It occurs to me that one of the most susceptible times in which an equipment mishap might occur is in the changing of lenses. It requires fine motor skills that involve multiple motions of often heavy, fragile items in a defined sequence.

I know that in other events that require such motor skills, such as tactical and strategic reloads of personal weapons, well defined techniques have been developed. There is a distinct similarity between the two tasks in that they involve a fixed receiver (i.e. a pistol and a camera) and two replaceable parts (i.e. magazines and lenses). I wonder if there is a well accepted series of steps and motions that apply to the changing of photographic lenses.

I know to keep the camera body pointed down and I remove the lens cover from the incoming lens before removing the attached lens but when using large lenses such as a 200-500 and a 24-70 I seem to be pretty much thumbs from that point forward. Do you stabilize the body with your right hand while griping the attached lens with your left and using ?what? finger to depress the lens release button? Do you attach the free lens cover to the just removed lens before attaching the new lens, and if so, with which hand; do you hold one of the lenses between your knees, under your arm, in your teeth, etc. Without some solid surface or bag, etc. to assist, all of this would seem to require an extra set of hands.

Bob

As the OP I would like to make some comments which apply not only to this thread but also to many others on the UHH site.

1st. Give the poster the benefit of the doubt. In most cases the questions they ask are sincere. Although the question may appear stupid to you because of your experience level, the poster may actually be in the dark and want help. The percentage of out and out Trolls is quite small.

2nd. Study the question asked and if you have information which seems to apply to the subject give it in a constructive manner.

3rd. If you have nothing which seems to benefit the original poster or will clarify another's post, just give it a rest. It's OK to have an unexpressed thought.

4th. Consider just what is gained by being unconscionably impolite to the other members of the Forum.

Regarding my question, I appreciate all of those who responded whether they were constructive, redundant or rude. I never imagined that a simple question might take 5 pages but, in the words of Johnny Dollar, "Everybody's gotta be somewhere".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3ek38GzsEk

Thanks,

Bob

Thought you had a great post 'cause changing lenses can be a problem when you're in the field and working out of a camera bag. I still shoot film, so while my lenses are more or less the same, the camera body, lacking a sensor, is a little less worrisome. Since I don't want the weight of a second body in my bag, I change lenses often. I've discovered over the last forty years or so that they need less babying than we think. When working out of a bag, my sequence for changing lenses is: remove lens from camera, drop in bag, fish out second lens, remove rear lens cap and attach. Leaving a film camera exposed for a few seconds generally isn't a problem. Once the lenses are secure, respective caps are removed/attached. I NEVER have two lenses in my hands at the same time. The more accessible your bag, the easier the process goes, and knowing where things are stowed is also key. The process, simple as it is, varies for everyone, but having a very specific sequence that works (your original post) for you and committing it to memory so it's automatic is important. And by the way, while you're changing lenses, there are never any shots so don't rush, you won't be missing anything.

As the OP I would like to make some comments which apply not only to this thread but also to many others on the UHH site.

1st. Give the poster the benefit of the doubt. In most cases the questions they ask are sincere. Although the question may appear stupid to you because of your experience level, the poster may actually be in the dark and want help. The percentage of out and out Trolls is quite small.

2nd. Study the question asked and if you have information which seems to apply to the subject give it in a constructive manner.

3rd. If you have nothing which seems to benefit the original poster or will clarify another's post, just give it a rest. It's OK to have an unexpressed thought.

4th. Consider just what is gained by being unconscionably impolite to the other members of the Forum.

Regarding my question, I appreciate all of those who responded whether they were constructive, redundant or rude. I never imagined that a simple question might take 5 pages but, in the words of Johnny Dollar, "Everybody's gotta be somewhere".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3ek38GzsEk

Thanks,

Bob