Tips: Camera Care & Cleaning
Now that the Michigan winter has us firmly in it's grasp I thought it would be a good time to write a few notes about cleaning and caring for your cameras. If the temperatures and weather is keeping you indoors, now is a good time to check & clean your camera gear. If you are more adventurous and are out shooting in the cold, there are some precautions you should take to care for your equipment.Cleaning Your Camera & Lenses
Keeping your camera and lenses clean is key to taking quality pictures. Dryer winter conditions will cause more static and your equipment will attract more dust.A good micro-fiber cleaning cloth will take care of most of your lens cleaning. You should however look carefully at the lens surface to be sure that nothing is stuck to the surface of the lens. If there is you will want to use a liquid lens cleaner to remove it, as wiping it dry could scratch the coatings on your lens.
The important thing about using lens cleaner is to put the cleaner on the cloth or lens tissue, not directly on your lens! With few exceptions, cameras & lenses are not water-tight and liquid can seep to where you definitely do not want it.
You can also use lens cleaner to clean the outside surfaces of cameras and lenses. Used with lint-free cloths, and cotton swabs to get into tight areas, you can keep your equipment looking good as new. This is especially important with DSLR cameras. Keeping the exterior of your camera and lenses clean will greatly reduce the chance of getting dirt or dust inside the camera when you change lenses. This will save you time and money with a less frequent need to clean you image sensor (see below).
A lens cleaning cloth is also handy for cleaning fingerprints and (if you're like me and use a Digital SLR or other camera with a viewfinder) nose prints off of the LCD screen on the back of your camera.
Sensor Cleaning
Since sensors don't move in your camera the way film does, dust is a much bigger problem for today's digital SLR cameras than it is for a film camera. When you get anything on the sensor it will show up on every picture you make with your camera. It may be less noticible due to the subject matter but the black speck or grey sphere or squiggly line is on every image.I won't get into the details of sensor cleaning here. You can have your sensor cleaned at Woodward Camera or we do sell the equipment and supplies to do it yourself. What I do want to do is explain how to check to see if your camera's sensor needs to be cleaned.
Some DSLRs have a menu option to create a dust reference image. Whether your camera does or doesn't, you can use the following steps to take a dust reference picture:
- Attach your widest angle lens to your camera - be sure the lens is clean, especially the rear element
- Put your camera in Aperture Priority Automatic mode (A or Av on the mode dial) and select the smallest aperture (usually ƒ22 or ƒ32)
- Set your camera/lens to manual focus and set the focus to infinity (∞)
- Take a picture of something with little or no contrast. A white or light wall or the sky works well.
Precautions For Shooting In Cold Weather
Customers in the store often ask me if very hot or cold tempuratures will cause problems with their camera equipment. You don't need to worry about the cold. Unless you are in an extremely cold environment which threatened your survival, your photography gear will be fine. It is not the heat or the cold that can cause problems, it's the transition from one to the other with which you need to be careful.The main concern with using your camera equipment (or any electronic devices) in cold weather is condensation. Condensation can, over time, cause corrosion on the electical circuitry and other metal parts inside your camera equipment. For film cameras condensation can cause instant damage if the film or the shutter blades stick. Be certain the camera is acclimated to temperature before opening the film chamber.
To avoid condensation in the camera, keep your gear in your camera bag or case until it has time to acclimate to the colder temperature. Fifteen minutes or so should be sufficient to not have any problems with condensation inside the equipment.
The only other problem you may encounter in cold weather is your battery failing if it gets too cold. It is always advisable to carry an extra battery with you when shooting in the cold. Keep it in a pocket next to your body, inside your coat or in a pants pocket, to keep it warm. As with your camera, avoid condensation on the battery by letting it cool for 1-2 minutes and wiping off any condensation before installing it.
If you have any questions regarding your camera equipment (film or digital), please stop by the store and any of our staff can help you out.
Click here for the store location and hours.
Or you can email our camera staff at: cameras@woodwardcamera.com
Photography tips courtesy of Woodward Camera's resident geek.
