Question about changing lens.

[oliver_tan1]

I was wondering if it is safe to change lens while there's a film

loaded in a camera.? I have a few lens, wide, normal and zoom lenses,

which I want to change lens for different shots. I do have a changing

bag but it is a hassle to do it in there all the time. I have a nikon

N80 camera. Any tips and advices are appreciated. Thank You.

[frank uhlig]

Oh my god, another one of these.

 

Change lenses on your F 80 if you please, please.

[rj__]

The manual for the F80 says to turn off the camera when changing lenses and, if I recall, also says to keep the camera out of direct sunlight if there is film in it. I've changed lenses without turning off the camera, and done so in midday sun in the middle of a role of film, and the world has not ended :)

[david cunningham]

The simpler, more polite answer would be yes.

[ahaohio]

The lens *always* lets light go through it. What prevents the light from hitting the film (shutter) is a part of the camera body.

 

Therefore it is safe to change a lens any time.

 

There is another thing to look out for though: Avoid changing the lens when there is a lot of dust, sand or grit in the air. Since the camera is wide open during the *change lens* opeation some of that stuff might end up inside the camera.

 

What else? Avoid touching the mirror and don't drop the lens on the ground.

 

You should be fine.

[oliver_tan1]

Thank you for the simple answer. Now the admins can delete these thread.

[alex_lofquist]

Not only is the shutter closed, but the mirror is down! (Note: The F4 and F5 have double-capping shutters so they are even less susceptable to light leakage.) I change lenses under almost any conditions as long as there is no danger of getting a lot of dirt or water inside the chamber. No one that I know of turns the camera off.

 

Alex

[david_h._hartman]

Shade the bayonet opening with your body or just turn the camera away from direct exposure to the sun and change the lens. Dust, dirt and especially desert silt and ocean spray are a greater concern.

 

When changing film shade the back of the camera and especially the film cassette as light leaking into the cassette is real possibility. Also don�t leave exposed rolls of film where it can be struck with direct sunlight or under fluorescent lights. I�ve seen quite a few rolls of film damaged by office lighting. The pattern of light leakage clearly shows how the film was sitting on the desk or credenza. I used to do finishing for PR customers, when I explained how the film sat on their desks they put it back in the film can for protection and the problem ceased.

 

When a lens is mounted try to keep direct sunlight from entering the lens. Keep a lens cap on the lens when not in use and point the camera down or way from the sun when in use. Older cameras with Cds meter cells could have the meter cells damaged or destroyed. Cameras since the early �80s have had SBC (silicone blue cell) meters and this is no longer a great concern.

 

As with the camera body protect your lens from abrasives and spray with a UV or Skylight filter.

 

I always turn a flash off when installing or removing it from a camera (on the advice of a camera repairman friend) but never pay attention to whether a camera is on or off when changing lenses.

 

I probably wrecked the Cds meter in a vintage 1970 Nikkormat FTn but don�t know anyone even claiming to have damaged film or a camera by direct exposure to sunlight. Still Nikon felt it was important enough to put an extra set of shutter blades in the Nikon F4 and F5.

 

Hope this helps,

[lex_jenkins]

Don't worry, Oliver, nobody is born knowing this stuff - tho' some "experts" like to delude themselves into believing they were.

 

Different types of cameras use different methods for protecting the film from inadvertent exposure.

 

Large format "view" cameras - the familiar bellows type - use sheet film carriers with dark slides to protect the film during loading and unloading or when replacing the lens. The lens shutter itself prevents undesired exposure even when the dark slide has been removed from a film carrier mounted on the camera.

 

And there are (mostly *were*) exceptions. The oldest camera lenses had no shutters. They had only apertures, even the smallest of which would still transmit enough light to spoil the film. The shutter was the leather lens cap. Most pinhole cameras work the same way.

 

Some medium format cameras also require a dark slide to protect the film during lens changes. If I'm recalling correctly the Mamiya 6 and 7 rangefinders are among these. Any interchangeable lens camera with a shutter in the lens needs some method to protect the film during lens changes.

 

Some medium format cameras, like Hasselblads and Pentax 6x7 or 67 SLRs, have focal plane shutters like your Nikon but can also accept leaf shutter lenses. With these cameras the focal plane shutter acts as a dark slide to protect the film.

 

Your Nikon has a focal plane shutter which traverses the 24x36mm window at the back of the body. As long as the shutter is closed no exposure can occur. The only way to spoil a frame (and possibly slightly fog the adjacent frames) would be to lock the shutter open using the B or T setting (assuming the N80 has these, I don't know) and change lenses. But the worst that could happen would be a single overexposed frame and, as I mentioned, possible fogging of the two adjacent frames.

 

Don't fret, it wasn't a stupid question. It's just one that gets asked a lot by beginners.

[david_h._hartman]

The second to last paragraph should have said "in newer cameras," lousy proofreading again.