If you’ve been into photography for very long at all, you know camera gear isn’t cheap. You’ll want your expensive cameras and lenses to last for many years. The first step to proper maintenance of your camera equipment is keeping it clean. No matter how careful you are with your camera gear, dirt and dust in and on your camera gear is simply unavoidable. Here are some tips on how to clean your camera equipment so it will perform for many years.
Clean the Lens
To begin cleaning your camera equipment, start by cleaning the lens. Wipe away any dust on the lens with a lens brush. Make sure you use the brush to get into all the nooks. The
bulb blower will also work well to blow debris off some of the harder to reach parts of the lens. When using the bulb blower, carefully hold the lens above the blower so the particles will fall away from the lens. Next step is to polish the glass of the lens. Use a
microfiber cloth to gently wipe away any smudges or fingerprints. Finish the process by using a lens cleaner to polish the lens. This removes stubborn water spots or any smudges that weren’t removed with the brush, blower or cloth. Don’t forget the lens cap. Clean this with the blower and brush. Then replace the lens cap when the cleaning process is finished.
Camera Body
Once the lens cap is firmly in place, it’s time to clean the camera body. Remove the larger particles from the camera body using a brush. Use light strokes on the entire body of the camera. Clean the LCD screen with a separate, clean microfiber cloth. If necessary, use lens cleaner to remove any smudges the cloth didn’t. You can find all the cleaning tools you’ll need in the
Deco Photo All-in-One Cleaning Kit for Lenses and DSLR Cameras w/ Carry Case from Beachcamera.com.
Clean the Sensor
The most expensive part of your camera is the sensor. But you don’t have to be nervous about cleaning your camera’s sensor. You just need to make sure you have the right cleaning equipment. Once you have your camera in a dust-free environment like a bathroom, use a bulb blower,
sensor cleaning swabs and
cleaning fluid from Beachcamera.com to clean the camera sensor. Start by removing the body cap and tilting the camera so the sensor is facing down. Use the bulb blower to blow gently into the sensor housing. The dust will fall away from the camera.
Camera Bag
Now that your camera is sparkling clean, you want to make sure your camera bag is clean before you place your camera back inside. Wipe down the outside of the camera bag to remove and dirt. Empty all compartments and pockets of the camera bag. Leave the flaps open and turn it upside down and shake. If necessary, use the attachment on your vacuum cleaner to remove the remaining dirt. Even though it doesn’t take long to complete the cleaning, it’s not necessary to clean your camera equipment after every shoot. If you use your camera a lot, it may be a good idea to clean your camera equipment about one time a month.