Does it really make any difference how you store the lenses?

[pete_s.]

I have a bunch of Nikkors and some of them don't get as much use. Does it really

make any difference how you store the lenses - standing on the rear cap, front

or laying down?

 

I'm not thinking about days or weeks, rather months and years.

 

Peter

[walterh]

Dry and cool is the most important.

[bruce_margolis]

Peter, this same question was asked maybe a month or two ago. There was no consensus. Some are front cap down, some rear cap down, some on their sides.

 

The best is the photo of Bjorn's gear slopped in the trunk of his car.

 

But if you are talking years of storage, it might be a good idea to check them out before you use them.

[Peter_in_PA]

If it's going to be months, store them carefully in a cool dry place but not on their side

(for some) in case oil leaks onto the diaphragm.

 

If it's going to be years, if it were me, I'd use ebay or photo.net classifieds to store

them in someone else's camera bag and store their money in my bank account.

[pete_s.]

If there's no consensus I guess I can just keep doing what I do. I don't think I have any lenses that are known for oil on the aperture blades.

 

I keep them standing on their front or hoods in most cases except for lenses the length of 180/2.8 or longer which are laying down. Room temperature is around 70F (21C) and no excessive humidity.

 

"store them in someone else's camera bag and store their money in my bank account". LOL, that's too funny!

 

Peter

[peter_nelson1]

"If it's going to be years, if it were me, I'd use ebay or photo.net classifieds to store them in someone else's camera bag and store their money in my bank account."

 

Excellent, and well-stated advice! Really, what's the point of keeping a lens in storage for years anyway?

[phototransformations]

If you are going to be storing them for months or years in a sealed environment, you might want to add a desiccant pack to the storage area. I use a little metal canister about the size of a deck of cards that can be dried out and used repeatedly. Got it from a website that sells the stuff to people who collect coins.

[Sanford]

I live near the ocean and my older lenses have all developed mold, not that it effects the

photos all that much. It sure can effect trade in value though as my local camera store with their trusty penlight can find mold anywhere, anytime, on anything. I now keep most of my

lenses in a case in front a dehumidifier which runs all day.

[pete_s.]

Some lenses are more of a special purpose lens to me. So they can sit for 6 months or maybe even a year or more but there is little reason to sell them because when I need them, I'll need them.

[blumesan]

One other bit of advice I have seen: For Nikkor lenses with automatic diaphragm (almost all) store the lens with the aperture set to its highest value (smallest opening). This relieves the tension on the aperture return spring..

[plattro]

Store them so they don't fall over. In some cases, this means not storing them on the rear cap.

 

Otherwise, I store most standing on the rear cap, the others in the nice padded case the came in.

[User_276104]

In the other thread about this I posted that "for no particular reason" I stored them on the rear cap.

 

But, Nikon has subliminally suggested storing them that way for along time...

[User_276104]

Or maybe "a long time..."

[alex_lofquist]

I personally like to sleep on my side, so I let my lenses "sleep" that way, too.