General Camera Maintenance and Care

It can be quite easy to neglect the general maintenance and care of your digital camera, however by doing so you could be setting yourself up for some costly consequences.

Your camera’s longevity will be affected as a direct result of the time and effort that you put into keeping it clean and safe. Not only that but as you upgrade your equipment, you may want to sell old cameras or lenses and they’ll need to be in great condition for you to be able to get the best price.

Lenses

It’s crucially important that you take great care when cleaning the glass; the glass is what makes lenses so expensive to repair or replace. Only use fine tissue paper and alcohol solutions specifically designed for camera optics.

Clean the front and rear using a blower brush to remove any dust particles and then using the bristles of the brush, clean in between any free-moving parts within the barrel. This will help to prevent a build up of dirt and will maintain smooth operation.

Sensor

Damaging the sensor is an expensive consequence of improper cleaning. If you are unsure of how to go about it, wait until the build up of dust is unbearable and then take it to be cleaned professionally.

If you feel confident doing it yourself, you’ll need to first check your camera’s manual and look for "mirror lockup". As the name implies, this will lock the mirror up out of the way when you press the shutter release button.

For a dry clean hold the camera over your head and, taking care to keep the nozzle away from the sensor, blow the specks of dust away with your blower brush.

If you’re going to be using a static brush, make sure the batteries are charged enough and switch it on. You’ll need to give the camera chance to build a static charge before sweeping the brush (carefully) inside.

Mirror/Focussing Screen

Unless you can barely see anything through the viewfinder, you can probably leave the mirror and focussing screen alone.

Dust collection here will have no effect on the final image so any dust you see through the viewfinder won't affect the photograph.

All I would say is be careful; the mirror in particular is extremely sensitive and can easily be scratched.

Outer Casing

This is mostly for aesthetic purposes, however it is still important to keep the outer casing clean. Dirt on the outside can easily find its way inside, particularly if you frequently change your lenses over.

Give it a quick once over with the blower brush first and then a wipe over with a lens cloth.

The Bag

This is probably the one thing that everyone forgets to take care of but the quickest way for your camera to become dirty.

Dust and dirt can easily accumulate in your camera bag when you’re out and about, so every once in a while take everything out and hoover the insides thoroughly.

This may seem a bit tedious, but once you have it done you’ll be confident in the knowledge that you’ll be going out to a shoot with equipment in excellent condition.

If you are not 100% happy doing any camera maintenance or care yourself, please do ask for help. I can offer you a range of Photography Support Services [link] if you are struggling.

I can perform a professional digital sensor cleaning service without you needing to send you camera away in the post. Sensor Cleaning

Also, if your camera also supports lens back focusing or front focusing adjustment then I can test and calibrate your focus to ensure its 100% accurate.

Whatever support it is that you need, help is only a click away. Just email or call me and I will support you as quickly as I can.

Call me on +44(0)7817017994 or email info@alanranger.com

Camera Maintenance- Tips to keep your gear in top condition