Don your thinking cap

Mike Harris shows you how to make the most of your lens caps, with five innovative ways to improve their functionality

- Mike Harris

It would seem there’s a neverending sea of accessories on the market available for your Nikon, but there are two particular pieces of kit we can guarantee every photographer owns: the humble lens and body caps that came with your camera (unless, like everyone at N-Photo, you constantly lose them – though we have a solution for that!).

So this month we thought we’d spice up our boring old lens caps and improve their functionality. Nikon DSLR and mirrorless users will have three caps in total: a lens cap that snaps onto the front of the lens to protect the front element, a rear lens cap that protects the rear lens element, and a body cap that goes on the camera mount to protect the inner workings and the delicate digital sensor.

They’re all designed to block dust and dirt, and keep delicate components protected so they don’t get scratched when your camera is stowed away and not in use. If you want to replace your front lens cap, you can find out what size it is by removing it and looking at the back. It will say what size thread it fits, like 58mm or 67mm, for example. This also tells you what sized filters are compatible too.

In this article, you’ll find five tips to get more from your lens caps, including how to use a specialist white balance lens cap, how you can easily turn a body cap into a pinhole lens, and how you can prevent losing these essential accessories in the future.

Lens cap hacks

INGENIOUS TIPS AND TRICKS TO HELP YOU IMPROVE THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THESE BASIC ACCESSORIES

1 White balance caps