BlackRapid‘s new series of rear lens caps, dubbed “LensBling,” offer an interesting way to organize and identify your lenses in a hurry. The ideal moment doesn’t wait for you to find the right lens, and so the precious moments you could save when trying to distinguish your 85mm from your 105mm could mean the difference between a great picture and a missed opportunity.
At $8.50 per cap they’re not a bad deal; but even though it wouldn’t look quite as “blingy,” we can’t help but think that the DIY route involving a strip of tape and sharpie would probably work just as well.
(via BlackRapid via Imaging Resource)
Here’s your completely random photography fact of the day: Nutella lids can double as lens caps. Belgian photography enthusiast Frans Leys lost the 72mm cap to his 18-200mm Nikon lens, but found that the cap from his 220g jar of Nutella was a perfect fit. 220g isn’t the standard size sold in the US, but can be found in some shops.
(via Lifehacker)
Image credit: 18-200 mm Nikon VR lens cap by Frans Leys and used with permission
Have a habit of losing your lens caps? Add a clip to them to keep them attached to your camera strap when not in use! All you need are a lapel clip — the kind found on old wired cellphone headsets work great — and some strong mounting tape. It’s basically a DIY version of the Nice Clip, which we featured back in October.
(via Sean Michael Ragan via Make)
Image credits: Photographs by Sean Michael Ragan
Here’s a fun entry to add to your brain’s collection of “totally random facts about the world”: Nikon’s 52mm lens caps will fit neatly on most beverage cans. 52mm isn’t just a common diameter for camera lenses… it’s also an international standard diameter for can tops!
Sorry Canonites, your lens caps don’t really work for this.
Image credit: Photograph by kokotron and used with permission
Nice Photography Magazine editor Zeke Kamm has come up with a new product called “The Nice Clip” that acts as both a universal clip for lens caps, and also a cord catcher to keep your desk organized. The clip uses a strong 3M VHB adhesive to stick to your lens cap, which can then be clipped to your camera strap, belt, bag, etc… Attach the clip to the side of your desk, and it can help you keep your cables from falling to the floor when they’re not plugged in.
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If you have a GoPro or any other compact camera with a constantly exposed lens, you can protect the lens from scratches when it’s not in use by making a cheap DIY lens cap out of a ping pong ball and a rubber band.
Protection for GoPro Camera Lens [Instructables]
mr-korn over at Lomography recently snagged a cheap Olympus Zuiko 50mm lens on eBay, but the lens didn’t come with a lens cap. Rather than try and find a replacement cap for that particular lens, he decided to craft his own DIY cap using a can of Coke.
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We’ve shared a lens cap and hood hybrid here before, but this one is much nicer. “Flower”, dreamt up by designers Rhie Hyi Joong and Lee Sang Hwa, is a concept lens cap that blooms into a hood by simply turning a ring.
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We’ve seen all kinds of ideas for keeping track of your camera’s lens cap when it’s not being used, including velcro, special mounts, fashionable pouches, and even a retractable cap, but Nikon has come up with the best idea yet: a lens cap that attaches to camera straps! A patent filed by the company in 2009 and published yesterday shows a lens cap that can easily clip onto a strap when not in use — a simple solution to a small problem that apparently many entrepreneurs have been interested in solving. Sorry, but Nikon wins this one.
(via Egami)
We’ve seen quite a few solutions for storing lens caps when they’re not in use, ranging from velcro attachments to small lens cap pouches. The Camera Lens Cap Holder is a new patent-pending holder by mechanical engineer Mark Stevenson that lets you attach your lens caps to your strap in the way they’re designed to be attached — they simply snap onto it in the same way they snap onto lenses. Stevenson is currently funding the project through Kickstarter, and a $15 contribution will pre-order you one of these holders.
Camera Lens Cap Holder [Kickstarter]
