Camera Care and Feeding
Cameras are meant to stand up to some fairly rigorous use, but like all fine instruments, they will perform much better if they're well cared for. Heat, moisture, dust, oil, and shock are your camera's biggest enemies. There are procedures and practices that will help you keep your camera safe to ensure it will deliver years of satisfactory performance.
Cameras are pretty easy to keep clean, but they benefit from a periodic wiping down with a soft cloth to remove any oils, grime, or grit they may have picked up while being used. Some photographers polish their cameras each time they finish using them. It's not a bad habit to get into, but less frequent cleaning won't hurt things, either.
You can remove dust from the body by wiping it with a soft cloth. Be careful when wiping any sensors, the LCD screen, or the viewfinder. If the inner mechanisms need to be dusted or cleaned, use a blower brush. These are usually available in camera-cleaning kits. If it doesn't do the job, take your camera in for servicing. Aerosol spray dust removers might pack too much of a punch for cleaning delicate mechanisms; check your instruction manual to see what your camera's manufacturer recommends.
Heat not only thins out the oils that lubricate a camera's moving parts, it also damages film, causing color film to shift in color and black-and-white film to fog. Film and camera manufacturers know their products will get hot, so don't worry if your camera occasionally gets toasty, but do try to avoid it when you can. Protect your camera by keeping it out of the sun as much as possible. Never store your camera in a hot car; it's just as bad as subjecting it to direct sun.
If you have to store your camera in the trunk of your vehicle, get a cheap Styrofoam ice chest. Don't fill it with ice — just put your camera in it and close it up. If you are shooting using a film camera, put your film in there, too. If you can't find a Styrofoam chest, any type of insulated cooler works just as well.
Cold can be damaging to cameras, too. In colder climates, cameras left for too long in unheated vehicles can be damaged or respond sluggishly when used. Don't let your camera remain overnight in a glove compartment or trunk. The same cooler that protects your camera in summer can insulate it in winter.
Cameras aren't fond of moisture of any type, which is why you'll find little desiccant packs tucked into the box when you buy new equipment. Your camera store might even give you a couple when you buy your camera. These packs contain pellets of silica gel that soak up moisture from the air, which can get inside your camera's mechanisms.
Keep a couple of desiccant packs in your camera bag at all times. If you store your equipment somewhere else, throw a few in there, too. If you're in humid conditions most of the time, it's a good idea to dry the packs out by sticking them in a low oven for a few minutes.
Moisture isn't much of a concern if you live in a dry climate, but it definitely is in more humid spots, or when going from air-conditioned rooms to the great outdoors in humid climates. In really humid conditions, moisture can cause fungus and mold to grow on your camera lens, which can etch the surface and cause permanent damage.
You can make your own desiccant packs with silica gel bought from a craft store (it's the same thing that's used to dry flowers), a garden store, or from the Internet. The best stuff has a pink/blue color indicator system that shows how much moisture is being absorbed. Put it in a small plastic bag that you've poked a couple of holes into. When the color changes from blue to pink, it's time to dry out the gel. It can be reused over and over again.
A short neck strap will keep your camera more secure and stop it from banging into tables and other things. If you lay your camera down, wrap the strap around the camera so that it doesn't get pulled onto the floor. Vibration caused by plane travel or bumpy car trips can loosen the screws on your camera equipment. Protect it in a padded camera bag.
Although a little water won't hurt your camera, especially if you wipe it off right away, it's better to keep your equipment dry. Stick a few plastic bags in your camera bag for wrapping around your camera for times when you're shooting in inclement conditions. A lens hood or UV filter on your lens will help keep it safe as well.
Ocean beaches are not your camera's favorite vacation spot. Surf spray, even twenty feet from the water, will coat your lens. The salt corrodes gears over the years, and the sand gets inside the mechanisms, jamming them and wearing them out prematurely. In film cameras, sand can even get caught in the film path and cause scratches.
Wipe off any sea spray immediately with a clean cloth dampened with fresh water. Better yet, bring a disposable camera to the beach. If you do use your SLR, cover it with a plastic bag when not using it. You can even shoot through the bag if you cut a hole for the lens.
