coolhanduke Loc: Redondo Beach, CA

Prior to heading for the Eclipse I took my cameras in to Nikon for sensor cleaning.

When I went to pick them up the manager told me that my lens mount on the D850 was bent.

I questioned how that could happen because I do not recall doing anything that would cause that.

He asked if I keep my lenses mounted when the camera is in the camera bag. I said yes.

He said that if my 200-500 or 80-400 were mounted it is very possible that it could get bent in the bag when lugging it around.

Thinking about it, with the battery pack on the D850 and the 200-500 mounted, it really does not lay flat at all.

So from now on, I am going to disengage my long lenses when packing my body and lenses.

Cost to repair, $350.

ken_stern Loc: Yorba Linda, Ca

Sounds like the Mgr. at Nikon gave you good advice
I normally keep a 35mm lens on my camera when stored in the camera bag

rwww80a Loc: Hampton, NH

Sounds like a poor piece of engineering when a camera lens and bend the mount it is supposed to be mounted on. Especially when it is stored and unused. What happens when it is out of it's case and being used and moved about.
And I use old Nikon equipment.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

When traveling, my bodies and lenses ride separately

coolhanduke Loc: Redondo Beach, CA

From now on mine will.

coolhanduke Loc: Redondo Beach, CA

Far from what is my situation.

My camera equipment is not stored and unused in a camera bag. It is in the camera bag only when I am going on a photo shoot.

Take my recent trip to the eclipse. Loaded D850 and Z9. 80-400mm, 200-500mm, 14-30mm and 28-300mm lens plus battery packs, extra cards, flash light etc. that bag got put into taxies, loaded in cars, put in 3 plane overhead bins, removed from 3 overhead bins. Taken up and down steps, unpacked for testing, repacked, unpacked for the event, repacked after event.

If the D850 with battery pack had the 200-500 lens mounted on it in the bag that would have put a lot of stress on the camera lens mount.

When I return from an event, all comes out of the bag, gets cleaned settings checked and put on a shelf for me to select what I need for the next shoot.

Far from “stored and unused” in the bag.

photon-collector Loc: Tampa Bay Area, Florida

The longer the lens, the greater the torque that can result from even a small tangential force. The 200-500 is both long and heavy. I can imagine it would produce enough of a lever arm to bend a mounting. It had nothing to do with the engineering, under normal operating conditions.

coolhanduke Loc: Redondo Beach, CA

Exactly!

47greyfox Loc: on the edge of the Colorado front range

Wow! I gotta wonder who that could happen? We hang some pretty hefty lenses off our bodies when carrying them around without incident. But….best be safe than sorry… I will admit that when traveling, I do separate and make sure I have adequate padding. Thanks for sharing.

coolhanduke Loc: Redondo Beach, CA

Here is how the D850 with battery pack and 200-500mm would sit in the camera bag.

The lens weighs about 5.5 lbs.

easy to see how a good jolt could potentially bend the mount on the D850.

whatdat Loc: Del Valle, Tx.

Don’t know if it makes a difference, but I always have my camera situated with lens pointed up when in my camera bag or sitting on a table. My 2 cents worth.

MJPerini

Nikon & Canon have been making really good cameras for a long time. Their higher end cameras are very well made and very rigid. But long telephoto lenses can be very heavy, and very long (increasing the lever effect)
The momentary shock of a bump or even small drop multiplies force greatly. The Nikon Tech was probably right.
Lots of people do carry long lenses with body attached, and fine companies like Think Tank make bags specifically for carrying the combination. My guess is that USUALLY the practice will be safe, but you have proven "Not Always"
That is really a shame. ....and a cautionary tale for the rest of us.
My Wife & Daughter shoot weddings, my wife shoots a Canon crop body with a 70-200 2.8 and a flash as her most used lens. She bought a roller bag where she inserts the camera with the lens AND Flash mounted into the bag. There is tons of unpack repack in wedding photography (Brides Home, Church, Location Portraits, reception etc)
I told he when she first bought it that flash is going to tear the shoe off the top of the camera, of course she did not listen to me, and in ten years her camera never broke, still going. So cameras are tough, but it only take one time.

ken_stern Loc: Yorba Linda, Ca

Just an additional thought --
Not storing the camera with such a long heavy lens is of course the right practice
But what when using a tripod --
From what I can see in your photo I would sure want to employ the services of a lens collar

PS: My Canon 100/400 lens weighing just about the same as your lens came from Canon with a lens collar --
To eliminate future high-cost repairs --- Please Consider Using One!!!!!