Quick Tip

Is your lens... Creepy?

Some zoom lenses are creepy.  It's not their fault really.  It's just how they're made. Other lenses start out well mannered, behaving as they should.  But over time they start to get creepier and creepier.  Maybe it only happens occasionally at first, but after a while, every single time you go to take a photo, you find that your lens is zoomed in all the way and you have to zoom back out again before you can take your photo. Sound familiar? If it does, you have a creepy lens on your hands. 

Whenever your zoom lens is pointed down, gravity is pulling on it. If the zoom action is smooth, if the lens elements are heavy, or if the camera gets jostled up and down, the pull can be enough to extend the lens all the way down, zooming to it's maximum focal length. This is known as lens creep.

A few years ago, my trusty zoom lens that I use for shooting scenes started to creep really badly...to the point that it was starting to drive me crazy.  Anytime I would point the camera down the lens would slowly but steadily zoom toward the floor. This might not be a big issue for 'normal' photographers who rarely shoot at the ground, but for a fire investigator lens creep can be a huge pain. If I wanted to shoot a piece of evidence on the floor I had to put down my shovel or my flashlight, use my left hand to zoom out on the lens, and keep ahold of the lens as I took the shot so that it wouldn't zoom back in again.  If I needed the flashlight for a focusing aid I had to figure out a way to operate the camera and the lens and hold the flashlight all at the same time. It was getting irritating. 

I hated the thought of replacing the lens because optically it was still working excellently. Also, I'm cheap. Fortunately, I came across a solution that solved the problem without costing me hundreds of dollars. The solution? The Lens Band. The Lens Band is a simple silicone ring that you slide over the barrel of the lens. By positioning the band on the lens, where the focus ring meets the lens barrel, the silicone band adds resistance to the zoom action. The band creates enough drag to prevent creep but it is still easy to zoom in and out.

A silicone wristband can also work as a lens band. Below, you can see one that I picked up from the trading post at the scout camp where I used to work. The wristband takes care of lens creep, was cheaper than the Lens Band, and I get to rep the local OA lodge. If your creepy lens is driving you crazy, don't replace it.  Try one of these cheap, effective options instead.