore.com/shop/storage/trunks?productId=10024301&N=71235
and all my equipment is in there along with an AcuRite 00613A1 Indoor Humidity Monitor and an Eva-dry Renewable E-333 Wireless Mini Dehumidifer (Both from Amazon)
No chance of fungus. Protected from dust and dirt.

Remember, no one has fungus, until they get fungus!

 

[Huss]

p.s here is a great dry box article, and it is what I used:

http://deyanis.hubpages.com/hub/diy-dry-box