Written by: Nathan Wertheimer
The next Photo Tip Series I will be writing about photo equipment maintenance. When you use your photography equipment all the time one must take care of it so it can last a long time.
The topic on camera and lens cleaning will vary in the industry. My personal recommendation is take your camera to a well-qualified camera repair service. You can take it to a local camera repair shop or ship it out to on-line camera repair service. I have dealt with both. I believe you get a more personal service with the local camera repair service compared to an online camera repair service. There is one local camera repair shop I personally use in the Central Florida area. This camera repair service is called Kiwi Camera Service. Mike is the sole proprietor and technician at this shop. He recommends a basic camera cleaning every one to two years based on camera usage. Before going to Kiwi Camera Repair please contact Mike for an appointment.
For lens cleaning, one can do it your self and save some money. All you need is some distilled water, lens solution, a microfiber cloth, cotton cue tips, When cleaning a lens, clean the front and back of the lens. Take your time. If you see any smudges, then re-clean the lens until it is perfect. Also, clean the filter if you have them too.
After cleaning the glass of the lens, now clean the exterior too. To clean the exterior of the camera use a barely damp cloth to clean away the dirt. Do not get the internal electronic wet! The hot shoe is metal so keep a damp cloth away from this area.
If you find you are having out of focus lens problems then here are some solutions. First read your camera instruction guide for more detail on how to proceed. There is some online information for do it yourself calibrating your lens to your camera. This is only recommended to seasoned photographers. If you feel your lens is still slightly out of focus take it to your local camera repair shop for service.
Other photo equipment that one should check out is the monopod and tripod. Check the equipment for any damage and or missing parts. I recommend tightening some of the joint to keep it from getting loose. Sometime Photographers lose the monopod/tripod adapter out while having fun in the field. I personally, have had this happen to me. Don’t worry, you can buy a replacement adapter at most local camera retail stores or go order another one online.
When you get finished cleaning and maintaining your photography equipment it will feel like your ready to go and have some fun to photograph the world. I wish everyone Happy photography to you. Thank you for reading this Photo Tip Series and check back again for more Photography Tips in the future.
Otownfun 