Changing a Camera Lens Quickly
Minimising the time needed to swap over camera lenses
The art of changing a camera lens is not something that gets discussed very much, which is kind of surprising, because it is rather fundamental. Perhaps it’s just too basic for most to bother about.
I talked about this recently in a video blog, and you can watch this by clicking on the image below.
Just click on the image below to go to the video
Why is changing a camera lens quickly important?
In the 20 years I’ve been running photography workshops I’ve seen it time and time again. Firstly, one or more of my ‘students’ is reluctant to change lens even though getting the right shot demands it, simply because it’s too much bother. Apart from the lens that is actually on the camera, all other lenses they have are stashed away in a rucksack on their back. It’s just too much trouble to get into the rucksack to get that lens out.
Secondly, when they do finally get the rucksack open, they then take the lens they want to remove off the front of the camera and leave the camera dangling, the front totally exposed to the air. It then takes an age for them to decide which lens to use, to get that lens out of the rucksack and then start to fit it to the camera.
All this time the front of the camera is exposed, leading to the risk of a host of different airborne dust particles drifting into the camera, settling on the mirror (if there is one) and/or the shutter screen/protector. Once the replacement lens is finally fitted, all that dust is trapped inside the camera.
What happens next? The shutter button is pressed to take an image. This not only causes the mirror (if there is one) to flick upwards and the shutter screen to slide open, but the sensor also becomes electrically charged. The latter can then suck a lot of that dust straight onto the sensor. This is how the sensor gets dirtier and dirtier.
To stop this happening, it’s essential that changing camera lens is done as quickly as possible. Here how it’s done.
Steps to changing a camera lens quickly
The first step towards changing a camera lens quickly is to have the lenses you’re most likely to want to use readily to hand. Don’t keep them out of reach in a rucksack. I keep mine in a pouch on the right side of my waist, so easily accessible that I barely even have to think about how to do it.
I have three lenses in constant use, so with one on the camera, the remaining two sit in the pouch, waiting for their opportunity. The rucksack is reserved only for those things that get just occasional usage, such as a longer lens, macro kit, a flash gun, or filters.
The process that I recommend going through when changing a camera lens is as follows:
- Press the camera’s lens lock button and turn the lens that’s on the camera just slightly. This ensures that the lens lock doesn’t re-engage when it’s released. Of course, don’t turn the lens so far that it falls off when you let go of it! The lens should stay attached to the camera, but not locked in place;
- Unzip the pouch and take out the lens you want and hold it in your right hand;
- Remove the lens’ back cover, hold this in your left hand and then transfer the lens also to your left hand;
- Remove the lens that’s still attached to the camera with your right hand. With the lens lock released this should be a simple matter of just turning the lens;
- Immediately put the ‘new’ lens onto the camera and lock it in place;
- Put the lens rear cover onto the back of the ‘old’ lens, put this into the pouch and zip the pouch up to make sure nothing can fall out.
Job done in seconds. Now you can seamlessly get on with your photography. To see this done in practice watch the video above.
If this method of changing a camera lens quickly doesn’t quite work for you then just use this as a starting point and develop your own method from there.
Find out more
This is the first in what will be a series of photography tips and techniques talks/blogs/videos, but we already have a long series of photography technique podcasts. You can watch these by clicking on the link below.
