Lens protection

[simon_bygdell]

<p>First, let me say how amazing the Canon 400mm f5.6 L is. I was looking at all sorts of options for the 400mm reach to shoot birds with a budget of under $1000. And, that is when I saw this lens for sale by a local birder for $850. The lens just wowed me colour, contrast and sharpness unlike the 100-400mm that I had rented earlier.<br>

Now, what I do is get on my bike and cycle about trails going through parks. The problem is that the 400mm mounted on the camera and the camera hanging from my neck/shoulders keeps bouncing off the bike's bar. Certainly not good for the life of the lens. I looked at the Lenscoat Neoprene cover but that looks too thin to provide adequate cushion against such knocks.<br>

To fix the issue, I was thinking of wrapping a piece of foam and a sheet of rubber around the hood. Before I do that, I wanted to check if there are any other elegant solutions.<br>

Thanks!</p>

[mbkissel]

<p>Why not put it in a backpack style bag? There are several brands that allow quick access.</p>

[Stock-Photos]

<p>Swing the camera around back while pedaling.</p>

[simon_bygdell]

<p>Thanks for those quick responses.<br>

- Backpacks, never found them convenient enough. Whether pedaling or walking, backpack means take it off the back, open a zipper, take the camera out, put the bag back and then shoot. Very cumbersome to me. Also, with a long lens like the 400mm, the backpack cannot be small, it has to have the main camera holding pocket long enough to hold the camera and long lens.<br>

- I use this to suspend the camera off my back:<br>

http://www.amazon.com/Op-Tech-Harness-Elastic-Binoculars/dp/B000FU2AMG<br>

Really nice to distribute the load and take it off the neck where it gets irritating after a while especially for heavy equipment.<br>

Obviously, cannot swing this thing around :-)</p>

 

[james_lagden]

<p>Get a car.</p>

[zml]

<p>Short of ordering a custom handlebar holster, bandolier, or a humongous quiver, you'll need to stop to remove the lens/camera from any type of case so a backpack might be not such a shabby idea. ThinkTank Glass Taxi, although meant for slightly different purpose, will allow you to safely carry your 400/5.6 with the hood on, atached to the camera, plus some assorted junk.</p>

[ed_k__north_carolina_]

<p>Tamrac Velocity 9 or 10 is a sling bag that can be worn on your back and swung around under your arm to access it and pull out your cameraw/lens.<br>

I use one with the 100-400 or the 70-200 f2.8 and it is more useful than my backpack for outdoor sports.<br>

good luck.</p>

[alan_bryant1]

<p>I bike a lot with a camera, and carrying the gear such that it is accesible is always a problem. I must say, if you're biking with that 400/5.6 dangling around your neck, you're braver than I am!</p>

<p>I've tried a backpack and it's just ok. The side access thing is great in theory, but hard to use in practice. Also I don't think there are any that are wide enough to fit the 400/5.6 mounted on a camera - mine is a tight fit with a 70-200/2.8, and the 400/5.6 is a full 2.5 inches longer.</p>

<p>Recently I've been biking with a LowePro toploader 75 AW, and it works really well for the 70-200/2.8, but again, it's not long enough for the 400.</p>

<p>....I really can't think of an easy way to rig it. It's going to take a pretty big case to fit the camera+lens at all. You could probably rig something with the LowePro toploader- you might have a look at that - you wouldn't be able to close it, but there ought to be a way to secure the camera in it with the lid open. That would give you a lot of padding and still leave it accessible.</p>

[chad_hoelzel1]

<p>You must really trust you camera's strength to be hanging a 400mm on the end of it and using a kneck strap. Just be forewarned I've seen the metal lens mounts pulled out of the body before due to a heavy lens hanging off of it (when working photo retail I was in charge of sending out repairs). That's assuming you're not using a 1 series body.</p>

[alan_bryant1]

<p>(Incidentally... biking with a wide angle can be fun too...)</p>

<p><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/alanpix/IMG_7308M.jpg" alt="" /></p>

[JDMvW]

<p>Here I thought this was going to be another UV filter or not forum (in photo education in the schools, this is probably known as the "practicing safe photography question").</p>

<p>Congratulations, sounds like a very good deal!</p>

[mike_hitchen]

<p>Alan - cool shot. Looking at it even briefly it seems to move!</p>

[simon_bygdell]

<p>Thanks all, very interesting comments and suggestions. I think I found the answer that might be a combination of a long lens pouch and a strap to hold it against the body. Will post back if all works ok and the camera+lens survive my future bike trips :)</p>

[derrickdehaan]

<p>Get the RS-4 from Black Rapid. Very comfy and puts the camera at your side instead of in front. Very quick to use. Then it can be mounted on your lens foot.</p>