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Tuesday, January 11, 2011

How To Keep Your Camera Dust-Free

The digital camera has become a common gadget in the world of photography. Yet no matter how technologically advanced your equipment is, it would all be nothing if you don't maintain the cleanliness of the lenses and the sensors. Here are some tips from experts on keeping your equipment clean.
One problem with a digital SLR is that the sensor gets easily dirty. Of course, you can always manipulate it with an image-editing program. But it is always better to practice preventive measures, leave the editing as a last resort.
Always vacuum your camera bag to get rid of dust as much as probable, keep the storage dust-free. When changing the lenses, take extra care because this is the time where dust will enter your camera, do it in a place without wind or dust such as inside a car or a room. Turn the camera off and point the lenses to the ground while unscrewing them. Take a large sized blower bulb and blow off any specks from the mirror box or shutter portion inside the camera and the sensors. Blow off also at the back of the lens you are going to use.
To prevent dust from coming to rest on the surface of the low-pass filter, always keep the body cap screwed on the body of the camera when none of the lenses are affixed. In environments that are full of dust, store the camera body in a re-sealable plastic bag or, better yet, an airtight rubber-sealed plastic container (Lock & Lock) as an additional protection from the entry of dust. (This container would also come in handy when travelling through wet environments.) Keep the base of the mirror box clean regularly to prevent fine particles that fall off, from the flanges of the lens mount each time you screw on or off a lens; these will migrate to the low-pass filter. Always store the camera body with the camera lens opening facing downwards so that any floating dust will settle away and not into the insides, make gravity work for you. Periodically clean your camera bag with a vacuum cleaner. Maintain the cleanliness of your lenses thoroughly, front & back, because much of the intrusive material that settles on the innards of the camera is drawn from the vacuum created by the act of focusing and zooming. When the groups of elements of the lens are changed in position the difference in air pressure creates a vacuum that sucks dust into the camera.
Make sure to spray the lenses regularly with anti fog spray before using the camera. This anti fogging is helpful especially during cold weather.

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