D700 FF in a tankbag?

M38A1 · October 8, 2014

Getting ready for a little motorcycle get-away and am tossing around taking the big DSLR. I've taken my older D40 on trips with it just sitting in the tankbag, but am somewhat hesitant for unknown reasons to stick the D700 in there.

Anybody have thoughts on how it riding in a tankbag might affect the camera?

NikonsandVstroms · October 9, 2014

What bike is it? Vibration could be an issue but there's solid motor mount vibration, Goldwing vibration, and a bunch in between.

I wouldn't worry too much in general though, if your D40 did well in the tank bag the D700 should be fine since it is a good bit sturdier.

M38A1 · October 9, 2014

A BMW R1150GS.... Pretty smooth compared to a two-smoke thumper. lol

GSPeP · October 9, 2014

Should not be a problem.

I've been riding around with a Canon 300D for 5 years, a 1DMkIII for a few years, and the last 2 or 3 years a 1D MkIV in my tankbag.
First on a R1150GS and since three years a R1200GS Adventure.

dixonduke · October 9, 2014

I have carried my D90 several thousand miles in my tank bag, top case, panniers and even back pack while moto-traveling. Never noticed a problem. Put a t-shirt or tea towel down first in the tank bag and then place your camera ontop. You will be fine.

This was on my my GSA and even that one trip that Graeme and I took to Scotland when I rented a Transalp for couple thousand miles.

I have even taken the D800 on a trip or two, but for not as long or as far.

Matthew Saville · October 9, 2014

Yeah, bumping around like that will definitely affect a camera and/or lens in the long run. It's probably not as bad as a hundred miles of off-roading on washboard / gravel roads, but neither is it a cushion of air, I bet.

The best you can do is the following:

1.) NEVER transport a camera and lens attached when traveling over anything even remotely bumpy. Always transport bodies and lenses detached.
2.) Keep everything extremely well-padded, preferably in a dedicated camera bag or pouch that offers 2-3 layers of thick, cushy padding.
3.) Be extra careful with "disposable" lenses with extremely fast apertures, such as the Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 and such. These lenses are literally made of plastic held together with tape, and screws that have no loc-tite. Enough gentle jostling, and they WILL get de-centered a little bit eventually. ;-)
4.) Resign yourself to getting your AF and/or lenses re-calibrated every year or two.

I'm sure that many folks already have, and many others will continue to, report that they've been doing this or that for years without any issue. There's a good chance that depending on your standards, you can do the same and completely disregard my input as excessively cautious / paranoid. HOWEVER, if you shoot certain things, such as astro-landscapes, then you'll probably be a little bit more attentive to things like field curvature, de-centering, or mis-aligned lens mounts.

In other words, even the tiniest loss of precise alignment can cause softness towards the edges of your images, if you're even remotely abusive of your ear. Most people will never notice, but if you want to get the best possible results in certain envelope-pushing conditions, it would be a good idea to follow the advice I put forward...

=Matt=

M38A1 · October 9, 2014

Thx for the replies....

Since my D7 is my primary body, I'm kind of leaning away from taking it. Looks like the D90 gets to take a week long road trip!

Or......... Should I just toss the FE film body and a 50mm 1.8 in and look at things a bit differently? I'd be willing to bet that combo is a bit more 'rugged'. Hmmmm

Matthew Saville · October 9, 2014

M38A1 wrote: »

Thx for the replies....

Since my D7 is my primary body, I'm kind of leaning away from taking it. Looks like the D90 gets to take a week long road trip!

Or......... Should I just toss the FE film body and a 50mm 1.8 in and look at things a bit differently? I'd be willing to bet that combo is a bit more 'rugged'. Hmmmm

When I'm going on travel trips where photography is secondary, I reach for my all-plastic D5300. It's tiny and lightweight, but offers a gorgeous sensor and there are plenty of awesome DX lenses out there now to go with it.

The D5300 is extra awesome too, because it is made of some sort of faux carbon-fiber plastic that is supposedly extremely strong, yet not as susceptible to actual bending / tweaking like those hunky metal camera bodies are...

GSPeP · October 10, 2014

M38A1 wrote: »

Since my D7 is my primary body, I'm kind of leaning away from taking it. Looks like the D90 gets to take a week long road trip!

That is also how I think about it. I would never take my 5D MkIII with me on the motorcycle.
As long as I had the 300D (Digital Rebell), I always took that one with me. It's sold now.
As long as I both had the 1D MkIII and 1D MkIV, I always took the MkIII with me.

Nyfty · October 12, 2014

Nikons and BMWs
I've carried a D90 with the 16-85 DX lens in the tank bag of both a R1150GS and now an F800GS. With the slopped tank bags I use a wedge shaped piece of foam to cushion it and to keep it in a more horizontal attitude. I have about 3,000 miles of unpaved roads on this set up traveling Forest Service roads in WY, CO, SD, and NE. Not to mention all the road miles to get there and back. It has kept the camera in good working order, and handy when I've stopped to capture images.

D700 FF in a tankbag?

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