| This week I've been asked a barrel of questions! I'm | | | | be squeaky clean. Nothing must get onto the lense if |
| very lucky to have such a loyal group of subscribers. | | | | you can help it. Its pretty hard to keep a lense 100% |
| One the questions I was asked was from John about | | | | clean because of dust particles floating around in the |
| digital camera cleaning and what sort of digital camera | | | | air, but you can get as close to100% as possible with |
| cleaning equipment did he need (a different John to | | | | some handy digital photography camera cleaning |
| last week). | | | | equipment. |
| Well don't do what I did before I knew anything | | | | There are a couple of ways you can clean your |
| about photography. It's embarrassing, but I'll tell you | | | | digital cameras lens, and that's with a bit of spit.....just |
| anyway. I was standing at a beautiful beach one | | | | kidding. Seriously, you must use a proper lense |
| balmy, Aussie summers dusk and there was a rush | | | | cleaning cloth. You can use cleaning fluid too. This can |
| of wind. It blew sand all over me and onto the digital | | | | cause some streaking across the lense if you use too |
| camera. Knowing 'zip' about digital camera care and | | | | much. One drop on your lens cleaning cloth in a gentle |
| maintenance at the time I cleaned the lense with the | | | | circular motion with a will get most marks off a lens. |
| corner of my t-shirt and went on my merry way. | | | | In popular digital camera stores you can buy a pretty |
| When I arrived home that night I took out my digital | | | | good lens cleaning fluid. It shouldn't be more than |
| camera to download the images to the computer | | | | $20-$25 depending on where you go. The digital |
| and out fell small particles of sand onto the floor. I | | | | camera lense cleaning fluid is an alcohol-based fluid |
| thought "what the..?" I was surprised to see so many | | | | that, just between you and me, I wouldn't take my |
| grains. I took off the lense cap and there were sand | | | | digital camera out without it. The digital camera lens |
| granules embedded into the edge of the lense. And | | | | cleaning fluid is ideal because it's not solely for dust |
| that particular digital camera lense has never retained | | | | but accidental finger prints and other unplanned |
| the same sharpness and clarity since my various trips | | | | smudges. |
| to the beach. After a while the sand granules on the | | | | Don't forget about your other digital camera filters |
| lense caused the annoying lack of quality that I | | | | too. You can have a polariser on the front of your |
| previously had. I've done a lot of dumb things in my | | | | lens which will most likely need a clean if you're using |
| time with digital photography from not knowing any | | | | your digital camera a lot, or if you are using it outside |
| better, and that was a doozy. | | | | for a day. You'll be amazed at how dirty the lens can |
| Thankfully I learnt and am now teaching digital | | | | get. If you're not sure, grab a lense cleaning kit from |
| photography. Camera care and cleaning is a regular | | | | your nearest digital camera store. |
| thing you should give your digital camera. And the | | | | Personally I have several lens cleaning cloths, lens |
| best way to clean a lenes? Carefully! This is why you | | | | cleaning fluid, a brush with an air capsule to blow of |
| should never take the edge of your t-shirt and clean | | | | dust then brush, cotton buds to get into the |
| it because unbeknownst to you, you could be leaving | | | | crevasse and a small leather pouch I keep it all in. The |
| tiny trails of grit and dirt on the lense causing | | | | leather pouch is actually a small ladies purse. I bought |
| scratching. | | | | it for the size and the durability and protection it |
| Remember all digital camera lenses are made of glass. | | | | gave my cleaning equipment. |
| The clarity and sharpness you get in your digital | | | | No more wiping the lense with a t-shirt! (Heaven |
| photos relies heavily on the surface of that glass to | | | | forbid! |