Basic Digital Camera Care.Tips for basic digital camera care. Whether you have a point-and-shoot or digital SLR, basic camera care for your camera will help ensure years of photography fun. While most of these tips are applicable to the digital SLR there are some basics which apply to both, such as keeping equipment clean. It's very likely you've heard or read about some, if not all, of these basic digital camera care tips but repitition can be a good reminder. As with many diverse interpretations in the world of photography you may or may not agree with all of these suggestions. This page is meant to offer basic tips and suggestions for digital camera care. Obviously, if you have favorites which work well for you that's a great thing. Camera storage for digital camera care. Choose wisely for the appropriate location, mainly a cool, clean and dry space. It can be tempting to hide it in a vehicle glove compartment to "keep it safe" but those storage spots become hot spots very quickly. Using a camera bag will help protect your equipment as well as protect it from the elements. A regular house vacuum will work, as needed, to clean out debris and dust which accumulates over time. It can certainly be tempting to travel light, in which case even having a plastic bag to protect from unexpected rain is a good idea. Digital camera care doesn't necessarily mean you need to purchase a lot of expensive extras. The lens cap will certainly help protect your lens. Having it on the lens whenever you're not shooting is a good idea. Some cameras come with the lens cap attached to the camera with a thin cord making it harder to lose. The good news is you can purchase individual lens caps! Handling your lens. Be aware that skin acids from your fingers can affect the delicate coating on your lens. Therefore it's best to avoid touching the lens surface for any reason. Changing your lens. Dust can play havoc if one has a haphazard approach to changing lenses. This is where attention to the job and environment will help save grief later on. Dust spots on favorite photos is a most frustrating experience and attention to digital camera care will help reduce the problem. First, pay attention to your environment. Is dust blowing, is it windy, is there a chance of water spray? Once you determine the environment is within your comfort level I advise proceeding with a system lending itself to sensible film and basic digital camera care. While you may develop your own system this is one I follow every single time. Place the replacement lens on a secure, safe surface with the lens down. Have addtional space to place the lens you are about to remove. Loosen, don't remove yet, the cap on the replacement lens in preparation for attachment to the camera. Point the body of the camera downward. This is a good basic camera care habit to get in to, if you don't already do so. This will help reduce and minimize dust landing on the camera sensor when you remove the lens. Keeping your actions careful and deliberate will help keep dust stir up to a minimum as well. Carefully unlock and remove the lens from the camera body and place lens end down. Remove the protector cap from the replacement lens and place on the lens you just removed. Carefully attach the replacement lens to the camera. Tighten the cap on the just removed lens and put away. Storage tip. I found these pouches at a local hardware store which, on sale, literally cost a couple of dollars.
I use them as storage for any filters and small accessory items, including snacks!
They clip to a belt or pocket and offer a "travel light" solution when I don't want to pack my camera bag.
The suggestion is to always send it to a qualified expert unless, of course, you are one. Keeping your camera clean. If you have a film camera you may decide to clean the interior yourself. If so, as with any camera handling be thoughtful in your camera care. First, make sure there is no film in the camera! Once you're sure, open the camera to expose the film loading area for cleaning. A rubber air syringe works well to clean this area. This avoids the use of a forceful blast of air thus allowing you to gently blow out any bits and debris. The use of an air pressure can is not recommended due to the force of air which could easily damage sensitive camera parts. Also, there is the risk of propellant droplets landing on the camera and or mechanisms. Does digital camera care include cleaning the digital SLR sensor? This is a topic of a great many debates. Some photographers feel brave enough to perform this cleaning. However, this is not your typical basic digital camera care operation because the sensor can be easily damaged. As tempting as it is and as annoying as dust spots are I defintely rule on the side of great caution. Why? Things can go wrong very quickly as a number of stories will prove. Damage to the sensor usually requires professional repair and in extreme cases a new camera will be the only solution. However, there are cleaning kits available and for as many cleanings gone wrong there are a number which have gone right. It can be well worth the time away from your camera to have it cleaned by camera professionals specializing in this type of service. How to clean the sensor is something only you can decide and after you weigh the risk factor and your comfort level. Due to the fact the sensor is such a vital camera element sensor cleaning does go beyond basic digital camera care. When in doubt ask a trusted resource such as a reputable camera retailer. In case you're wondering, I do not personally clean my camera sensor. An alternative. If you're not sure, check your manual as you may have a dust alert and dust detection feature. While not as thorough as a good professional cleaning it is a very helpful tool for additional digital camera care. For example, the Pentax K 20D has both a feature to detect dust on the sensor, although it's usually evident in pictures, plus a dust shake feature. The shake feature works in such a way as to actually shake the CMOS sensor, the idea being to dislodge any dust on the sensor. This function can be activated every time the camera is switched on. Is it fool proof? Not 100% of the time but my experience has been that it seems to work quite affectively and certainly helps with digital camera care. Cleaning the lens. Paying attention to the cleanliness of your lens will help ensure good sharp images. Dust, dirt, smudges from rain or moisture have a way of hanging on to the lens. Checking your lens before and after every shoot, each and every time, is a good basic digital camera care habit to get in to. Cleaning the lens can be accomplished a couple of ways. The first line of defense can be a handy rubber syringe to blow off any dust.
This may be followed with cleaning with a soft lens cloth, also shown, if necessary.
Any remaining dust may then be gently brushed off using a soft clean camel hair cloth. Your local camera retailer will likely have some good soft products for to choose from. It is suggested not to blow on the lens with your breath as you may accidentally spit on it. However, a breath on the lens which is gentle enough just to cause a fog may be required in certain situations. As always, use caution, common sense and decide what you're personally comfortable doing. After fogging the lens, if you're comfortable doing this, wipe gently with a microfiber lens cleaning cloth or photographic lens tissue. It is strongly recommended to avoid the use of eyeglass tissue, facial tissue, handkerchief and other potentially harmful material which may cause scratches on the lens. In addition to scratching these materials may also leave lint and oil on the lens. Also, if using a lens tissue do your best not to touch the lens tissue portion which will touch the lens, to prevent oil from your fingers transferring from the tissue to the lens. If you have stubborn spots on your lens I suggest visiting a reliable camera retailer as there are other products which, when used properly, will help with this. What is the skylight filter and how does it protect the lens? Different from the lens cap is the skylight filter.
Just what is it protecting against? If you're thinking it will protect against dust, dirt and lint this filter can attract just as much as the bare lens without a filter. All of this debris can still cling to the front of the filter and cause the same problems with the your photos as no filter. However, it can protect your lens from scratches and in extreme cases damage. A few years ago I dropped my camera and while able to throw out a foot to help cushion the fall I wrecked a once inch area of screw thread on my end of my lens. Since then, whether I want to or not, I have no option of using any type of filter because of the wrecked threads. In this situation an additional filter may have helped save the day. The logic in using theses addiitonal screw on filters is it's a lot more economical to replace a filter than a whole lens. True enough. That being said I am leaning towards not using skylight filters, at least not all of the time. Why not? The skylight filter is not invisible as it's made up of a piece of glass which has two surfaces, thickness and texture. This means that any filter, including the skylight, reduces the sharpness of an image reaching either the film or sensor. If the filter has an imperfection this will affect the end result of your photo. Using filters may also increase your incident of flare in your photos. Flare is bright light being reflected off the lens surface and it will show up in your pictures in varying unexpected light patterns. There are certain situations when it is very useful and blowing sand is one of them. Sand, water, especially salt water, gritty dust and harsh element situations may be the time you decide to reach for the additional protection. In these situations it's advisable to include extra protection such as a plastic cover or use special camera protection accessories. As I mentioned, it's a very personal choice. Be open to the pros and cons, handle your equipment with care and ultimately make the decision that works for you. Keeping your camera dry. There may be times you are caught in unexpected rain or moisture as well as times you specifically want to take photos in the rain. No matter what the situation digital camera care involves keeping your camera as dry as possible, unless of course it's waterproof and not a concern. A simple light weight solution is to carry a protective plastic cover of some sort. You may choose to purchase a cover specifically designed for your camera but what else can you do?
It can wrap around the camera then tied on using the under the chin ties which are part of the hat and still leave room to work the dials.
What about moisture when you plan to be out it in? Most of the time I'll actually use the rain hat but depending on the situation I'll set up my tripod and umbrella.
This light weight umbrella adjusts to fit the center post or tripod legs.
This particular model can also be custom angled and has the benefit of a portrait enhancing inner lining, as shown below. 
Example of angle adjustment.
These are just a few suggestions for basic digital camera care. You may very likely be implementing them already but if not you'll hopefully see how easy a routine for basic digital camera care is. At a later date I'll be inviting you to share your favorite tips and camera care favorites and I look forward to hearing from you!
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A rubber syringe, like this, can be used to carefully blow dust off the lens.
This is another topic where the choice is very personal and there are as many photographers for the use
as there are against.
Something as simple as a rain hat, like this one, or even a shower cap will keep the rain off your camera.
