Thoughts on Paul's Pub thread RE: dirty contacts

[DrEntropy]

In every bag I've carried there's been a "cleaning kit" consisting of a one-ounce bottle of alcohol, a couple cotton balls, some Q-Tips, a bamboo chopstick, a small piece of #1500 wet-or-dry, a "squeezy" blower brush, a couple "popcicle" sticks and a lens cleaning cloth. Some jobs I'd have a set of jewelers screwdrivers as well.

Battery contacts in flash units, motor drives, etc.can be reached/cleaned with a chopstick MacGyver'd into a long-reach tool with either a cotton squib wound from a cotton ball (a ~damp~ cotton piece) or a piece of #1500 paper attached if more aggressive means are necessary. Optics cleaned with cloth or the cotton/alcohol combo. The bamboo chopstick can be split with a utility knife into long slivers, cotton/alcohol added and card slots cleaned.

Some combination of those has saved more than one job from embarrassing failure.

 

[GregW]

All good ideas and practices. The only question on your maintenance bag is: is the alcohol "duel" purpose? For me, that is weight I don't care to add. For instance I went to Bodie a couple of years ago. At the site, I walked around for a couple hours, see something, bag down, choose color or IR body, choose lens (of 7), CP for this one? Shoot, pickup bag again. I guess I could leave the kit in the car and I may do that in the future. So far, I've never needed to repair anything in the field. Nor have I run out of battery juice. For the two days in Bodie, I didn't even use the charger. I recall my Nikons are good for 1100 shots. Worst thing that happened was I left my memory card in the computer, at home. Fortunately the guy who was acting as my assistant had a SD card converter. I sacrificed the music card in my phone to do the shoot. I do carry spare cards now.

 

[DrEntropy]

For the alcohol, an old "Kodak Lens Cleaning Fluid" 2.5-oz plastic bottle (misspoke above), repurposed. Isopropyl, so single use. But p'raps Gordon's gin or Smirnoff vodka as substitute?

As for bags, I get it. Lugging two bodies (with motors in the "old days") and eight or nine lenses plus all the other paraphernalia can get tiring real quick. I've different size bags, would usually try to carry only what the particular job may require. Best one for full gear carry I ever owned was a leather, top zipper one I found in Thailand. I built compartments for the gear with fiberglass sheets, padded with thin felt. I couldn't believe how difficult it would be to find a comparable sized one for the DSLR and optics just recently. Finally saw a "used" Fotima on Ebay and got it. Used to sell those when I managed a camera store locally, so knew the bag size and layout. Body and five lenses, off-camera flash w/bracket. It has end and front compartments for 'stuff'. Haven't settled on a final layout yet, so the Velcro dividers are what separate the gear now. I did modify the shoulder strap, it was originally sewn on with no way to remove. Got some 2" wide "camping gear" quick-release clips, did some cutting and sewing, so now it can be removed. I've smaller bags for "downsized" grab-n-go; body with a couple zooms and side pockets for batteries and suchlike.

I found a "Kiwi Foto" metal case for card storage, the size of a small cigarette case, holds up to six SD cards, slim & light.

 

[GregW]

I don't have the training or brain to do a bag swap without forgetting something I'll want once I get into the field. I've left polarizers because they're in the flap. Or the gobo that attaches to the hot shoe when aiming at the sun. Endless I tell you. Like Whack-a-mole I'll remember that one thing the next time, but leave something else. Oh, the manual is another thing. "This would be a great shot to try auto bracketing. Ummm, how do I do that again?"

 

[DrEntropy]

Endless I tell you. Like Whack-a-mole I'll remember that one thing the next time, but leave something else. Oh, the manual is another thing. "This would be a great shot to try auto bracketing. Ummm, how do I do that again?"

I totally understand. The little stuff, like the 'cleaning kit', can be duplicated easily, so that is in any bag I'd want without having to remember. Same with eyepiece covers, neck straps (rarely used anyway), some filters, etc. Now, with these DSLR's I'm still working on what to duplicate.

Another thing, polarizers: One, to fit the largest optic and an appropriate set of step-up rings to fit it to the smaller ones.

I use "clear" lens caps. UV filters on all optics. And a marvelous collection of the original caps in a drawer someplace.

 

[Basil]

Worst thing that happened was I left my memory card in the computer, at home.

I convinced Mary (this was last year sometime) to come with me late one night to drive south into the boondocks so I could take some Milky-way photos. I thought I had everything - Camera Sturdy Tripod Ball Head Extra Batteries Star Tracker Extra Batteries Remote Shutter Release Cleaning kit Red Lens Flashlight CF and SD memory cards . Then, about half way to the shooting location, the thought popped into my head - "I forgot to make sure - did I have my Arca-Swiss plate for attaching the camera to the ball head? " Pulled over to the side of the road, went to the back of the car - popped out the camera - NO PLATE! Opened the little zippered pouch on my tripod carry case - empty! "God, you idiot," I said out loud! I had left the plate attached to the bottom of a different camera; one that I didn't have with me! It was a nice drive back home.

I ended up buying an extra plate and now I make it a practice to always remove the Area-Swiss plate from the camera bottom and put One in the little zippered pocket on my Tripod case and the other goes in the camera bag.

 

[DrEntropy]

I ended up buying an extra plate and now I make it a practice to always remove the Area-Swiss plate from the camera bottom and put One in the little zippered pocket on my Tripod case and the other goes in the camera bag.

I've a small draw-string pouch for keeping the quick-release stuff attached to the Bogen tripod. That way I 'don't leave home without it!' Funny how we learn these little things, usually only takes once.

I've a particular disdain for neckstraps. Well back in my yout I had a Miranda-G SLR, my first real "system" camera. I was seventeen, IIRC. Had it sat on my desk, strap hanging over the edge. Got a call from the newspaper photo editor that there had been a car crash near me and wanted me to go get images. Grabbed the camera by the lens barrel and as I picked it up the strap caught on a drawer pull, yanking the thing out of my grip and onto the floor... lost use of the camera for a month, had to revert to an older fixed-lens one to get images. Lesson learned! Most of the time the straps are in a pocket of the bags. Made it a practice of "one strap fits all" too. Quick release buckles all the same on all bodies, matching straps in all bags.

 

[DrEntropy]

Oh, and rear lens caps. I keep a 'spare' rear cap in all the bags. You're bound to drop one into dirt at some point, better to have a clean one to hand if things are moving quickly and you need to swap optics.

 

[Basil]

Oh, and rear lens caps. I keep a 'spare' rear cap in all the bags. You're bound to drop one into dirt at some point, better to have a clean one to hand if things are moving quickly and you need to swap optics.

Good idea!

 

[GregW]

Good idea!

Get one quick! You only have a couple days before your trip.

 

[Basil]

Get one quick! You only have a couple days before your trip.

I've got several - just need to make sure one is in the bag I end up taking

 

[DrEntropy]

Came across some of these, would carry a number of 'em, easy to ID individual rolls, could tell what emulsion, which rolls already exposed, etc. Epoxy'd end-to-end. Antique now!