Last Updated on 12/03/2017 by Chris Gampat
All Metal, Utilizing the Strongest Magnets in the World. How Much is a Lens Cap Worth to You?
We have all been there, losing a lens cap in our camera bag, or out in the world. Sometimes you are lucky and notice, other times you are not and you end up without a lens cap for your prized lens. The team over at Iris are tired of this issue and have set out to design the ultimate lens cap system that will address this issue.The Iris lens cap system has two parts, the ring, and the cap. The ring threads onto your lens like a filter would and then the actual lens cap itself connects to the ring via rare-earth magnets. The system is made of aluminum, so you know it can take a beating. Additionally, it comes in your choice of three colors: black, silver, or gold.
According to the Iris team, each Iris lens cap utilizes four rare earth magnets. These are the strongest magnets manufactured in the world right now. The lens cap locks into place with a satisfying click.
Right now the Iris will only be coming in a 77mm filter thread size, but assuming this model is funded it should be safe to assume that at some point other sizes for smaller or larger filter threads will become available. The team is currently looking for $35,000 on Kickstarter to get their project off the ground.
The one piece of this system that will be hard to swallow for some, if not all of you, will be the price. If we are reading this campaign page correctly each Iris lens cap system (one ring and one cap) will run you $70… yes, you read that right. It is not a typo, this lens cap will cost you $70.
On one hand, the system looks to be incredibly well built and will offer much more protection than your standard plastic cap. But on the other, most of us are fairly happy with the plastic lens caps we are used to, which can also be replaced on the cheap. Can you imagine accidentally managing to lose a $70 lens cap?
If you disagree with us about the concept of a $70 lens cap, you can get more details about the Iris over on their Kickstarter page. The campaign just launched and has 40 days remaining.
Big thanks to Paul for finding this!