Caring for your digital camera (Feature)

By Jay Dougherty Aug 6, 2010, 3:06 GMT

Washington - Digital cameras get a lot of use in the summer, thanks to vacations, family outings, and general fun in the sun. That's a good thing. But with heavy use comes a greater likelihood that your camera will be damaged, lost, or - if you're traveling - even stolen. To assure a long life for your digital camera, take these precautions against mishaps and misfortune.

--- Get insurance

Digital cameras are not exactly inexpensive. Some digital SLRs (DSLRs), in fact, cost several times more than their film-based counterparts of a decade ago. That's why taking out insurance on your digital camera can be some of the smartest money you spend on your equipment, especially if you've opted for a high-priced DSLR, lenses, and accessories.

Camera insurance policies themselves don't have to be expensive. The premium - as with home, auto, or other kinds of insurance - will vary depending upon the value of the equipment you're insuring. Your best insurance policies, in fact, may come from the same company that insures your home or auto. Check with your current insurer first to find out about special 'personal property' or rider policies specifically for your camera or valuable property. Make sure you get a no-fault policy that covers damage due to accidents as well as loss due to theft.

--- Keep your lens clean

Your camera's lens should be kept free of dust, dirt, and smudges. Otherwise, you'll end up with splotchy images at best and a camera that has difficulty focusing at worst.

Your camera or camera lens probably came with a lens cap. Use it. If the lens cap is detachable, consider purchasing one of the very inexpensive 'lens keeper' products on the market. These are essentially a string with an adhesive end that attaches to the lens and an elastic band that fits snugly around your lens or camera body. The purpose: to keep that lens cap dangling from your camera when it's not on the lens.

To deal with the dust or smudges that will inevitably find their way to your camera's lens - regardless of lens cap - you can take a number of approaches. One method is to use a clean, soft brush, such as an artist's brush, to remove simple dust. To remove smudges, use a lens cleaning cloth and solution, which you'll find at any photographic store. There are some specialty lens cleaning products, as well, that are worth looking into. One popular product is the Lens Pen (http://www.lenspen.com), which combines both a brush and a cleaning pad in one slim, portable cylinder resembling a magic market.

--- Clean your sensor

The critical light-gathering chip in a digital camera - called the sensor - can and does attract dust particles when exposed to air, which is what happens when DSLR owners change lenses. Those dust particles show up on digital images as dark spots, potentially marring images or making them a chore to clean up in photo software afterwards.

To address the dust issue, you have to do one of two things: periodically clean the dust off of the sensor yourself or send the camera away to the manufacturer's service centre to have the cleaning done professionally. The latter option will not void your warranty, but it will take time. The former option requires you to delve into the fine art of sensor cleaning, using products such as Visible Dust (http://www.visibledust.com) or Sensor Swabs (http://www.photosol.com). Using one of these products to clean the sensor yourself may void your manufacturer's warranty, so know what you're getting into.

At a bare minimum, if you're a DSLR user, you should buy a bulb blower, which is basically a hand-holdable rubber bulb that you squeeze to expel bursts of air directed at your sensor. You can find these at any photographic store or online. They may not get your sensor totally clean, but they're a start - and they're enough for some.

If you have a compact digital camera or one of the newer DSLRs with automatic sensor cleaning, you're in luck. You probably won't have to worry about dust on the sensor - or cleaning it - although some with automatic sensor cleaning cameras still report problems with dust on the sensor.

--- Keep it covered

Most digital cameras can be ruined by water, so you'll want to keep yours out of the rain, unless you know the camera has 'weather sealing' that protects it. Still, even with weather sealing - often available only on higher-end DSLRs - temperature extremes, especially cold weather, can cause cameras to malfunction. The solution: a protective bag or pouch for your camera when it's not in use. Consider a belt pack for adequate protection and maximum mobility while retaining easy access to your camera.

--- Deal with damage

How you handle damage to your digital camera will depend greatly on what happens to it. Cosmetic damage - the bumps and dents that result from life on the go - that does not affect the camera's operation should probably just be ignored if your camera isn't very expensive. However, if you're dealing with an expensive DSLR that you plan to sell later, sending the camera to the manufacturer's service centre can be a good investment, since the next buyer will likely pay more if the camera is in pristine condition. You'll find world-wide service centre information for Nikon, Canon, and most other major camera makers online.

For more severe damage that cripples the camera, a trip to an authorised service centre will be required. These service centre visits typically aren't inexpensive, but this is where your insurance can come into play. Don't procrastinate on getting insured. Otherwise, you may be facing a tough decision on whether to scrap a damaged camera or hand over the money yourself for a repair.