Storage of lenses

bminney · Joined: 28 May 2016 Posts: 12 Location: Brighton, UK

Hi
I've amassed around 20 lenses in the past few months, mostly M42 mount, Takumars and Carl Zeiss. Some I've given a good testing, some I've not got round to and a few I've sold on.
However, my wife is seriously unimpressed that the top of a bedroom cabinet looks like the shop window of Jessops.
So can I ask how you guys store your lenses? I put a few in those black soft lens bags but then its a fath trying to see where everything is. Is it ok to store in a large plastic box?

cheers

kds315* · Expire: 2021-03-09

sure, but add some silica gel to it (desiccant, those white bags that come with packages at times)

quidam · Joined: 28 Sep 2012 Posts: 223 Location: Belgium

I use these 9 litre boxes with compartments: http://www.reallyusefulproducts.co.uk/uk/html/traydetails.php
and add silica gel in each of them, of course.
They are very practical.

Lloydy · Expire: 2022-01-01

I use these heavy duty boxes from 'The Really Useful Box Co.' , they are the 21 litre box with the added trays. I like these boxes, they are strong enough to stand on so I can carry them in my car easily, they are translucent enough to let light in - which helps reduce fungus and yellowing, and they aren't air tight - which I think also helps keep fungus at bay, I prefer to have movement of air rather than risk condensation inside a sealed box.
I have also cut the partitions out of some trays to extend the sections to accommodate longer lenses, or I use a single tray in a 21 litre box to hold 135mm length lenses upright. The tray also fit 11 litre boxes to give a single level for 12 lenses.

http://www.reallyusefulstorageboxes.co.uk/21litre-really-useful-storage-box-c2x12498991

http://www.reallyusefulstorageboxes.co.uk/12compartment-really-useful-storage-box-tray-c2x12683269

http://www.reallyusefulstorageboxes.co.uk/?gclid=CL-llPSXhtACFQeeGwodDMEDmw

I get my boxes from Hobbycraft, they usually have a good range in stock.

Lightshow · Joined: 04 Nov 2011 Posts: 3666 Location: Calgary

Avoid storing lenses in camera bags in cool areas like in the basement, I have mine in a linen closet where air can circulate.

leemik · Joined: 21 Feb 2011 Posts: 107 Location: Quincy, MA

I store my canon ef and zeiss ze lenses in pelican cases with some silica gel packs thrown in... these are lenses i most frequently use on photoshoots so i like the portability and sturdyness of the pelican cases. Many times ill just grab the whole case and throw it in my trunk. Along with lighting, stands and what ever else i need.

The vintage lenses i treat like jewelry.. i put them all into a couple of ikea cabinets like this:

There is also a large silicon gel canister inside and a simple lcd humidity and temperature display. The cabinet is lit by ikea led lights on top

kds315* · Expire: 2021-03-09

Leemik, you're (also) bitten by the projection lenses bug?! Wink

ZoneV · Expire: 2011-12-02

Did we have in MFlenses a picture of a broken glass cabinet with lenses and cameras in between?

The silica gel works as far as I know only short time until it is full of water. Some sorts can be heated to get the water out and reuse it. But I think to have silica gel in a bag and open this 5 times will probably end its usefull use time.

I prefer air circulation. Somtimes it is a bit more humid, but most times it is ~50% relative humidity.
Due to space restrictions I have a lot of my lenses as towers in different shelfs. Some in camera bags. And some on the floor.

Lloydy · Expire: 2022-01-01

I remember the picture of the collapsed shelves in a similar glass cabinet, I think it did some damage to a few cameras and lenses. My nephew was selling this type of glass cabinet a while ago, imported from China to the UK. They are unbelievably cheap if you import a container full, really cheap. And the quality can only suffer at those prices, the ones he sold didn't have laminated glass shelves - just toughened glass. I wouldn't have trusted them with when full of lenses and cameras. At the least I would get some plexiglass or perspex to put under the glass shelves.

ZoneV · Expire: 2011-12-02

I searched for that image some while ago but did not find it. Neither here nor at Fredmiranda :-/
Any hints welcome Smile

Yes I think it is risky to put lenses on such glass shelfs, without knowing how good the glass is. Some scratches may get the glass to break even easier.

konicamera · Expire: 2014-06-14

DigiChromeEd · Joined: 29 Dec 2009 Posts: 3460 Location: Northern Ireland

Gardener · Joined: 22 Sep 2013 Posts: 950 Location: USA

I am just a complete mess - like there's 70 to 100 lenses piled on my desk right now.

memetph · Joined: 01 Dec 2013 Posts: 940 Location: Poland

devinw · Joined: 19 Aug 2016 Posts: 207 Location: Portland, OR

konicamera · Expire: 2014-06-14

leemik · Joined: 21 Feb 2011 Posts: 107 Location: Quincy, MA

yikes that's terrible! I hope not much was damaged besides the cabinet

but this could happen even if you had wooden shelves.. I know I've seen pictures of people that had bowed wooden shelves full of piled up camera gear.

all my heavy/expensive/modern lenses and camera bodies are in the pelican cases..

--mike

wolan · Joined: 30 Jun 2015 Posts: 576 Location: Zurich

Marek · Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2016 11:09 pm Post subject:

I see I must either live in crime-friendly country of am I the only one who does not underestimate the chance of Grand Lens Theft?

I do store mine in a big black heavy safe (kind of like gun addicts tend to have) I bought as a lucky bargain once. I am used to cram in two big metal flasks full of silica gel and dry them in the oven on a regular basis, but SG may just be a placebo.

Now I basically prefer to store at the dryest wall in the room (depends on many factors, like chimney/fireplace location, age of the house, problematic areas etc.) having the safe opened on a daily basis when I am at home (which is not bothering me at all respecting the fact I just have to look at my silly darlings every day Whoo Turtle

) and checking critical types (old Meyers, Makro-Kilar...) from time to time. I stopped to worry of anything younger than 1960s as never been problatmic in my casa.

Watching this thing closely I have approx. 4 lenses - all Meyers - where light surface fungus keeps developing again and again, but I bet this would end with these having serviced by my mechanic once for good.

Anyway, I prefer my lenses being locked in the dark risking the fungus than being robbed and loosing more than a coating layers.

ZoneV · Expire: 2011-12-02

kds315* · Expire: 2021-03-09

LucisPictor · Expire: 2013-12-03

My lenses are stored in a cabinet (wood/glass) with some humidity control, regular ventilation and an UV-lamp that is turned on every now and again. Smile

Lloydy · Expire: 2022-01-01

I stored some lenses that I didn't use very often in a metal cabinet, and it ruined them. Our house is very old and lacks insulation, and even in the mild climate of central UK the temperature change caused condensation, I didn't open the cabinet very often, and fungus ruined a bunch of Canon EOS lenses, they were totally ruined - unsalvageable. I managed to salvage what had been a mint Canon FD 500 Reflex lens but there are marks on the mirror surface. The leather case it was in disintegrated.
And the scary thing is, this happened in a space of around 18 months.

cyrano · Expire: 2016-12-30

The horrorshow looks to me like the glass shelves were too wide for the load without central support.

Excalibur · Expire: 2014-04-21