Cleaning Equipment

You must take care to keep your equipment protected from dirt, water and abrasive substances like sand. A simple carrier bag is a cheap (if not free) item to have in an emergency.

I always make sure that I carry at least one carrier bag with when shooting outdoors.

A dirty lens covered with fingerprints and grime can act as a diffuser and hamper the quality of your images. Ideally keep your lens protected from harm using a UV filter, much cheaper than having to buy another lens. The UV filter doesn't affect exposure but will reduce haze.

At present I do not have a UV filter but having done this research it will be added to my wish list.

To clean the lens, use a blower brush first to remove any dust and grit and then carefully clean it with either a lens cleaning pen or microfibre lens cloth. You can use dedicated lens cleaning solutions if required. Never scrub the lens, only use gentle strokes to avoid scratches.

Since having my lens cleaning pen for Christmas I have ensured that I keep both my lenses clean by regularly making sure they are clear of dirt.

The image sensor is vulnerable to dust spots. When changing the lens always ensure the camera is turned off and do your best to stop dust getting into the sensor area. There are specialised sensor cleaning equipment available to allow you to clean your own camera sensor. If you are not confident about cleaning your sensor you can always take it to your local camera service department.

As of yet I haven't cleaned my sensor. I don't think it needs cleaning yet but I will keep my eye open for any spots on my images that may mean there is dust on the sensor. My cameras sensor does repel dust automatically so hopefully I'll be ok for now.