asjohnston3 Loc: Irving, TX

I recently started carrying two camera bodies & various lenses & associated stuff in my Domke F2 bag. Their is enough room but it does necessitate me carrying the bodies separately. I'm concerned that this will allow additional contamination of the mirror / sensor assemblies. (with one body I just kept my favorite lens on it most of the time) The body (Nikon) caps don't fit very tightly.... I'm concerned that may provide an additional source of contamination & I'm also worried that one of them may come loose..... Is this a valid issue or is it just my OCD kicking in?...

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

Can you configure your present case to allow one camera to be stored WITH a lens on the body? And can the 2nd body be stored in a more out-of-the-way location so as to be less subject to camera-body cap separation? If not, you may just need ro look into larger cases, including the "Pelikan" (and similar) 'suitcase and foam cube' variety.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

Of course, whenever you separate a lens from a body you increase the chance of contamination, but if the bag is clean inside, I wouldn't worry about it much. Countless people carry their gear in the same manner. I would be much more concerned about opening the bag or changing lenses in a dirty environment. Cleaning dust out of a camera is not all that hard, but a lens is a different story. Most zoom lenses pump air in and out, introducing dust, and worse yet, mold, under the right conditions.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Ocd...but whatever makes you sleep better at night, do it.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I've bought aftermarket lens and body caps, just to have extras, and I've found that some non-Nikon caps do not fit as tightly as the originals. Also, the Nikon name does not display horizontally on the body. I always carry bodies with lenses on them.

Cappy Loc: Wildwood, NJ

I always (99.9% of the time) carry an all around lens on the body. If you need something quick it's fast. If you need something not so quick and you are in a not so clean area it can save some contamination on both the camera and the lens.

suntouched Loc: Sierra Vista AZ

I have two similar camera bodies that use the same lenses. Rather than carry (and store) all the equipment in one large, heavy bag I have divided the equipment into two smaller color coded bags. That way I know immediately what lenses are already mounted on what body and grab and go. Things stay organized and protected. No "lost" filters or other small items. And there are times I carry both bags into the field- one on each shoulder- distributes the weight and keeps the gear protected and quickly assessable :)

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Now THAT'S OCD!!!

I take three cameras to most shoots... as many as six to some. Stored with lenses on sometimes, bodies with caps other times.

A little dust on the mirror and focus screen? Who cares... It's just a minor nuisance that has absolutely no effect on images. A puff of air from a bulb blower quickly solves this minor problem most of the time, anyway.

Dust found it's way past the shutter and onto the sensor? It's gonna happen no matter how careful you are, and will effect images, so just learn to clean it yourself or plan to have it professionally cleaned occasionally. (Dust was just as much or more of a problem with film cameras, too... this ain't a new issue.)

More recent camera models with self-cleaning sensors help a lot! Older cameras that didn't have that... I was cleaning their sensors at least 4X a year... sometimes even monthly. Now with the self-cleaning sensors, I bet it's 1X a year or less often.

I often shoot in extremely dusty conditions....

... and while I frequently set up and carry two cameras with different lenses, that's so that I can more quickly swap back and forth... not out of any particular concern about changing lenses. I just go ahead and change them when needed... using a little common sense, but nothing special.

I use a couple Domke and Lowepro shoulder bags and Lowepro backpacks (which one and what size depends upon the specific gear I need to carry that day). At the end of the day, everything ends up back in the backpacks... after being dusted off a bit with some microfiber towels I always keep handy (got them at an auto parts store, where they're cheap). Backpacks are pretty well sealed against dust or anything else, once zipped up... and are a lot healthier way to carry a load of gear.