Lens Case: Up or Down?

I've been a long time user of LowePro bags of varying compartment counts. Recently, I've switched to using individual lens cases for each lens, "sliplocked" to my whichever main bag I drag with me on a given day.


Now that I've made this transition, I'm struck with a philosophical question that I'm sure is religious in nature with little concrete evidence to support either side: Should a lens be packed in the lens case with its mount downward or its cap downward?


My first instinct was cap-and-filter-and-hood down, for stability purposes. Then I began to consider the implications of dropping the case with the lens in it -- this suggested having the mount at the bottom might be better.


Thoughts? Anecdotes? Links to peer-reviewed scientific papers?

C,


Like you, I also use the lens cases on my Lowepro holster. Personally, I don't worry about dropping the lens, but instead, like the convenience of being able to easily pull the chosen lens out of the holster, because that is usually the one you need at the moment. So I prefer to put my lens in the case hood down.To me, its easier to grab the mount and pull, than to grab the hood and pull.


Just my 2cw.


Bob

That's a very practical and logical reason.


I just tried it both ways a few times in a row; pulling the mount is clearly easier.


Thanks.

What a question!


Although I do not own any individual lens cases for my DSLR, I'll try me best to provide some help.


Here are a few things to think about:

• Which position facilitates lens mounting to the camera? Is it easier to mount the lens upon removal when it is in a certain position?7
• What conditions will you be shooting in? Does one storage position help keep dust/moisture out?
• What are the physical properties of the lens? Is the diameter of the lens at one end greater than the other end? Try to position your lens accordingly for the best fit.
• In the unforseen circumstances that you do happen to drop your lens, which storage position will provide you with the most protection? I would think that an "hood-up" position might be more practical in this regard.

Sorry, I haven't used these lens cases in practice. Try asking yourself these questions to get a better idea of the ideal storage position for your lenses.



Alex

L lenses, which normallyare sold with cases, always come out of the box inserted mount-up, I would guess, to facilitate easier removal. Although soft cases that are supplied with black lenses allow insertion by user either way, the hard cases that come with some white lenses, like 100-400, or70-200 2.8,allowonly the originalpositioning: mount-up.

Mount up, for ease of removing the lens from the case and getting it onto your camera, and because if the hood is a bit of a tight fit you'll have nothing to grasp to remove the lens.


Also, from a protection standpoint, the cases offer rip-stop fabric and a lot of padding. So, if you have the lens caps on both ends, it's really unlikely you'd directly damage an element either way. Instead, it will be the momentum of the lens and the inertia of the internal elements that will cause damage - i.e., misalignment of the optics is the most likely kind of damage for a lens dropped in a case like that, and for that it doesn't matter which orientation the lens is in. So, go for the convenience of mount up.

I don't know about any science, but I always have the lens down and the mount up. I would worry about grabbing the lens hood or lens cap instead of the lens body. I just think it would be more likely to get dropped. On the lenses with tripod collars, it's much easier to lift them out of the case by the collar.