I am looking for a better storage option for my photo gear, which is currently in a poorly-lit closet. There are not a lot of options with the way that the house is designed, and really the only possibility is to buy a storage cabinet.
Ideally, the cabinet would be large enough to hold several bodies and lenses, including larger lenses like the Sony 200-600 (and possibly larger as you never know what will happen in the future). I would like to put accessories in there as well to stay organized. Shelves should be adjustable. The climate is dry here, so humidity is not an issue, but if the cabinet has humidity control that is fine. I am more interested in keeping dust out as this area windy and there is a lot of dust in the air. During the summer, it can be smokey as well, so keeping smoke/ash out is also important. Good interior lighting is something that would be really valued as well.
Looking on the B&H website, the best options look to be the Ruggard 850L (or 1280L) electronic dry cabinet. Does anyone have experience with those? Are there other alternatives that would be worth looking at?
Geez you are not storing the Mona Lisa in the humid Congo. Why waste money on a 'photo' cabinet? I have stored camera gear in regular storage cabinets in the more humid BC than Oregon for 50+ years with nary a problem.
If you had a heat pump in your home you would not be bringing smoke and dust into your home. My wife has COPD, which is why we have a heat pump that is cooling our home now and not bringing any smoke from current wildfires in to our home.
Imagemaster wrote:
Geez you are not storing the Mona Lisa in the humid Congo. Why waste money on a 'photo' cabinet? I have stored camera gear in regular storage cabinets in the more humid BC than Oregon for 50+ years with nary a problem.
If you had a heat pump in your home you would not be bringing smoke and dust into your home. My wife has COPD, which is why we have a heat pump that is cooling our home now and not bringing any smoke from current wildfires in to our home.
I am certainly open to other idea besides a photo cabinet, but really want one to be sealed against dust and have good lighting.
With regard to the air situation, the room where I can put the cabinet has no place where a cooling system can go. We just had two mini-splits installed on the main level of the house and they are fantastic. If it were possible to add something like that to the daylight basement where I would put the cabinet, I would strongly consider it, but there is no place to mount a unit with the way that the room is built. I keep the windows closed when it is really smokey, but the house is not completely air tight. To be honest, usually dust is overall a bigger problem than smoke inside the house, even though we have high-end air purifiers running all the time. The summer smoke is of course more seasonal.
Most of my gear that is used is sitting in camera bags/backpacks. I don't need it on display and I don't notice any dust getting inside there with zippers closed. Is there a reason you need lighting and display of the equipment? Accessories can go in many kinds of furniture with closed doors. The small cabinets that claim humidity control usually have a small heater that reduces the %RH, but does not remove water. If the RH at room temp is below 40% usually no further dehumidification is needed. You can get a small portable dehumidifier (like in a basement) and run it on a timer if necessary.
EB-1 wrote:
Most of my gear that is used is sitting in camera bags/backpacks. I don't need it on display and I don't notice any dust getting inside there with zippers closed. Is there a reason you need lighting and display of the equipment? Accessories can go in many kinds of furniture with closed doors. The small cabinets that claim humidity control usually have a small heater that reduces the %RH, but does not remove water. If the RH at room temp is below 40% usually no further dehumidification is needed. You can get a small portable dehumidifier (like in a basement) and run it on a timer if necessary.
These are good questions. I don't need the display, so doors could be glass or a solid material. Either way is fine. The lighting is simply to help me see inside when I am getting things. One of the things that I get very frustrated with right now with my gear stored in a closet, is that the lighting is poor and it is difficult for me to see. I also have some of my gear stored in bags, which I totally agree keeps the dust out. What I would prefer though is to store things in a cabinet where I can see everything and take out what I need. A cabinet that is deeper than a typical book shelf would make it easier to use with storage cases, so that would most definitely be a bonus.
Humidity is not a problem where I live, so the dehumidifier aspect of a cabinet is not necessary and definitely is an extra expense. Dust is the bigger problem, which is why I would like to have doors that do a decent job of keeping dust out.
RoamingScott wrote:
I've used the Ruggards and Slingers (rebadged Ruggards for Adorama) for years. They are fantastic and I wouldn't go back to other solutions.
Go one size bigger than you think you need, trust me on that.
Thanks for the recommendation. I saw the Slingers cabinets earlier today, but did not know that they are Ruggards.
I know very well what you mean about the sizing. That is why I was looking at the larger models of the Ruggards. Looks like Slingers goes up to 600L, which would be fine.
I keep inactive for now in Pelican Cases inside of humidity controlled 72” safe. I place desiccants in the Pelican Cases. Some in a six foot corner lit display cabinet and active cameras with associated kit in sling bags, or backpack.
