How do you store you Leica(s)?

[leon chang]

Just a curiosity. My MP and 35 'cron are stored in a plastic

container with a pack of Sillica gel. I usually leave the box open so

that it can breath and have some airflow. I guess the sillica gel

won't have any effect when I do so right? Fact is that its quite

humid in my room so I don't want to take the risk (I guess I'm kinda

paranoia....) How do you store your Leica(s)?

[tim_franklin]

In the top of the wardrobe, together with my other cameras and a few packs of silica gel

scattered around.

[michael_kastner]

Silica gel is only useful if you store the camera in a humid room. I just keep my TTL with any ol' lens attached plus lens cap and VF w/a on a dark and dry (<40%) shelf.

<br> More importantly is what to do when you come in out of the freezing cold (like it can be here). Upon entering my apartment, I immediately stick same into a good sealed plastic bag (like that used to freeze food in). Tie it up and wait till everything has reached room temp. Then you'll get no moisture condensing into camera and lens.

[ilan_g]

<code>$ gzip leica<br>

$ ls -l<br>

total 4<br>

-rw-rw-r-- 1 root root 1244563 Feb 7 14:45 leica.gz<br>

$

</code><p>

 

Takes less space...

[oscar1]

I don't store my Leica. I use it. That's the reason why it was made in the first place and I think the best honour I can give to it is to use it for what it is, a beautiful camera.

[eliot_rosen1]

In an hermetically sealed mayonnaise jar. :-)

[blakley]

I have a collection of silk pillows. I put each item on its own individual silk pillow, with silica gel in a muslin bag tied with a raw-silk ribbon in a color which matches the engravings. I have two butlers with palm fronds fanning the shelves 12 hours a day, and another employee who oils the vulcanite periodically using a suede cloth. For the other 12 hours each day I close the leaded glass case and fill it with a nitrogen atmosphere with a trace of expensive perfume for effect.

 

Oh, wait, no, I forgot - they're in a cheap black bag in the trunk of my car right now...

[sprouty]

By my side on a sling across my shoulder when I'm out or in a Domke F-2 when I'm not. No other special care is taken.

[al_kaplan1]

It's very humid in Miami and I don't always keep the air conditioner on. I leave the cameras and lenses out where air and light can get to them. They're scattered in pleasant disarray around the house so I can never find what I want except for what I use frequently. I once had a bit of fungus in a 50mm Summicron but I suspect it was there when I bought it used. People who obsess about it seem to have the biggest troubles. Leave the stuff out where air can circulate, leave the caps off the lenses so light gets in, maybe leave a little fan on so air circulates a bit. The silica gel needs to be heated and dried out on a regular basis or it's useless so l just don't bother with the stuff. Good luck.

[andyaitken]

At the pawnbrokers...

[vivek iyer]

Shoe boxes.

[bobtodrick]

No humidity problem where I live...the prairies. Cameras never go more than a couple of days without being used so storage has never been a concern.

[terry_rory]

In my camera bag that goes everywhere I go.

[tony_senzaorbi]

Ditto.

[charles_mason]

It's nice that Leica goes to such trouble to make these incredibly durable cameras (think in the trenches in Vietnam) so you can store it in a plastic container with silica gel. No sense in taking chances by actually using the thing to make photographs...(oh I guess if you only take it our on a clear day with relative humidity, and avoid the beaches, waterfalls, sand and dirt, spitting children and stray dogs, you might be able to shoot some flower photos once in awhile. But don't forget to wear cotton gloves, ok!)

[brambor]

in a box at D.A.G.

[vivek iyer]

<i>My MP and 35 'cron are stored in a plastic container with a pack of Sillica gel. I usually leave the box open so that it can breath and have some airflow. I guess the sillica gel won't have any effect when I do so right?</i>

<p>

More to the point (I hope)..

<p>

Leon, If you have fresh pack of Silica Gel in your plastic box, then it <b>should</b> be air-tight.

<p>

If you have the box open, assume that the Silica Gel is <b>d e a d</b> and don't bother with any boxes

[Richard Williams]

Silica gel does make sense in some climates - keep the camera in a sealed container (is a Pelican case macho enough for this forum?), and use the gel sachets with an indicator dye that changes colour when the dessicant is saturated (wet gel is worse than useless). Even heavily used gear is likely to spend much more time in storage than it is in action (you have to eat & sleep, right?).

[Troll]

When I've bought used Leicas (and other old cameras), the ones which come in their hard leather cases are invariably in much nicer cosmetic shape than the naked ones. Especially the antique black enamel ones.

[akochanowski]

You do realize this is the sort of question that makes every sentient photographer roll their eyes, don't you?

[jonathan_reynolds]

Too many smart-arses here, who apparently never put their cameras down.

 

Pelican cases have the advantage that you can extract much of the air via a valve at the front after closing the lid. In combination with freshly-activated silica gel, the inside of the case should remain dry until you next need them. But as soon as you open the case in a humid environment, the silica gel will need re-activating.

 

How do you store your photographs?

[tony_senzaorbi]

Seems like this issue is one that some people use to dis others. I don't want to be accused of that, so I'll expand on my "ditto" remark. I keep my cameras in the bag and take it with me most of the time, and don't go to any further pains in terms of things like silica gel etc. I understand the same number of bodies and lenses in Leica amounts to a whole lot more cash tied up than many other brands. But I guess most of us have more money tied up in our car than the contents of our camera bag, and how many of us always park in heated garages and put padding around the car and so on? However! If I was going to store my car (say I was going abroad for a sabbatical for 6 months)there are certain things I would do to help insure the car didn't deteriorate. Likewise if I had very many cameras and lenses and might not be using some for many months--even if I was out shooting every day with other equipment--I would also take a few sensible precautions, like taking out batteries and not storing lenses in an environment that's hospitable to fungus.

[kent_tolley2]

I have you confused with a troll with 100 other names, most of them brand new unpaid members like you; most of them ask inane questions just like this one; most of them desparate for any attention at all even over silly issues of little consequence. I'm amazed that people answer these posts and don't see through this more often.

[owen w.]

A lot of real wise-acre responses here to what can be a serious issue. All in good (pointless) humor, but of no value. There have been a few serious responses, so I do not mean to dismiss the thread. Regardless of who starts it, the issue is actually rather important.

<p>

My home, meaning where the majority of my "stuff" is, has been Bangkok for over 25 years. Nevertheless, I spent most of the past 10 years in Burma/Myanmar and have now been stuck Stateside for over 4 months. It is common for me to have some cameras and lenses in boxes for 6 months or more, with no possibility to get them out. Thus, the storage question for me is very valid.

<p>

Moreover, it also can be critical regarding film and prints, too. On one extended absence, a temporary housekeeper moved a box of deeply beloved photos into the worst possible environment: a dark, dank space underneath the lowest stairwell in the house. When I returned, even those in archival slips were alive with bubbling mold & fungus. In my attempt to salvage as many of the images as possible, I developed an allergic response to the souped combination of bacteria, mold and fungus. Acute bronchial infection put me into an ICU of a Bangkok hospital within days. So, you can appreciate, I take this question of storage a bit more seriously than most here.

<p>

On the issue of condensation, the tropics are actually worse for the gear than the cold climates mentioned above. On field trips, camera bags often sit or are stacked on the seat between passengers. This is often in the direct blast of the A/C units. Then, when you jump out of the car, pulling (now quite cold) cameras from bag, both viewfinders and lenses are totally fogged. Given the higher dust content in the air, not to mention fungal spores, the condensation tends to leave behind worse gunk than occurs going from cold outdoors into comfy, clean homes in northern climes.

<p>

I have yet to find the perfect solution. The plug-in dry boxes not only present an obvious target to any intruder, but also require constant electrical power, again a lovely luxury for those of you in developed countries. The best, so far, seems to be investing in good quality silica that, as mentioned, have the indicator buttons, and be sure to pull them and bake them back to dry-sville frequently. Those cute little (40 gram) ones go soggy really, really fast. While they don't take up much space, I really suggest going with the slightly bigger (say, 200 gram) models, even for smallish boxes. This is the product web site: http://www.dehumidify.com/index.html - although you can find them sold slightly cheaper from various sub-dealers.

<p>

As noted, if the box is not tightly sealed, the silica is of no value. And, be sure to remove batteries.

<p>

For me, the question remains unclear when you do NOT have good silica available: Is it better to seal a box, possibly trapping moisture, or to leave it slightly ajar to allow air circulation? I believe all the other surrounding factors of ambient humidity, temperature variations (extremes), dust, etc. probably determine the answer here.

<p>

In any event, the question is, at least for some of us, more important than the flippant would believe. I would like to hear from others, particularly those in the tropics, how they have approached the storage issues. Thank you.

<p>

Owen

[ronald_moravec1]

Keep them away from all foam and plastic. These materials out gas and condense the plasticizers all over the glass. This is the very same stuff that gets all over the inside of your car windows.

 

I once purchased a projector lens as new old stock still sealed in the original box. What a disappointment. Pure fogg all over the inside elements. It was sealed in plastic and there were hard foam packing stiffeners inside the box. On top of it all, the thing was glued together so it could not be cleaned inside. It went to New Jersey and then forwarded to Germany. Leica finally replaced it with a new one for the cost of a repair had it been possible, $35. Took about a year.

 

Safest storage is a dry box. I worry more about theft than fungus, so mine are stored where they are not easily accessible. Daily used items are just with me wherever I go in my Domke F5. No special precautions.