Hot swapping lenses?

[Nicholas de Kock]

I swap out lenses while recording all the time on my C100, I haven't given it much thought and haven't experienced any problems. My friend seems to think that this is dangerous for the lens however there is no way I can power down the camera to swap a lens every time. Should I be worried?

[Josh Kallis]

Not if it's not broken yet but yeah it's not a good idea to continue

[Nicholas de Kock]

Problem is it's not something that I can stop doing. I film live events & shutting down the camera to change lenses takes about 10 seconds which is a disaster in a live event scenario.

[Noa Put]

What would you do when the camera would stop working after you hotswap a lens? Can't you use one lens that covers all focal lengths you need?

A simple google query brings some issues with hotswapping lenses, not c100 but c300:

WARNING: Don't hot-swap lenses - Canon Cinema EOS C300 Camera (EF or PL Mount) - Cinema EOS User Forum
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-ci...ty-lenses.html
Fuse Blown -- C300 Dead [Archive] - DVXuser.com -- The online community for filmmaking

[Nicholas de Kock]

I have hot swapped lenses on my C100 hundreds of times already if not thousands over the past few months & everything still works. Must be a C300 issue? Oh well I'll be more careful but don't think I'll stop, it's not practical to power down first, I didn't power down with DSLR's either.

[Finn Yarbrough]

I think it's more of an issue with DSLRs where the sensor is totally exposed in live-view mode and the mirror's moving parts can by damaged by any protruding parts of the lens (I know because I broke my Mk-II by hot-swapping).

What is more of a realistic problem for the C-100, in my opinion, is that the sensor generates a fair amount of static electricity when the camera is powered on. So if you remove the lens, it can literally suck the dust out of the air onto itself. No big deal until you get back to the editing room and discover irreparable spots on your footage that you missed when you were on set!

[Shaun Roemich]

Originally Posted by Finn Yarbrough

the sensor generates a fair amount of static electricity when the camera is powered on

This would be MY primary concern as well.

[Shaun Roemich]

Originally Posted by Nicholas de Kock

I have hot swapped lenses on my C100 hundreds of times already if not thousands over the past few months & everything still works. Must be a C300 issue? Oh well I'll be more careful but don't think I'll stop, it's not practical to power down first

Reminds me of the issues we used to have with firewire. TONS of people said "I've never had an issue so I'm going to continue hot plugging". Had a client do it in front of me on an external hard drive. Boom. Dead.

If people are reporting it, it's usually an issue, whether you have had it happen to you or not.

My best practices advice is to NOT do something that is being reported as an issue.

[Tim Bakland]

I read in one of the forums here that it can be an issue when hot-swapping non-Canon lenses?

Don't know. I guess I just avoid it just in case. (Though I hear you, Nicholas, on the lengthy power-down/power-up.)

[Daniel Epstein]

Not a good lens solution for live event coverage.

[Bob Drummond]

When the c300 was first released there was talk of blowing fuses by hot-swapping lenses. This required a factory repair. I don't know if it's been fixed or not, but I wouldn't risk it.

[Ben Giles]

I regularly hot swap lenses on C100s. I have a system with my assistant to cover the lens mount each time with their hand, while I line up the next lens. We don't hang about - and waiting to power down would mean missed shots, as we're shooting a lot of observational stuff.

No issues so far.

Ben.

[Nicholas de Kock]

Having discussed this now & working in the field over the weekend was interesting. My conclusion is that it's not practical to power down the camera to swap lenses at all. I use a ThinkTank Modular Belt system so at any given time I go between three lenses there is no practical solution to power down the camera in a fast paced event environment. Over the weekend I probably did another 50 hot swaps, personally I think any danger is minimal.

Originally Posted by Finn Yarbrough

What is more of a realistic problem for the C-100, in my opinion, is that the sensor generates a fair amount of static electricity when the camera is powered on. So if you remove the lens, it can literally suck the dust out of the air onto itself.

This is actually not an issue in my opinion the sensor is not exposed as with DSLR bodies, the sensor is behind a sheet of glass and ND filters. As an added precaution I use a Rocket Blower periodically between lens changes to blow out any particles.

[Mervin Langley]

How does the C300 allow for hot swapping? What is different to make it safe for the C300 and not the C100?

[Matt Davis]

The C300 has a function you can assign to a button that puts it in 'Lens Change' mode which is basically powering off the camera EXCEPT for the TimeCode clock. When in lens change mode, fiddling with it might turn it on again (e.g. opening the CF card doors).

It's as if Canon really want you to power down between lens changes. Even the DSLRs go into a sort of emergency 'Fainting Goat' mode if you twist off a lens with it on.