Maintaining your camera
Using your digital camera is always fun and seeing the pictures is the best part. But in order to keep the fun for a long time you have to clean and take care of your digital camera. With proper clean and maintenance your camera will last a long time.
Always read your owners manual for manufacture recommendations. The sensors and lens are very sensitive and care should be taken when cleaning these areas. I would not recommend disassembling your camera, that should always be done by a professional but here are a few tips that you can do to keep your camera in god working order.
After a photo shoot inspect your lens, lens covers, media cards, for any dust, dirt, scratches. If you find any gently blow on the areas to remove lose particles. Do not use the canned compressed air to clean any of your digital equipment. The air inside is cold and could freeze ad damage your equipment.
Next use a soft lens cloth slightly dampened with plain water to clean the surface of the lens then use a dry one to dry the area. Do not use any abrasive cleaners to clean your lens with as this will scratch the surface and the scratches will show up on the photos. If you want to use a commercial cleaner I would recommend going to an optical store to buy a solution for cleaning glasses or contacts.
Wipe your media cards with a soft dry cloth and inspect the contacts to make sure that they are clean and not damaged.
Inspect the camera body itself and all its moving parts, such as lens covers, media doors, pop up flashes, to make sure that their movement is smooth and they are not sticking, they are opening and closing properly. Wipe you camera body off with a soft cloth; use a Q-tip to clean around any buttons, controls, and hinges to keep the areas free from dirt.
Once you are finished with the cleaning pack everything neatly in your camera bag to protect it from damage when not in use.
Reference articles
Cleaning Digital Cameras
Digicamhelp.com
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