Lens changing technique?

What is your best method of changing lens?

Mine is to:

1.Lay camera, with lens mounted, on its back & completely loosen but not remove attached lens.

2. Take lens cap off of new lens and replace new lens with loosened, undesired lens, instantly --- turn new lens onto camera to fixed position. This 1-2 method minimizes open camera time and, with both lens pointed down, prevents anything from entering either lens.

3. Replace cap on removed lens & store.

Basically the same, with emphasis on keeping the camera body lens side down when possible. Caps on everything as long as possible.

1. Take lens off, throw in camera bag.
2. remove rear cap of lens and then pull out of camera bag and mount to camera.
3. throw lens cap into bag.
4. Sort out mess and recap everything when I get back to the car/home.

Depends on the lens (superteles).

I don't shoot landscapes so dust has never been an issue for the last 6-7 yrs that I have been shooting. Did sensor cleaning once when I got my 10d. Never with 5dc. The newer cameras have sensor clean.

tkbslc wrote in post #15487408
1. Take lens off, throw in camera bag.
2. remove rear cap of lens and then pull out of camera bag and mount to camera.
3. throw lens cap into bag.
4. Sort out mess and recap everything when I get back to the car/home.

You forgot step #5
... spend an hour in Photoshop removing specs.

Mark II wrote in post #15487447
You forgot step #5
... spend an hour in Photoshop removing specs.

Sensor is closed when not taking a picture.

I have always been more concerned about stuff falling into my camera than into my lens....

So stand new lens upward on level ground (or in camera bag) with rear cap already loosened. Remove old lens from camera while pointing the camera downward (to prevent anything from entering the camera). Place old lens beside new lens. Move rear cap to old lens and mount new lens onto camera. Tighten down the rear cap on the old lens and store in camera bag. During the process the camera is always in my left hand and pointed downward and all moving of lenses is done with my right hand.

Oh and be sure to take a few breaths to create some condensation and wipe front of lens with the corner of my tee shirt for good measure.

tkbslc wrote in post #15487454
Sensor is closed when not taking a picture.

Well, the shutter might be closed but you're still letting dust get into the mirror box which will eventually migrate toward the sensor as the mirror and shutter flap back and forth.

The current 'sensor shake' lens cleaning incorporated in EOS cameras seems to work very well... I picked up my 7D about 2 years ago. I've never taken any special precautions when changing lenses. (and I change lenses a lot). I've never had a problem with dust.

The 10D I had before that (without built in sensor cleaning) needed to be wet swabbed every 4 months on average to get rid of image dust specs.

I don't worry about it any more. Cleaning a sensor is so easy and takes such little time that all these complex rituals used to minimize the time a lens is removed is more complicated and time consuming in the long run. That's not to say I remove the lens and leave it sitting open for hours while I hunt up the replacement, I do get things ready and try to do things quickly, but fretting about the few dust particles that may or may not blow in is just not worth it.

So, I will change lenses sometimes while the camera is laying on something, or hanging around my neck, or my wife is holding it or in whatever position is easiest at the time I need to make the lens switch. I don't pay a whole lot of attention to order in which things are done, I figure the individual swap will dictate which step is most natural at the time.

The only time I get really careful is when I am shooting at the beach or in some other very dusty location. Then I get a lot more careful.

jwp721 wrote in post #15487489
I have always been more concerned about stuff falling into my camera than into my lens....

Yes Exactly. I'm very quick to get the new lens on the camera as soon as possible then I cap the other lens. Dust can easily be blown off the lens but dust in the camera can be a little more complicated with digital cameras.

As quickly as possible!
Typically, I will take some images of a wild animal (or bird) with one lens, then, if I want some different looking images, I will rapidly try to get the big lens off the body and immediately get the little one on it - all the while hoping I can get 'em switched and snap off a pic or two before the critter bounds away. Sometimes I make it in time, often I don't.
It's hard for me to relate to folks who do this carefully and methodically, in a time-consuming manner. What a luxury it would be to have so much time!

Tom Reichner wrote in post #15487679
As quickly as possible!
Typically, I will take some images of a wild animal (or bird) with one lens, then, if I want some different looking images, I will rapidly try to get the big lens off the body and immediately get the little one on it - all the while hoping I can get 'em switched and snap off a pic or two before the critter bounds away. Sometimes I make it in time, often I don't.
It's hard for me to relate to folks who do this carefully and methodically, in a time-consuming manner. What a luxury it would be to have so much time!

Sounds like it's time to invest in a second body.

gjl711 wrote in post #15487687
Sounds like it's time to invest in a second body.

Oh, I have the 2nd body . . . but they're very different bodies - a 1.6 crop and a FF. Often times, changing lenses on the fly is necessary to get the ideal lens/body combination for the particular image I am looking to create.

Tom Reichner wrote in post #15487725
Oh, I have the 2nd body . . . but they're very different bodies - a 1.6 crop and a FF. Often times, changing lenses on the fly is necessary to get the ideal lens/body combination for the particular image I am looking to create.

4 bodies then?