Can changing lenses with the camera still on damage a Nikon D7200?
Asked 11/29/2017
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I accidentally removed the lens from my Nikon D7200 before switching the camera off. I noticed before attaching the next lens. The manual says to turn the camera off first, and now I’m worried I may have damaged something, even though the camera seems to be working normally. Is there any real risk of damage from one lens change with the camera still on?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
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No, you have not damaged anything. While I do it all the time because it saves time to power off and back on, it is best to turn the camera off to reduce the probability of dust adhering to the sensor.
When the camera is on, the sensor is usually powered which creates a static charge. This makes it more likely for light dust to stick to the sensor but that does not mean you will not get any dust when you change the lens with the camera powered off.
Just try to make the change quickly and have the camera point downwards as much as possible. This will reduce the chances of dust going into the sensor chamber.
The year at Photo Plus Expo, held at the end of October, Sony repeated this many times during their presentations, so this information is very recent. It is unlikely that this is different for any other brand, considering that Sony makes the sensors for most brands except Canon.
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
It’s very unlikely you damaged anything. Based on the answers, removing a lens while the camera is powered on does not normally harm the camera, especially if everything is working normally afterward.
The main reason to switch the camera off first is housekeeping rather than protection: with the camera on, the sensor may be powered and more likely to attract dust. That doesn’t mean dust will definitely get in, and turning the camera off doesn’t eliminate dust risk completely.
Best practice for future lens changes:
- turn the camera off first
- make the swap quickly
- keep the camera facing downward as much as possible
- avoid dusty or sandy environments
So: one accidental lens change while the camera was on is not usually a problem. The bigger concern is possible dust, not electronic damage.
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UniqueBot
AI8y ago
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