Altering the lens in your camera might sound easy, however there are a selection of best-practices that may scale back the danger to your gear, in addition to minimize down on the quantity of mud that will get inside your camera. On this information to swapping camera lenses, I’ll go step-by-step by the method, sharing a number of the suggestions I’ve picked up alongside the way in which.
1. Perceive Your Atmosphere
Earlier than you even start to take the lens off your camera, think about the surroundings you’re in. For camera gear – or actually any digital merchandise – the most important dangers come from salt water, moisture of any sort, and mud.
Sure, I’ve had to change lenses in every of those circumstances sooner or later, however I take each alternative doable to scale back my publicity to them. If it’s raining, I’ll duck underneath cowl earlier than altering lenses. If it’s windy, I’ll put my again to the wind and protect my gear as a lot as doable. And by the ocean, I all the time stroll as distant from the waves as doable in order that salt doesn’t get within the camera.
As for autos, they’re often full of a variety of mud. But when the climate is absolutely dangerous, I’d somewhat change lenses in a automobile than open air. All the time strive to determine areas which can be out of the wind and as free from mud as doable.
2. Discover a Good Floor
Normally when altering lenses, you’ll want a floor to relaxation your gear upon (just like the lens you simply eliminated). That is straightforward indoors, the place a clear desk fits the aim. Outside could be trickier.
With follow, you’ll be able to doubtlessly juggle gear between your palms and/or baggage to change lenses whereas standing – however even with expertise, there’s the danger of dropping one thing. When doable, I like to work off a devoted floor as a substitute. If there isn’t a apparent candidate like a park bench in your surroundings, think about putting your camera bag on the bottom and understanding of it.
3. Put together for the Lens Change
When you’ve made probably the most of your environment, it’s time to arrange the lenses that you simply’ll be switching. Fancy cooks would refer to this step as mise en place, or “putting in.”
To get your new lens prepared, I like to recommend putting it face-down in order that the entrance of the lens is on the desk, or pointing into the bag. Each the back and front of the lens ought to nonetheless have on their caps. This leaves the rear aspect, nonetheless coated by the rear cap, dealing with up.
As for the lens that’s at the moment in your camera, now’s the time to placed on the lens cap, configure the lens hood for storage, and retract the lens if it extends.
It’s higher higher to decrease the time {that a} lens’s rear aspect, and a camera’s inner chamber, are uncovered to the surroundings. However when you’ve completed the preparations above, go forward and take away the rear cap out of your lens.
Put the brand new lens face down on a desk or in your bag. Decrease the period of time that the rear aspect is uncovered.
4. Take away Your Present Lens
It’s time to take away the lens that’s in your camera. Be sure your camera is powered off and has had time to run any sensor cleansing routines. Then, depress the lens launch button in your camera.
The discharge button to take away a lens on the Nikon Z7
Along with your different hand, rotate your lens within the mount from the secured to unsecured place. These spots are sometimes marked with dots or indicators on each the lens and camera physique. Earlier than turning, ensure you have a agency grip on the lens. That is the most important danger-zone for dropping gear.
The lens has now been rotated to the unsecured place
Holding the lens firmly, face the camera towards the bottom so as to scale back the quantity of mud that may enter the chamber. Gently pull the lens away from the camera and put it down on the desk or in your bag, with the rear aspect sticking up. Now you can put the rear cap on the lens that you simply simply eliminated, however be fast about it.
5. Swap Lenses
Now your precedence is to put the brand new lens in your camera comparatively quick to decrease the time that mud can get into your camera. Decide up the brand new lens, noting the place of the mounting mark. Angle it in order that the dot on the lens matches the dot on the camera. Then, deliver the brand new lens up towards the camera.
Decide up the brand new lens
Now you’ll be able to join the 2 of them gently. When you’ve aligned the 2 dots, the lens ought to match onto the camera easily and never require vital power to connect. Rotate the lens into place (clockwise on some cameras, counter-clockwise on different cameras) and guarantee that it’s firmly in place. Most camera our bodies will click on or present one other audible or tactile clue.
Align the lens and join it to the camera
As soon as your new lens is securely in place, you’ll be able to let go of the lens.
After rotating to the locked place, you’ve efficiently modified lens!
6. Safe Your Camera Bag
When you’ve swapped lenses, it’s time to end up along with your previous lens and bag. Put the lens away correctly and zip up your bag. Stow any equipment like lens cloths or mud blowers that you simply have been utilizing. Then simply take away the lens cap in your new lens and begin taking photos!
Additional Suggestions
Deliver Spares
I all the time like to hold spare caps in my camera bag – each entrance/rear lens caps, in addition to camera physique caps. These can turn out to be useful when you lose or drop your current cap. Placing a gritty cap again onto a lens is simply in regards to the worst factor you are able to do for holding your gear clear and useful, because the physique and lens interface has delicate digital and mechanical connections which have to keep clear.
Don’t Rush the Course of
Each time I’ve seen or examine different photographers having points with dropped gear, the 2 situations that all the time leap out are lens adjustments and mounting the camera on a tripod. You possibly can stop a variety of injury in each conditions by taking just a few further seconds to do issues proper.
Carry a Backup Camera
In fast-moving skilled conditions, the best choice could be to carry a second camera physique and connect completely different lenses to each of them. That is what I all the time do in windy desert circumstances, the place altering lenses isn’t doable. A number of marriage ceremony and occasion photographers carry two or extra cameras for a similar motive.
