How to keep my gear well maintained?


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thoo2

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Oct 19, 2007
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having been a prosumer user of olympus c770, recently i have bought a dslr for myself with kit lens, and i'm not sure what other stuff i should buy in order to keep my gear well maintained.

Dust cleaning
for cleaning of dust on the lens - i saw someone got a tube that can blow air onto the lens to clear off dust... i'm just wondering what it is called and its usage, and i think if someone can upload a picture of it will be much appreciated.

other than the blowing tube, what other pads/cloths i should buy? and how to use it?

Is that ok if i just leave the camera inside the bag after a day of shooting?

Dry box or not
do you guys think that i should buy a dry box? (i just got my camera not more than 3 weeks)
i dont like the idea that a drybox is consuming electricity (thought it is not much for the bill but it will definitely scares my mom)

currently i'm having quite basic set like a 18-55mm kit lens, a 2nd-hand zoom lens, and hoping to buy two more cheap lenses like f1.8 50mm and wide angle.

other than above two points that i can think of, what other steps i should take into consideration?

thanks in advance. :)
 

if its not about the bills just on the aircon 24/7 it'll be very good for your camera :D
 

so far survived 1 year without drybox/ dry cabinet. but will intend to get one once i get L lenses. Will also plan to have one big enough to house a 400mmL 5.6 . So far i only send the camera for cleaning at the service center give me a piece of mind and i can concentrate on photography.

i just have a lens pen to clean the lenses. thats about it.
 

so far survived 1 year without drybox/ dry cabinet. but will intend to get one once i get L lenses. Will also plan to have one big enough to house a 400mmL 5.6 . So far i only send the camera for cleaning at the service center give me a piece of mind and i can concentrate on photography.

i just have a lens pen to clean the lenses. thats about it.

any idea by when i should send it to service center, like after 6 months?
 

google the word lens pen, as i'm really a total newbie.... ;p

found this, guess is what you mentioned?

is it the best solution? and where we can buy it?
 

Dust cleaning: Your 400D comes equipped with an in-built dust reduction filter, so you don't have to worry about sensor dust very much. My old 350D didn't come with one, and I never did send for cleaning in the 3 years I own it. Didn't bother me at all.

As for the lenses, a good microfiber cloth from any decent specs shop will serve the purpose. Get a good bulb blower as well. The principle is always blow first, then wipe down if there still grime - we don't want any hard particles scratching the glass.

There are articles on the internet showing compressed CO2 gas canisters, but that is mostly for sensor cleaning.

Get a clear or UV filter for your lenses. Avoid cheaper ones since they can cause flare and ghosting. Go for multi-coated ones. Some swear by B+W filters but they are darn expensive.

If you have dust inside your lenses, you can always send it for cleaning at the Canon Service Centre (CSC) for a fee.


Dry box: This issue actually has been discussed to death, if you search the forum. Whether or not you get a dry box is a personal choice. If got one because I'm got sick and tired having to toast my silica gel once a week. Having a dry box helps organise your stuff.

Anyway, an electronic dry box consumes electricity just about as much as your wireless router or cable modem, to put into perspective.

Getting your gear out of the bag at the end of the day helps prevent fungus growth since you will be airing it.

The kit lens is actually quite capable for general usage. It's not as crappy as many people make it out to be. I went for a f/2.8 zoom to replace my kit lens because I find myself shooting a lot indoors, in low light, and flash is not always an option. And that is only after almost 3 years.

You may want to consider getting a flash as your next purchase. Comes in very useful for indoor shots.
 

Dry box or not
do you guys think that i should buy a dry box? (i just got my camera not more than 3 weeks)
i dont like the idea that a drybox is consuming electricity (thought it is not much for the bill but it will definitely scares my mom)

I did the calculation for drybox electrical usage awhile back. Can't seem to find it, but if I recall, a 30L drybox takes 4W.

1 hour = 0.004kWh
1 Day = 0.096kWh
1 Mth = 2.976kWh

cant remember how much electricity costs, but it should be less than 5 cents a month?:bsmilie:
 

4W Drycab,
1hr = 0.004kWh
1day = 0.096kWh (24hrs)
1year = 35.04kWh (365 days)

Singapore Powers Tarrif for Electric (Residential) from Jan 2008 = 22.62c/kWh ... Source from Singapore Powers
So per annual, it will cost you no more than $8 to run the dry-cab
 

any idea by when i should send it to service center, like after 6 months?

actually u can do your own sensor cleaning.. since u dun shoot @ f/16 all time, then u wont be able to see dust. save the money n effort fm going to csc. =)
 

Dust blower to blow off dust and loose grit off lens surface, then use this product called a LensPen. Best cleaning tool on the planet, IMHO.

For CCD cleaning, it is possible! Use Kinetronics Speckgrabber (sp?), then follow up with SensorKlear.

Filters on lens. Not everybody agrees with this. But I say it will protect your front lens element from a lot of dirt. Singapore's dust tends to be very "sticky", and probably corrosive to the lens coating. Too much cleaning of the lens element may cause the coating to wear away.

Maybe no need dry cab lah. Airtight box will do, throw in silica gel. As long as you use your gear often, your camera will maintain good working order.
 

a filter will also protect the front lens element from impact and damage as well. =)
 

i have got a filter on my kit lens, and ya i do use the in-built dust cleaning in my 400D as well.

currently i just use the lens cloth (the soft cloth from my spectaculars) to clean the lens. so i think it is better to go and look for the dust blower/bulb blower, then Lenspen as well.... not daring enough to do sensor cleaning myself, :p

and for dry box... i will go for Airtight box with silica gel (do i have to change this like every 3 months or so?) first, dry-cabi maybe for future...

and sending to CSC is free if it is still under warranty is it?
 

and for dry box... i will go for Airtight box with silica gel (do i have to change this like every 3 months or so?) first, dry-cabi maybe for future...

and sending to CSC is free if it is still under warranty is it?
I thought so too... But the lifespan of the silica gel is dependent on the frequency of you opening the drybox... The more frequent you open, it expires faster. No doubt you can reuse them by putting in the oven, it is quite troublesome everytime you run out of silica gel. As time goes by, you will most likely be tired of it... I got an electrical one, it saves me all the trouble... :)

I do not think service centres will attend to wear and tears, or poor maintainance of equipment... Warrenty don't cover for that... Unless you pay...
 

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