Camera Care Check List
By Bob Coffey
Clean your camera and lenses before every outing or assignment.
- Body; clean with soft brush and Dust Off, wipe with alcohol on micro fiber cloth.
- Lens filters and LCD nose guard; wipe with microfiber cloth.
- Hot shoe contacts; use pencil eraser to clean for better contact.
- Lenses; remove end cap and clean out with Dust Off.
- Batteries; replace with fully recharged battery and always carry a spare.
Leave your camera ready to shoot to avoid missed photo ops. Reset settings to your own “default” positions after each session, such as:
- ISO set on 200 (or your preferred rating)
- Mode set on Aperture Priority (or your preferred mode)
- White Balance on Auto
- Vibration Reduction or Image Stabilization feature turned “On”
- Auto Focus selector on Single, not Manual
- Exposure Correction (+/-) at zero
- Auto Bracketing turned “Off”
- Exposure meter set on Matrix; not Spot or Center Weighted
Changing lenses
- Find a protected area free of dust, wind and rain.
- Turn camera to Off position.
- Remove end cap from lens to be used.
- Point camera down and remove lens.
- Align new lens (Match white dot on body to white dot on lens for Nikons).
- Insert lens quickly and twist to lock. Can you do this in less than 10 seconds?
- Place end cap on lens that was removed. Never leave lenses uncapped.
Keep your camera bag clean (Use a vacuum cleaner to remove debris and dust).
Always know exactly what is in your bag and where it is located. Be able to find any item in the dark and to compile an accurate, complete list of contents in case it is stolen.
Maintain a spread sheet list of all the pieces of gear in your bag.
- Item description/Brand name and model number
- Serial number
- Purchase date
- Replacement price
Keep every listed item fully insured