Switching lenses efficiently

Give me your quickest and cleanest procedure for switching lenses when out in the field. Do you keep your lenses in special lens cases by themselves, or is everything in one bag? I typically try to be so careful when switching lenses, that I can't do it very quickly.

Don't use backpack. You have to be able to gain access to your lenses without putting down your bag. Shoulder bags or sling bags are ideal. Have all the lens caps off. Are you going to spend another 20sec to put on and off all the caps every time you switched lenses? Have them all facing down. Depending how crowded area I am in, I may or may not put one lens back to the bag before pulling out the one I need. Usually takes me about 5 to 7 sec to switch one lens to another. I use a shoulder bag.

take cap off back of replacement lens. Take off lens and attached new one. Place cap on back of lens i just took off.

Only takes a few seconds.

Genome wrote in post #10564000
take cap off back of replacement lens. Take off lens and attached new one. Place cap on back of lens i just took off.

Only takes a few seconds.

Few secs? I don't think so considering if you are like me a prime shooter only. You may have lens caps front and rear of all 3 primes you are shooting with. That's 6 caps you have to store and find. Also, since these lenses are inside the bag with the cover over it, there are no real danger of getting them damaged or scratched. I don't want to drop my lens because my hands are full with lens caps and figuring which goes where. BTW, get hoods for each lens. When facing down, the front element won't be in contact with the bag at all.

It doesn't make much sense to have lenses in a pouch if you're using a dedicated camera bag. I agree about the backpack as far as convenience is concerned, although I'm guessing you're talking about technique. I try to have my camera facing down while I'm changing lenses to help with dust. Other than that just be careful and take your time. If you're rushing because you're being overly concerned with dust you run the risk of dropping something.

Last time I went out I had three lenses with me, two to cover from 18mm to 300mm and a fast prime. As the prime doesn't get used as much it stayed in a corner of my shoulder bag with both caps on. For the other two lenses I was regularly switching between them both so I'd take the front caps off as soon as I got to the location and put the hood on one. When it comes time to switch I'll take the lens off the camera and stick the rear cap on it, stick it in the bag and then take the rear cap off the other lens and stick it on the camera. Total time to switch is probably about 10 seconds or so, if I really don't have that much time I'll stick the lens off the camera straight into the bag without the rear cap and stick it on once I've finished shooting. The cap only really serves to keep dust off the rear element as they're so far in the lens there's not much chance of them getting damaged.

Always change lenses with camera body facing down or away from wind. Take back cap off replacement lens, remove existing lens place in bag, fit replacement lens, fit back cap to lens in bag.
Priority is least amount time having sensor open to the elements.

TooManyShots - the process i mentioned only takes a few seconds. and I dont need to find the back lens cap of the lens i took off... i just put on the one i took off the replacement lens.

All you need is a shoulder bag that holds all the lenses you need.

I take all lens caps off before I shoot. I have a bag and a BlackRapid strap. Bag over the right hip (I'm right-handed, so I need the lens bag on the right side), camera on the left, which I think works better since the left (support) hand is bringing up the camera, which keeps my handholding technique correct. Straps go across my body so I don't worry about stuff slipping off. I use 3 lenses, and I have a bag that holds those 3 lenses with hoods mounted. One spot is empty since one is on the camera. Lenses are placed hood up.

When I switch, I take the lens off the camera, hood and all, put it in the bag, then grab the next one and slap it on. 5-second deal. It's easier to do with primes or internal zooms since you don't have to deal with extending barrels. The hood makes it a little more difficult to stick a finger into the lens.

Genome wrote in post #10565115
TooManyShots - the process i mentioned only takes a few seconds. and I dont need to find the back lens cap of the lens i took off... i just put on the one i took off the replacement lens.

Exactly. The cap of the lens I am using is always in my pants pocket. Call the lens on the camera A and the lens in the bag, B. I pull the front cap from my pocket and cap lens A and remove it from camera and put it back in its slot in the bag, rear mount up. Now I take the rear cap off B and mount the lens on the camera. THe rear cap has to go somewhere, so I mount it on the back of lens A. Now I take the cap off B and put it in my pocket. I'm ready to shoot with lens B and lens A is safely capped and stored away. extra 5 seconds, tops.

Depends on how much of a hurry im in, if the subject im trying to catch is say, a flower, then im usually very slow, put the caps on my lens, reverse the hood ETC

if im in a hurry(IE, theres a plane coming, or a bird, or i hear a helicopter) ill skip a step or two and just toss the lens in the bag and cap it later

I have a Slingshot 200, So my 100-400 has to be stored with the hood reversed...and i cant get the lens cap off the 100L without the lens hood being off of it...Only the 15-85 is stored "ready" most of the time and thats the lens on my 7D when it goes in the bag 85% of the time, only exceptions are if im going somewhere and i know ill need the 100-400 or the 100L more often...

Get lenses that all have the same diameter. It makes things so easy, when all your lens are 72mm or 77mm.

I work out of a Domke F2, usually with 35, 85, & 135 lenses... so it's pretty easy to swap back and forth. The only one that is an issue for me, is the 85L, since the glass is flush with the mount, so you can't just slap the thing on.

toxic wrote in post #10565151
All you need is a shoulder bag that holds all the lenses you need.

I take all lens caps off before I shoot. I have a bag and a BlackRapid strap. Bag over the right hip (I'm right-handed, so I need the lens bag on the right side), camera on the left, which I think works better since the left (support) hand is bringing up the camera, which keeps my handholding technique correct. Straps go across my body so I don't worry about stuff slipping off. I use 3 lenses, and I have a bag that holds those 3 lenses with hoods mounted. One spot is empty since one is on the camera. Lenses are placed hood up.

When I switch, I take the lens off the camera, hood and all, put it in the bag, then grab the next one and slap it on. 5-second deal. It's easier to do with primes or internal zooms since you don't have to deal with extending barrels. The hood makes it a little more difficult to stick a finger into the lens.

That's about the way I work, though I can work with my shoulder bag on either side.

I use a Lowepro Stealth Reporter 650 AW, and all three of my big zoom lenses can go into any of the three "pouches" in the case. All lenses go nose-down with hoods mounted (except that I have to reverse the hood on the 70-200 f/2.8L IS).

Because I have one lens on the camera, there is an empty lens "pouch" in the case when the camera is around my neck. The first thing I do is pull the lens off the camera and put it into the empty "pouch". Then, I move the rear lens cap from the lens I want to use and put it on the one I just put away. Next, I mount the new lens and pull off its front lens cap if it had one on it. If the new lens is the 70-200, I flip the hood around. The other two lenses wear their hoods ready-to-use at all times.

I'm ready to go with a new lens in just a few seconds.