Clean your camera and lenses like a pro
Before I tell you how to clean your camera and lenses nicely, it’s important to say that the cleaning process I will teach you will work perfectly if the dirt to your equipment is external.
If your camera and lenses are terribly dirty, for instance, if you spent a month shooting in humid, sandy environments and you have dirt inside your lenses or further into your camera, you might need to open them up and that is not something I will talk about today.
If we’re talking about daily normal dirt such as finger marks, watermarks or even some dust, sand or mud that only reached the external part of your photography or videography gear, then this cleaning process should work perfectly for you.
This is the cleaning kit I use to clean my equipment. I bought it on Amazon and in case you want to check it out or buy yourself one, this is the link for it.
You will find more complete kits on Amazon also. This is the one I use and so far it has done the job for me.
I usually clean my camera and lenses before every new photoshoot I have or at least I check to see I have them all clean before the session, that way I won’t have any surprises with dirt spots when I upload the images for editing.
CLEANING THE LENSES
The first thing I do when I see any dirt in my lenses is to use this air blower. It will work mainly for dust or loose dirt that could be found at the surface of your lens. I check both ends of the lens always and, especially when I clean the internal part of the lens, I try to use the air blower with the whole facing down, that way, it will be easier for the dust to fall out once I blow it.
If I can’t get some of the dust out with the air blower, then the second tool I use is the cleaning brush. This will take off any dust that is a little more stubborn without you actually needing to rub your lens at all.
If the lens has a finger, water or any other sticky mark to it, then I go to the next tool. I use a microfiber cloth along with the cleaning solution that comes in this kit, spray some of the solution on the cloth and gently rub the dirt with the cloth until I get the lens clean.
Please be very careful with this step, especially if you see that there might be any kind of particle on the lens, such as grains because if you rub a grain of sand in your lens, for example, you will easily scratch it.
If you see any grains, try to get it out with the blower followed by the brush first and if it doesn’t come out with the first 2 tools, then REALLY gently try to remove it with the damp cloth, then air blow it off of the lens and then get back to the cleaning cloth with the cleaning solution to clean the rest of the mark on the lens.
Another tool you can use in case you get some small sticky particle to your lens is a pen with a removal brush. But just as when cleaning your lens with the cleaning cloth, be very careful if you have a grain of sand or something similar because if you rub it against your lens with this, you can end up scratching it.
To the back of the lens in most cases, the air blower and the brush should be enough for your cleaning and, to the front of the lens, you might end up needing to use a cleaning cloth with the solution or the cleaning pen every once and a while.
When I clean my lenses, I also always make sure I have both my frontal and rear lens cap clean and, if they’re not clean, I clean them first with the air blower and brush and then, if needed, also with the cleaning cloth with the cleaning solution.
Also, always make sure to keep your lens and lens cap dry. Don’t ever get a wet or moist lens and put it up in a humid, dark place. If you’re coming from a photoshoot in the snow or in the rain, take your lenses and camera out and let them dry well before storing them again. That way, you will avoid fungus in your lens. If you get fungus in your lens, things might get pretty nasty and then these simple cleaning tools I’m showing you might not be helpful to you at all.
CLEANING THE CAMERA BODY
To clean my camera body, I simply take a microfiber cloth and clean it either with it dry or, if it’s greasy or if I can’t make the dirt come out with the dry cloth, I use a damp microfiber cloth and clean it up. After that, I either get a dry cleaning cloth and make sure it is completely dry or I wait a minute or two until I’m sure it is absolutely dry before I put it back into my photography backpack.
As for the mirror, the first tip I have for you to keep your mirror as clean as possible is to:
- Don’t ever leave your camera without a lens or without the frontal cap, otherwise you will leave the mirror of your camera exposed to dirt and possible damage.
2. Every time I switch my lens, I try to keep my camera facing down, that way the chances of particles or dust falling into it are much smaller and therefore, the chances of me needing to clean the mirror are also smaller.
Every now and then I shoot in dusty or dirty places where I cannot avoid all of the dirt though, and in those cases, if some dust falls into my mirror, I use the same tools and techniques I just showed you I use with the lenses: first the air blower, then the brush and, if none of those solved the issue, then the cleaning cloth with a little bit of cleaning solution.
Just as for the camera body and the lenses, also always make sure you have your mirror really dry before putting it back to your camera backpack.
And, of course, try to keep your camera backpack in dry places as much as possible, that way you will avoid problems with fungus.
That is all for today, guys! I hope this was helpful to you. If it was, I will be happy to know! If not, please let me know what else you would like to know about the cleaning process of your photography and videography equipment.
Thanks so much for reading me and… I will see you in the next post!
Tchau!
