Crowd-Funding Suckers

I don’t want to think that photographers are dumber than the average human, but I sure do see a lot of ads for crowd-funding projects aimed at photographers, and they sure are stupid things.

My current “favorite” idiotic product is what I like to call the lens-condom.  It’s a universal, silicon lens cap called Kuvrd.  Here’s a link to the Kickstarter campaign for this moronic product, but I’ll save you the look — it’s “element proof” and can be used front or back.

If you pledge $30, you get one, so I guess we can assume that the retail price is going to be around $30.  (Unless, of course, this is a scam and the producer is just milking money from morons and is going to vanish because they couldn’t viably produce it…like happens with so many other crowd-funding projects.)

So, $30 to get one.  And you’ll need 2 to protect front and back of a small lens.  Maybe you’ll get a discount and be able to get 2 for $50.

$50…seems fair to protect an $800 lens, right?

First of all, a replacement lens cap is like $5.  Some are less.  I just looked and a large-ish 77mm one is $8.99.   Let’s say they’re $10.  And in the past 40 years of doing photography, I’ve lost 2 lens caps — and one I found after ordering a replacement, but now I have a backup.  I have a fair number of lenses, but I figure I could get backups for all of them for under $100.

Secondly, a hard lens cap isn’t going to be touching the front of the lens and messing it up either.

Thirdly, a waterproof protective pouch for a lens is like $10 for a set of four, and a lot easier to deal with getting on and off than a silicon condom.  And will protect the whole lens, not just the front and back.

Maybe this is a great idea and I lack vision.  Maybe their backers are idiots.

An ingenious solution to a problem that just barely exists.  Save your money.