Can I set my DSLR down on its lens?

June 25, 2006 2:16 PM

I just bought a new DSLR camera (Nikon D50). I love it. But the bag I bought for it has the camera going in vertically, lens-first, which means all the weight of the camera is pushing on the lens. Is that bad for the lens?

Put another way, could I set my DSLR on the table, balanced on the lens? Will that hurt it?

Thanks in advance... I'm excited to be breaking out of the point-and-shoot world and into the SLR universe, and I don't want to mess up my equipment.

posted by blahtsk to sports, hobbies, & recreation (8 comments total)

not bad for the lens (you have the lens cap on, right?)

will not hurt it. I store my dslr this way on the shelf when not in use. my Lowe camera bag also is lens-in-first.
posted by seawallrunner at 2:27 PM on June 25, 2006

no, not bad, don't worry, especially if you buy some cheap, used AIS mnual focus lenses -- awesome, sturdy glass. and congratulations on your new camera, it's a good one
posted by matteo at 2:29 PM on June 25, 2006

All three of my bags are set up this way however I always insert foam pieces so that at least some of the mass is supported by the camera body. Just insurance by spreading the mass over as much of the surface of the camera as possible.
posted by Mitheral at 2:32 PM on June 25, 2006

I wouldn't worry about it too much. That body isn't even that heavy. That said, you can buy bags where the lens will kinda hang down. I have a Tamrac velocity case where the lens isn't actively resting on the bottom. So you could get one of those if you're really worried.

How sturdy is the mount on the D50? I guess I don't know.
posted by selfnoise at 2:34 PM on June 25, 2006

Not at all. Most fast (large) medium-and-longer telephoto lenses (extreme example) have the tripod mount on the lens, rather than using the mount on the body. That puts way more shear on the mount, but yet it's the Official Way, so you're really worrying over nothing.
posted by kcm at 2:36 PM on June 25, 2006

Hell, when you actually think about it, how could this be worse than using the camera? The lens is definitely "hanging" in every sense of the word at that point.
posted by kcm at 2:36 PM on June 25, 2006

Except the recommended way to hold a camera is right hand on the grip, left hand supporting the lens, so that alleviates much of the "hanging."

As to the OP, I wouldn't worry about it. The lens mount is solid metal and will have absolutely no problem supporting the weight of the camera body over the lens.
posted by adamp88 at 8:28 PM on June 25, 2006

This is the best way to store your camera as dust is less likely to settle on the sensor.
posted by BobsterLobster at 4:08 AM on July 4, 2006