lenscap

LENSCAPT: A Hinged Camera Lens Cap You’ll Never Misplace

LENSCAPT is a new "faster lens cap" that's designed to never fall off your lens. It works by screwing onto the lens' filter threads, allowing it to remain secure and safe. The lens cap then pops out to the side, swiveling around a hinge rather than being completely removed, so is always ready for use.

HACKxTACK: A Magnetic Lens Cap Holder that Ensures You Never Lose Yours Again

If there's one thing I lose more than anything else while shooting, it's lens caps. I've never permanently lost one (knock on wood), but I've certainly misplaced them for days at a time. And I have a feeling I'm not the only one who's guilty of this.

Here to help us through our absentmindedness is a new Kickstarter for a product called HACKxTACK.

Flip Cap: A Screw-On Lens Cap That You Won’t Ever Lose Track Of

Lens caps are a great solution for protecting the front element of lenses when they're not in use, but can be misplaced when you take them off. On the other hand, screw-on lens filters are a great solution for protecting the lens' glass as well, but they introduce an additional layer of glass between your camera and the world. Is there a middle ground?

At the CP+ trade show in Japan, Kenko International is showing off a new product that aims to deliver the best of both worlds. It's called the Flip Cap, and is a lens cap that screws on permanently, but flips out of the way when you're using your camera.

Add a Simple Lens Cap Mount to a Tripod Using LEGO Squares

Last week, we wrote on how you can use LEGO pieces to keep your lens caps on your camera strap when they're not protecting your lenses. A reader named Fearn quickly pointed us to a similar tip published over at Sugru at the end of last year. Instead of using camera straps, however, they suggest tripods as a sturdy way of keeping track of the caps.

Stow-Away: A Universal Lens Cap Holder for Your Camera’s Belly

Photographer Preston Turk has an idea for how to best store lens caps when they're not attached to lenses. Called the Stow-Away, it a universal lens cap holder that can hold most of the standard lens diameters (AKA filter sizes): 52mm, 55mm, 58mm, 62mm, 67mm, and 72mm. Turk designed the accessory to attach to the underside of cameras via the standard tripod mount. Giving your lens cap a quick shove underneath your camera will click it securely into place.

Hoocap: A Lens Cap That Transforms Into a Hood, and Vice Versa

Lens caps are often cast aside in favor of lens hoods, but what if you could have both in one accessory? That's what the Hoocap does. It's not as fancy as the blooming lens hood concept we featured a year ago, but it seems pretty well thought out. Extend the cap/hood out from your camera, and the two "curtains" open up, allowing the camera to "see" and blocking errant light from causing flares. Close it, twist it, and push it into your lens, and it locks into its closed position for protecting your glass.

Kobe Bryant Caught on Camera Having Lens Cap Issues

Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant is one of the most graceful players in the NBA, but put a camera in his hands and he becomes a mere mortal. Bryant was spotted by television cameras at a Roger Federer Olympic tennis match having trouble with his Canon DSLR and telephoto L lens. He is seen asking someone -- presumably a photographer -- for help, only to be told that the lens cap was still on.

X-Cap is an Auto-Closing Lens Cap for Mirrorless Cameras

Compact cameras feature lenses that automatically "cap" themselves when retracted and not in use. Interchangeable lenses, on the other hand, usually don't. The X-Cap changes that. It's a Taiwan-designed lens cap that snaps onto the front of certain lenses that feature a retracting front element (the Micro Four Thirds system has lenses like this). When the front element retracts, the cap automatically closes -- great for people who hate dealing with lens caps.

Ricoh Patents Shock-Absorbing Lens Caps

As the saying goes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," but why not make it better? That's probably the attitude Ricoh is approaching their newest patent with, because they're making modifications to one of the few pieces of camera equipment that hasn't changed since the early days -- the lens cap.

BlackRapid’s New LensBling Caps: Tag Each Lens With Its Focal Length

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.

The Nice Clip: A Universal Lens Cap Clip That Doubles as a Cord Catcher

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.

Make a DIY Lens Cap Using a Soda Can

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.

Locking Lens Cap Protects Gear and Makes Thieves Look Ridiculous

The Lens Lock is the latest product in the GearGuard gear locking system by Gary Fong (maker of the well known LightSphere). It attaches to the back of a lens like an ordinary rear lens cap, but can be secured and locked using a cable/lock combo. This allows you to lock the gear down when not in use (like you would do with a bike) or lock it together with other gear in your bag, preventing individual items from being stolen from your bag.

A Ragdoll for Your Camera Lens Cap

Here's the latest innovation from Pentax: a puppet body for your lens cap! The "Cameraman" is a handmade puppet body that comes with a 52mm lens cap showing a smiley face. It costs ¥2,914, or about $32, and is only available for a limited amount of time.