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Camera storage requirements vary with your local conditions, length of storage, and items to be stored. Very damp environments are the most challenging, as fungus and mold grow quickly on cameras and lenses in such humid conditions. Heat can also be a concern, as temperatures above the human comfort zone (e.g., over 100 degrees F. or 40 degrees C) can cause lubricants to volatize and deposit onto lenses and other unintended surfaces. Excessive cold also has its hazards, especially if combined with moisture within the camera. In short, cameras and lenses like to be treated to environments that you and I would find comfortable!

Do you really need to store your cameras and optics? Cameras work best if they are exercised periodically, say every four to six weeks or so. You don't have to run film through most cameras, but simply set the lenses to various apertures, the shutter speed to a full series of settings, and fire off a few dozen shots.

This technique will help ensure that the lubricants in your camera body and lenses will not harden or bind, as they tend to do so in longer term storage. It is not unusual for cameras or lenses to require a full clean-lube-adjust after prolonged storage to clean up solidified lubricants and gunk in the lenses. The periodic exercising advocated here is your best and lowest cost way of avoiding such costly repairs.

Another recommended technique is to get your lenses out in the sun periodically. Some folks suggest a several hour exposure to intense sunlight (UV) with the lens aperture wide open will help reduce risk of fungal infections. A similar cure might be obtained with some of the short-wave ultraviolet lights used in commercial dry-cleaning, geological prospecting, or for erasing EPROMs. Be warned that the kind of short-wave or hard UV that kills fungus also kills cells in human eyes. So you have to be very careful to coverup such light sources during anti-fungal use.

Unfortunately, modern multi-coated lenses don't pass UV light at all well, meaning UV light won't get to the internal lens fungus to kill it. So this cure will probably work best with older uncoated or single coated lenses. One reason to check cameras and especially lenses during prolonged storage is to detect fungus growths early, before they have had a chance to etch into the surface of the lens glass. The best anti-fungal treatment requires disassembly and cleaning by an experience technician.

An alternative that I recommend is the use of zip-lock baggies and dessicant or drying silica gels. Even fungus won't grow if there is no water to sustain growth. The best kinds of gels are the ones with a pink/blue Cobalt salt indicator system. The color shift shows when the gel has absorbed so much moisture that it is no longer working. You can usually dry out silica gel packs at a low heat in an oven and recycle them time and again. Reportedly, many lawn and garden centers have low cost bags of silica gel dessicant (pounds for a few dollars), if you need more than a few small gel packages. Be sure that whatever you package with your camera is dust-free, as dust is obviously undesirable.

Dust is a second reason that I like zip-lock baggies. They are very helpful in keeping dust and sand out of your camera and optics. The only better approach I have used is an o-ring sealed case, such as those from Pelican Inc. These o-ring seals keep out both dirt and dust and water as well. Some of these cases are waterproof to a surprising depth of water too.

If you carefully close your zip-lock bags, they will probably be fine against even high levels of air-borne moisture. However, many of us have floods to worry about, whether from monsoons or broken pipes. In such situations, it pays to have your cameras, lenses, and negative files off the floor, preferably well above ground level.

Naturally, you can only do so much. At some point, you may want to consider getting professional insurance, preferably not just for your replacement cost of cameras and lenses, but also surprisingly huge investment in negatives and film materials.

Bugs and vermin are a frequent problem with prolonged storage in some areas. Mice seem to like camera bellows for new homes, according to some reports. Small bugs will crawl into inaccessible prism viewfinders and die there. Mold will attack camera leathers. Chemical sprays may kill the bugs, but will they crawl into your lenses to die? Here again, zip-lock baggies and strong anti-vermin packaging seem to work okay to keep out mice and bugs.

Beware of packaging cameras with upholstery foam in boxes or cases. These low cost foams are known to ''out-gas'' harmful chemical fumes which can attack camera and lenses. Instead, look for condensed or inert foam materials, often grey or charcoal colored. These inert foams cost a bit more, but won't outgas any fumes. Many computers are shipped with such foam packaging, so you may be able to get needed foam from such sources.

Another camera storage issue is batteries. Generally, I suggest you remove batteries from photo-gear if it is to be unused for more than 4-6 weeks. When I remove batteries from a camera, I usually put a small strip of masking tape onto the camera body bottom stating the kind of battery used, and which way to orient it. Batteries should be carefully cleaned, as traces of fingerprint oils and acids can provide conductive paths, through which a battery can discharge rather rapidly.

Nicad or other rechargeable batteries are another storage issue. Most nicad and similar rechargeable batteries need to be recharged periodically to maintain function. Over time, a nicad battery sitting in a strobe will discharge to a low point. Unfortunately, nicad batteries tend to plate out small fibers of metal at such low voltage points, resulting in a short-circuit failure mode. In other words, nicads should generally be recharged and not stored in a discharged state. A continuous trickle charge is sometimes recommended, but this is not a complete solution. A nicad battery will also develop a ''memory'' problem, in which only limited parts of the surface are actively used due to the lack of deep discharges with the battery. That problem means that you need a smart nicad battery charger, one which keeps batteries on charge, but periodically puts them through a discharge cycle and recharges them, in order to keep maximum life and capacity. For most photographers, a cheaper solution is to keep the batteries on a trickle constant current nicad charger, then periodically discharge them and immediately recharge.

Most cameras should be stored with the shutter tripped, and on a mechanical speed setting such as B or bulb, T or Time, or the no-battery speed setting (e.g., M or 1/90th, 1/100th, 1/60th, or whatever). These settings put minimal tension on various springs and parts in the camera. However, a few cameras such as some of the Lubitel or Seagull TLRs have unusual storage recommendations (e.g., store with shutter cocked, not advanced, etc.), so check your camera manual to be sure.

Storing photographs, negatives, and slide film is also a problem. For the short-term, you have to worry about fungus, bug or mite infestations, and curling of film. Heat is a more serious long-term problem with film too. The issue of really long term storage gets into archival storage issues. Stated briefly, many of today's E-6 and C-41 process films are unlikely to retain colors and image stability past 20 or so years with standard processing. Many conventional color prints will also not last much past a few decades either. Some prints will last a lot less, due to the lack of proper archival fixing and washing. Special archival papers, featuring acid-free composition, have to be used. The situation is probably worse with videotapes, with most baby videos being unlikely to last until that child's high school graduation! So if you need to store photographs, negatives, or images for prolonged periods, you should carefully research these archival alternatives.

Many chemicals used in the darkroom have no expiration dates, but need to be carefully kept dry and cool for optimal use. Others have fixed usage dates, which may be extended by lower temperature storage in some cases.

Film is a special case, with many of us benefitting from special mid-term storage efforts. Pro films are aged to an optimal color response point, then kept cool until sold within a rather limited time span. The costs are higher (often double) the cost of similar films in non-controlled consumer batches. Consumer films are released without optimal aging, with the expectation they will age on the store shelf to pretty near the optimal figures, but with a much broader range. The expiration dates on films are usually somewhat conservative (e.g., often several years for a new batch, but an extra 6-12 months might cause minimal color shifts).

Film storage is usually done either in refrigerators or freezers. Frozen film is virtually suspended in time, with little chemical activity, and may function well when thawed even years after its putative expiration date. Refrigerated film is kept cool, but not frozen, which extends its use for several years or more past the expiration date. The key test is to shoot some of the film, and carefully check for color shifts in the film (e.g., especially pure white and pure black subjects). The benefits of stored film include the ability to buy out of date film at relatively low cost (often 25% or less of new cost) and in bulk (so a given emulsion/batch characteristics can be well known prior to use). You can also buy large quanties of film, often at a discount, in an infrequently used emulsion where single roll purchases are either unavailable or very expensive (e.g., infrared films).

A key warning about refrigerated film storage - power can fail, or plugs get kicked out of the wall. It is important to have a refrigerator failure alarm in place on an infrequently accessed darkroom refrigerator. Such battery powered alarms go off when the temperature reaches a setpoint, usually a too-warm value. Otherwise, you may find your film has thawed and gotten heated up with subsequent color shifts, and you have lost a lot of valuable film.

In short, successful long-term storage of cameras, lenses, and especially negatives and film isn't easy. My key recommendation is to work at keeping your photo gear in a comfortable environment. Use silica gels to reduce problems with fungus and bug attacks. Periodically check your stored items to catch any problems early on. Better yet, check up on your cameras on a monthly basis, exercising them, charging and discharging nicad batteries, and otherwise checking their function and performance. Such simple efforts will help keep your cameras and lenses working well even after years of storage. Good luck!

From: [email protected] ([email protected])
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: How to store cameras
Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1998

[email protected] (ChipCurser) said,

>I hope I am posting to the right newsgroup.  I have started collecting TLR
>cameras but am not sure the best way to store them.  I would like to display
>them, but want to keep them clean and in the condition I purchased them in.
>Any suggestions as to how or where I can find this info out, will be greatly
>appreciated.  Thanks in advance.

Yup, this here's the place... The primary thing is that you should keep the cameras DRY, above all else... and this is to include humidity, so where you live factors in.

Second is heat and sunlight... not in direct sunlight and releatively even heat, meaning no swings between highs and lows. So now we're down to a dry, temperate place... like your living room, in a glass front china cabinet. Not the garage, not the attic. You want them some place where you would live. If you're in a humid place, like almost anywhere but the southwest US, get a dehumidifier.

Dave

arthlink.net!not-for-mail From: Deacon Dave Shrader [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: How to store cameras
Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1998

ChipCurser wrote:

> Thanks Dave, one other thing.  What about those ?silicon packs? they  use for
> storage.  Could I use them instead of a dehumidifier or am I flurting with
> danger.

A good Dessicant is fine. Get the indicator type. They have a color shift to let you know when they have to be dried out. --

From: [email protected] ([email protected])
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: How to store cameras
Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998

[email protected] (ChipCurser) said,

>Thanks Dave, one other thing.  What about those ?silicon packs? they use for
>storage.  Could I use them instead of a dehumidifier or am I flurting with
>danger.

Sure, if you can find a trillion of them or so... Actually, you may be able to find an absorbant to do the trick inside the case, but if your collection is valuable, (and whose isn't) a humidifier is a better idea.. they're relatively cheap at home depot. And the whole room/floor will be more comfortable for you as well. I use one in my basement where I have an antique car, and it picks up as much as two gallons of water per day, here in New Jersey. Granted, basements are wetter than living rooms, but I'd wager you'll notice a big difference. A closed cabinet won't flow much air, so open the doors until the room is dry, then close them and use the humidifier occasionally... experimentation will tell.

Dave

From: Deacon Dave Shrader [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: How to store cameras
Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1998

Didn't notice the original post. But FWIW. During the summer in the Boston area, high 80's low 90's, high humidity, I open my camera cases, aluminum suitcases, and store them behind the sofa in the air conditioned portion of the house.

If transporting in High T&H, the Aluminum cases have high thermal mass and cameras do not see too much temp rise.

--
In the Love and Mercy of Jesus,

Deacon Dave

From: "Louie Gonsalves" [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: How to store cameras
Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998

Something that was overlooked in this thread so far: Shutters. When you're gonna park any mechanical camera (most, if not all, TLR's have mechanical shutters), trip the shutter, and don't re-cock it. After you've tripped the shutter, set the speed to B. These two steps will relax the springs in the shutter mechanism.

From: [email protected] (gary gaugler)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Trip the shutter on CF-lenses? (was: Re: How to store cameras)
Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998

(Planar100) wrote:

>Does anyone know how to trip the shutter on the Hasselblad CF lenses when
>they are demounted from the body?
>
>Thanks!

Just jiggle the little rectangular protrusion in the center of the round shutter control assembly at the opposite side of the rear of the lens from the index mark. It is next to the shutter cocking slot.

Gary Gaugler
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2000
From: [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format,rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Subject: Re: How to store photo equipment?

remove any batteries in camera bodies, put equipment in anti-static plastic bags (like the ones that come with lenses when you buy them) with silica gel packets (you can purchase this stuff at most hobby stores). Also, clean equipment well before storing it - fingerprints and dust will eventually etch lens coatings!

- John Downey

Date: 11 Mar 2000
From: [email protected] (AuctionFan)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: How to store photo equipment?

>I was wondering how some
>of you store your gear when you know it won't get used for awhile.

No matter what you do - DO NOT store cameras in a closet with clothing.

Also, always use lenscaps on both ends of lenses. Leave a filter on the lens or use snug fit plastic push on lenscaps. Put a silica gel bag in the space where the film cartridge should be.

Believe me, these are #1 basics. I didn't learn it by reading books or hearsay either. Just actual experience.

AF.

Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2003 
From: Paul Shinkawa [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Russiancamera] Camera Storage Conditions
To: [email protected], Russian Camera Users

I don't use plastic bags because of the fear of having
moisture condense inside of them.

I also store them outside of any cases. The leather
conditioners found in most leather cases seems to
react with exposed brass (where the chrome has been
scratched or where joints may not be perfectly
sealed)and creates a green gummy corrosion over time.
I've experienced the same problem with leather and
firearms.

Plastic cases are bad because they allow moisture to
condense, or in some instances release vinyl
plasticizers which form a cloudy film on the cameras
and lenses.

So far I've had the best luck storing cameras and
lenses in old (clean) socks and keeping them in fabric
camera bags or boxes. Dust and lint are easier to
clean then some of the other things left behind by
leather and vinyl.

I have an air conditioned home, which has little
moisture outside of bathrooms and the kitchen. In some
other parts of the world where this is not the case,
the best practices could be significantly different.

-Paul
...