Three Legged Cat Posted July 21, 2014 Share #1 Posted July 21, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) I appreciate this is a relatively trivial question, but does anyone mark the lens-type on the outside of the leather lens-case? I ask because, when I have several lenses together in their cases - say a 35 Cron, a 50 Lux, and a 90 Elmar - I sometimes find it difficult to know which is which; I find myself inevitably having to unzip each case to find the required lens. I note that there is a 'blue spot' on the top of each leather case, and I wonder if anyone marks these - and with what? Personally I'm loathe to mark the cases just in case I ever want to trade them up, but I wonder what solutions others use to identify their lenses whilst they're in their cases. Thanks in advance for your input. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 21, 2014 Posted July 21, 2014 Hi Three Legged Cat, Take a look here Identifying The Lens In Case.... I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
pop Posted July 21, 2014 Share #2 Posted July 21, 2014 I often store bare lenses with the caps only. I have put a sticky label on each rear cap and so I can see at a glance which lens is which. However, during an outing the caps tend to migrate between lenses. I also have pouches for the lenses which my wife made for me. Each pouch has a white label where I write the lens type with a ball point pen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
algrove Posted July 21, 2014 Share #3 Posted July 21, 2014 My leather cases are in their lens boxes. Suggest not storing lenses in leather cases if you live in humidity as I do. So I use neoprene pouches and mark the lens on the outside (if pre ASPH and ASPH for example), but most often can tell the lens just by touch even while in their pouches. I also leave off the lens caps on all lenses while out for an excursion. Often it's the lens hood that's the giveaway when touching a neoprene case to know which lens is inside. Incidentally, if no lenses are going to touch each other in my bag then I eliminate the neoprene cases too. The 3 lenses you mention would be a no brainer to identify by touch while in neoprene cases. The Artisan and Arts neoprene are the thickest ND Have nice closures, but are extremely pricey. Two small Zing neoprenes over a lens will set you back around $18-20. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rramesh Posted July 22, 2014 Share #4 Posted July 22, 2014 Don't use cases. Use multi colored socks. Children's sizes work well and they come in great designs. Plus each sock you buy comes with a free spare. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted July 22, 2014 Share #5 Posted July 22, 2014 I note that there is a 'blue spot' on the top of each leather case, and I wonder if anyone marks these - and with what? Mine have a grey spot on the bottom of the case. Just mark them with a ballpoint pen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Three Legged Cat Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share #6 Posted July 22, 2014 Don't use cases. Use multi colored socks. Children's sizes work well and they come in great designs. Plus each sock you buy comes with a free spare. Thanks for this tip rramesh - I think it's a very clever solution to this problem... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted July 22, 2014 Share #7 Posted July 22, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) Don't use cases. Use multi colored socks. Children's sizes work well and they come in great designs. Plus each sock you buy comes with a free spare. But do take care that lint from the sock does not migrate onto your sensor.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Three Legged Cat Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share #8 Posted July 22, 2014 Mine have a grey spot on the bottom of the case. Just mark them with a ballpoint pen. Thanks for your comment: Yes, I meant 'blue-grey' spot on the bottom - obviously I'm a little colour-blind! Do you have any views on how this might affect resale of a lens? I am relatively new to the world of Leica, and perhaps I'm still a bit precious about my lenses at the moment. At this stage I think I would only sell my lenses in extreme circumstances (collapse of Civilisation, Nuclear Winter, that kind of thing...), but I don't want want to unintentionally detract from their value - 'just in case'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pop Posted July 22, 2014 Share #9 Posted July 22, 2014 Thanks for your comment: Yes, I meant 'blue-grey' spot on the bottom - obviously I'm a little colour-blind! Do you have any views on how this might affect resale of a lens? I am relatively new to the world of Leica, and perhaps I'm still a bit precious about my lenses at the moment. At this stage I think I would only sell my lenses in extreme circumstances (collapse of Civilisation, Nuclear Winter, that kind of thing...), but I don't want want to unintentionally detract from their value - 'just in case'. At least we can assure you that marking the lens case with a ball point pen will not lead to any of those extreme circumstances you mentioned. Not those, anyway. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcraf Posted July 22, 2014 Share #10 Posted July 22, 2014 On my storage shelf, I use the leather cases, as Leitz/Leica intended. I have heard several people stating that this should not be done in humid conditions. Why should that be, I wonder? Leather is breathable, isn't it. But neoprene - surely that will lock in the ambient humidity? If the humidity is that bad, why not store the lenses in a giant humidity-controlled box? In the bag, they just go in with both caps. They usually have a bloody great 2 (or 3) digit orange descriptor on the barrel to denote focal length, even if one is struggling to differentiate them at a glance (eg 21 vs 24 2.8 asph). Another nice Leica touch, not often mentioned, but lost on other manufacturers..... Regards Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
algrove Posted July 22, 2014 Share #11 Posted July 22, 2014 On my storage shelf, I use the leather cases, as Leitz/Leica intended. I have heard several people stating that this should not be done in humid conditions. Why should that be, I wonder? Leather is breathable, isn't it. But neoprene - surely that will lock in the ambient humidity? If the humidity is that bad, why not store the lenses in a giant humidity-controlled box? In the bag, they just go in with both caps. They usually have a bloody great 2 (or 3) digit orange descriptor on the barrel to denote focal length, even if one is struggling to differentiate them at a glance (eg 21 vs 24 2.8 asph). Another nice Leica touch, not often mentioned, but lost on other manufacturers..... Regards On my storage shelf I store the lenses bare to let ambient air flow around them. Also try to put into sunlight from time to time. Yes, leather breaths, but it is from an animal and can collect humidity on its own which can them transfer to a lens in an enclosed environment. Where I live 95+% humidity is de rigueur this time of year although our house controls humidity at around 55%. I do put my gear into Pelican cases when a hurricane is forecast to come aground near me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Three Legged Cat Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share #12 Posted July 22, 2014 On my storage shelf I store the lenses bare to let ambient air flow around them. Also try to put into sunlight from time to time. Yes, leather breaths, but it is from an animal and can collect humidity on its own which can them transfer to a lens in an enclosed environment. Where I live 95+% humidity is de rigueur this time of year although our house controls humidity at around 55%. I do put my gear into Pelican cases when a hurricane is forecast to come aground near me. I wondered whether this is perhaps the best solution - just leaving them out on a shelf to 'breathe' and grabbing what I need when I need it. Currently I store them in their cases in my camera bag so I know where they are and that they are 'protected' from careless dusters and curious little fingers... I have considered the long term impact of this on the lens though - as well as the issue of finding what I need without opening every damn case!. Here in the North West of England high temperatures and humidity aren't normally a problem (nor are Hurricanes, thankfully...), but I thought about maybe using those silica gel packets in the cases, just to err on the side of caution. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pop Posted July 22, 2014 Share #13 Posted July 22, 2014 How to store lenses has been discussed quite recently. I mentioned there that I use transparent cookie boxes which also prevent my lenses from growing stale. http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/showthread.php?p=2691205 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
algrove Posted July 22, 2014 Share #14 Posted July 22, 2014 Do chocolate chip boxes work better than sugar cookie boxes? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exodies Posted July 22, 2014 Share #15 Posted July 22, 2014 Everything is better with chocolate on it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill W Posted July 22, 2014 Share #16 Posted July 22, 2014 My lens assortment either sit bare on a cabinet shelf or they are in one of my bags ready to travel as the case may be. I have tried to keep the leather storage cases sorted out but they are now in the same storage cabinet and it would take time to put the correct lens in the correct case if needed since many are almost the same size. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rramesh Posted July 23, 2014 Share #17 Posted July 23, 2014 Everything is better with chocolate on it. Drool. watch out for that though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted July 23, 2014 Share #18 Posted July 23, 2014 Each lens has a spot in the bag. The one on the camera has a empty spot. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Three Legged Cat Posted July 24, 2014 Author Share #19 Posted July 24, 2014 My lens assortment either sit bare on a cabinet shelf or they are in one of my bags ready to travel as the case may be. I have tried to keep the leather storage cases sorted out but they are now in the same storage cabinet and it would take time to put the correct lens in the correct case if needed since many are almost the same size. I've just remembered the REAL reason why I store my lenses in their cases in my bag, and not out on an open shelf... Perhaps the following formula may illustrate: N x £L = M where N is the number of lenses in my collection, £L is the average cost of a lens as perceived by my wife, and M is the amount of misery I would have to endure were she to calculate quite how much money my Leica habit has cost! So for good marital relations I'll have to continue to hide my grubby little secrets in their cases, down in the dark recesses of my bag, else she may force me to confront my gear addiction - and we can't have that now, can we? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
efreed2754 Posted July 25, 2014 Share #20 Posted July 25, 2014 Use several Fogg cases to store all cameras and lenses (M and R). When out and about each lens has its place so can quickly be deployed. At least two are joined by couplers. Fogg bags have soft innerds. After 40+ years in New York with hot, cold, humid and steam heat, and six years in South Florida never had a problem. Wouldn't consider carrying leather cases in a bag due to extra weight and time to unmount and mount them. And yes wouldn't be as happy to purchase a lens in a leather case that had writing on it. Perhaps removable labels that don't leave a residue? Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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