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snapshotz
Through Kath s Lens
TAKE CARE OUT THERE! By Kath Cosgrove
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spend many years and many hundreds of dollars building up our photography kit, then we just throw it all in a bag and out we go, ready to capture the world - but are we really prepared? Here are a few ways to keep both you and your precious equipment in good health. Use the bag! Do you really need to carry your camera around your neck on the way to your destination? If so, be very careful, as impact damage is a leading cause of sudden camera failure. Remember, the average camera has almost as many parts as a car but in a much smaller body and can be very fragile. When a camera takes a blow, the impact can often twist the body casting. When at home, don t leave your camera on a table or cabinet with the strap dangling down kids and pets just have to give these a tug to see what new toy lies at the other end! Invest in a good Camera Bag! It is important for both your own health and that of your gear to invest in a good quality, sturdy bag that is comfortable for you to wear and convenient to use. Make sure you try it on before you buy, as what fits one person may not fit another. Whether it be a backpack or a shoulder bag make sure there is good padding both around the external edges, especially where it comes in contact with the body and on the straps themselves. When buying a backpack, look for one with a padded waist strap, which will help, take some of the weight off your shoulders. Internally there should be enough room in the bag to fit each piece of equipment within its own compartment, as the last thing you want is two pieces of gear rubbing together and causing. Bags with removable inner padded inserts that Velcro into place are great as they allow you to place equipment exactly where you want it and distribute the weight evenly. There should be plenty of extra pockets for filters and accessories. Ensure the outer fabric is durable and has some type of rain protection.
Lighten the Load! Never overload your camera bag - only take what you need for the outing you are about to embark on. This will not only save your back and shoulders but will reduce the risk of damage to your equipment. I know it s tempting to take everything; "just in case" but on how many occasions do you actually use everything? If you are an avid nature or landscape shooter consider changing your heavy tripod for a carbon fiber model, they may be expensive but the difference in weight more than makes up for the difference in price especially when you are lugging all your gear into some remote area. To lighten the weight of your camera around your neck, replace your camera strap with a nice wide, springy, Optech strap it makes your camera feel 50% lighter.
Cover those lenses! Always use a UV or skylight filter on the front of all your lenses as the front element of a lens is covered with a relatively delicate coating, which can easily be scratched or damaged and is very expensive to repair. Keep your lenses covered with lens caps and back caps when not
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in use. And remember the lens hood isn t an optional fancy fashion statement. It s a very necessary piece of photographic equipment. It keeps glare off your lens, it protects it from rain and also acts as the first line of damage resistance in a fall. Beware of dust, dirt and sand! I m not saying don t take your camera to the beach just be careful! One grain of salty sand can potentially cause major damage to this high tech equipment and salt water is a known killer. Never sit your camera down on the beach or even unprotected on a beach blanket. It is fairly easy to get grit stuck between the moveable sections of a lens it will sound or feel gritty when you focus and will not zoom as freely. For extra protection, put each piece of equipment into a plastic zip lock bag within your camera bag. Take extreme care or avoid changing lenses in windy, dusty conditions to reduce the risk of dirt getting inside the camera body. If it s windy and sea spray is blowing around consider using a waterproof camera instead. Weather resistant doesn t mean waterproof!
Don t let a little rain stop you from taking great pictures but be aware that if water gets into your camera it can cause computer components to short circuit. If you are out shooting landscapes, nature or sport in the rain, set up your tripod, keep your camera and lens well covered with a rain cover or plastic bag until you are ready to shoot and then simply uncover only the front of the lens and take your picture. Use a soft absorbent cloth to wipe any moisture off the filter between shots. You can make your own rain cover by cutting a hole in the bottom of a large thick plastic bag for the front of the lens to fit through and using some tape or a rubber band to seal the bag around the lens. Make sure the bag is large enough to completely cover both lens and camera and then simply reach up through the normal opening of the bag to operate the controls. Nothing fancy but it works. Keep it clean! The outside of your camera body can be cleaned with a soft bristled brush and a soft, lint free cloth. Open the memory and battery compartments regularly and remove dust with a soft brush or a blower and check for any signs of corrosion. For film users, use a blower brush to clean the film chamber but be careful not to touch or blow air or dust onto the shutter blades. Clean lenses only when needed, first with a blower brush to remove dust particles and then if needed use lens cleaning solution or your condensed breath and lens tissue or a micro fiber lens cloth. Never apply solution directly to the lens but instead put a drop on the tissue and clean the lens with a gentle circular motion, working from the centre to the outside. Never touch the front of the lens or the bristles of the brush with your fingers, as oil from your skin can be harmful to the delicate lens coating.