diff --git a/Documentation/guides/application-developer.rst b/Documentation/guides/application-developer.rst
index 9a9905b1..92e2a373 100644
--- a/Documentation/guides/application-developer.rst
+++ b/Documentation/guides/application-developer.rst
@@ -116,19 +116,21 @@ available.

 .. code:: cpp

-   if (cm->cameras().empty()) {
+   auto cameras = cm->cameras();
+   if (cameras.empty()) {
        std::cout << "No cameras were identified on the system."
                  << std::endl;
        cm->stop();
        return EXIT_FAILURE;
    }

-   std::string cameraId = cm->cameras()[0]->id();
-   camera = cm->get(cameraId);
+   std::string cameraId = cameras[0]->id();

+   auto camera = cm->get(cameraId);
    /*
-    * Note that is equivalent to:
-    * camera = cm->cameras()[0];
+    * Note that `camera` may not compare equal to `cameras[0]`.
+    * In fact, it might simply be a `nullptr`, as the particular
+    * device might have disappeared (and reappeared) in the meantime.
     */

 Once a camera has been selected an application needs to acquire an exclusive
diff --git a/src/apps/cam/camera_session.cpp b/src/apps/cam/camera_session.cpp
index 8447f932..334d2ed8 100644
--- a/src/apps/cam/camera_session.cpp
+++ b/src/apps/cam/camera_session.cpp
@@ -39,9 +39,14 @@ CameraSession::CameraSession(CameraManager *cm,
 {
 	char *endptr;
 	unsigned long index = strtoul(cameraId.c_str(), &endptr, 10);
-	if (*endptr == '\0' && index > 0 && index <= cm->cameras().size())
-		camera_ = cm->cameras()[index - 1];
-	else
+
+	if (*endptr == '\0' && index > 0) {
+		auto cameras = cm->cameras();
+		if (index <= cameras.size())
+			camera_ = cameras[index - 1];
+	}
+
+	if (!camera_)
 		camera_ = cm->get(cameraId);

 	if (!camera_) {
diff --git a/src/gstreamer/gstlibcamerasrc.cpp b/src/gstreamer/gstlibcamerasrc.cpp
index f015c6d2..4eddfa3e 100644
--- a/src/gstreamer/gstlibcamerasrc.cpp
+++ b/src/gstreamer/gstlibcamerasrc.cpp
@@ -385,13 +385,14 @@ gst_libcamera_src_open(GstLibcameraSrc *self)
 			return false;
 		}
 	} else {
-		if (cm->cameras().empty()) {
+		auto cameras = cm->cameras();
+		if (cameras.empty()) {
 			GST_ELEMENT_ERROR(self, RESOURCE, NOT_FOUND,
 					  ("Could not find any supported camera on this system."),
 					  ("libcamera::CameraMananger::cameras() is empty"));
 			return false;
 		}
-		cam = cm->cameras()[0];
+		cam = cameras[0];
 	}

 	GST_INFO_OBJECT(self, "Using camera '%s'", cam->id().c_str());