[flute215]

Hello all,

I have been using a DSLR for a year and a half now. I use a Pentax K-3 and am totally in love with it. I have learned so much about photography in the last year and a half (primarily photographing my kids and family), but want to make sure I'm taking care of my camera and lenses. For instance, should I be using a UV filter? How often should I clean the sensor (I have never done this)? Etc. What are things that I need to know to keep my camera and lenses in good shape for as long as possible?

Thanks in advance!

[Aaron28]

a rocket blower is fantastic to keep the sensor clean.......wiping the body and lenses down with a cloth......

i failed keeping my K-1 cleaned up and the hot shoe contacts got crusty creating communication errors with various flash equipment.....i know better to keep up with a general wipe down

so its like dusting and vacuuming the house just regular cleaning maintenance

[pentaxus]

A rocket blower is great for cleaning the sensor. Canned air can blow dust to the other side of the cut-off filter and sometimes spit really cold stuff onto it. Don't use it.

[pschlute]

Hello all,

I have been using a DSLR for a year and a half now. I use a Pentax K-3 and am totally in love with it. I have learned so much about photography in the last year and a half (primarily photographing my kids and family), but want to make sure I'm taking care of my camera and lenses. For instance, should I be using a UV filter? How often should I clean the sensor (I have never done this)? Etc. What are things that I need to know to keep my camera and lenses in good shape for as long as possible?

Thanks in advance!

Rocket blowers are great for shifting dust on the sensor and on the AF sensor. But only do it if needed, not as regular maintenance. You can test for dust bunnies by taking a picture of a blue sky at f22.

I have been doing digital photography for 15 years now and have only occasionally had to use a rocket blower, and have never had to actually wet-clean a sensor.

UV (and Skylight) filters serve no optical purpose on DSLRs. Some folk like to use them to protect the lens but personally I dont use them at all.

[biz-engineer]

What are things that I need to know to keep my camera and lenses in good shape for as long as possible?

- Keep camera and lenses in padded bag (camera) or padded pouch (lenses) when not in use to protect from dust and wear
- Protect camera/lens from rain and moisture (avoid rapid change outdoor to indoor, keep camera/lens in bag when doing so)
- Avoid any mechanical shock (such as dropping camera on hard surface)
- Avoid electrostatic discharge from picking-up camera/lens from car seat, or plastics
- Clean, but only if necessary
- Switch on/off shutter, aperture blades, zooming in/out a few times / year for unused equipment.

Done that for many years , allowed me to sell my used gear in mind condition.

[PDish]

Use microfiber cloth to dust camera. Kim wipes for outside cleaning. And keep all equipment in a padded bag or Apache box.
Don't be like me and leave camera and lenses on my desktop for to long.

[aslyfox]

. . . UV (and Skylight) filters serve no optical purpose on DSLRs. Some folk like to use them to protect the lens but personally I dont use them at all.

there is no need for a corrective filter but the use of a " safety " filter might save the threads or glass of a lens in case of a drop.

far easier and cheaper to replace a broken or bent filter than that

choice is yours and you do have to take off the filter before using the lens

[kypfer]

As others have noted, a UV filter isn't necessary, except for mechanical protection, and to this end a lens hood will serve an equivalent function and provide protection from flare from off-axis light sources whilst not risking introducing image degradation from extra glass in the image path.
Cleaning the sensor should only be necessary if you regularly change lenses, thereby creating an opportunity for dust to get into the camera in the first place.

[biz-engineer]

Should we leave charged battery in the camera when unused and stored?

[Lord Lucan]

a UV filter isn't necessary, except for mechanical protection, and to this end a lens hood will serve an equivalent function

A lens hood will not protect against sea spray or dust.

As far as cleaning the sensor is concerned, it is obvious when it is needed because black spots appear on photos. Unlike when lenses need cleaning, when the effect is very blurred or a general haze. You don't need to clean a sensor unless it is evident that you need to - I have not needed to clean mine in 3 years,

[aslyfox]

Should we leave charged battery in the camera when unused and stored?

How long are you storing the camera

Days, weeks, months, years

I personally had no problem with a month or two

[DonV]

Should we leave charged battery in the camera when unused and stored?

IMO, an absolute YES!

We have all read or heard or experienced what happens when the small internal battery is repeatedly exhausted and fails - presence of a charged main battery prevents this.
All our modern dslr Pentax bodies have such a internal battery- which is nearly impossible to change if "dead" ; except the *ist D in which Pentax kindly and reasonably used a replaceable 2016 cell in the camera base plate(and recommend it be changed every 5 years).

It is important Not to use alkaline batteries for storage, they are more prone to leak. Li ion or Nmh are good choices- just keep them charged during long term storage.

Perhaps the most important thing to do is regularly use the camera, set a schedule to exercise it briefly and check battery status- perhaps once a month during storage.

JMHO.

[biz-engineer]

We have all read or heard or experienced what happens when the small internal battery is repeatedly exhausted and fails - presence of a charged main battery prevents this.

I read somewhere that new Pentax models don't use a battery but a capacitor instead to keep the camera real time clock running.

[DonV]

I read somewhere that new Pentax models don't use a battery but a capacitor instead to keep the camera real time clock running.

I believe that is common speculation, but not true; I could be wrong but I have not seen definitive evidence- only rumor.

Regardless, a battery is needed to keep a capacitor charged in the same circumstances.

[GreenRich]

Depending what climate you live in, don't store your gear in a humid environment and if you do use some desiccant in your bags, fungus in your lenses is not cool