Your camera is a very delicate and intricate piece of equipment as well as a long term investement. All investments need to be protected and look after in order for them to last to their full potential. If you don’t look after your camera, not only will you experience disappointment when it is damaged, but you will also have to bear the costs of having it fixed….either that or choose not to pay for repairs and just leave the broken camera wasted and lying in your cupboard.

The most damaging element for your camera is sand. Sand is sneeky and it creeps into the delicate parts of your camera without you even realizing. Sand causes expensive scratches and can easily clog up the moving parts of your camera.
Water, dirt and dust are also things you need to watch out for and protect your camera from.

Always carry a plastic bag with you in your camera kit, just incase it starts to rain or the wind pics up at the beach and you are still stuck there. A clear ‘jiffy bag’ will work perfectly if you slip your camera into it and just make sure there is a gap for the lens and the zoom and focus movements of the lens are not hindered, this is obvioulsy not an ideal situation, but being in a plastic bag is better than facing the elements without any protection at all.

A dirty or grimey lens covered in your smudged finger prints is definitly going to effect your photography. You need to keep your lens clean with very delicate cleaning.

It is preferable to keep a filter on your lens at all times. A UV filter is not very expensive and if it does end up getting scratched or damaged in some way, it is a lot cheaper to replace than your lens.

Cleaning a filter or your lens should be done with great care and delicacy. First use a blower brush to remove the larger particles of dirt and dust then gently, do not apply a lot of pressure as you will end up pushing the dirt into your lens and making fine scratches, wipe your lens clean with a microfibre cloth. DO NOT just use any old cloth lying around your house and DO NOT use tissue or loo paper as both are far to rough and will cause damage. More stubborn smudges can be removed with special liquid cleaner. A full cleaning kit is available here.

To keep the image sensor safe and clean, make sure your camera is off when you are changing lenses and don’t ever change your lense outside in trying weather conditions.

Investing in a good quality camera bag is well worth your while to keep your camera safe from knocks and damage while you are carrying it around, or even while you are storing the camera at home. Homes have plenty of dust and you should rather keep your camera safe at all times.

Look after your camera. Your have spent a nice amount of money on it and you want it to last as long as possible. With the proper care your camera will last forever and one day you will be showing your grandchildren’s children how the ‘old cameras use to work’ ;)

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