[reytor]

I just wonder what is your procedure to clean your camera/lenses after an outdoor shooting session?
And the drying/cleaning procedure after a rainy/snowy shooting session?

[clmonk]

I have a standard procedure after a shoot. While I am transfering files from SD to the computer I inspect and wipe down my equipment. The night before a shoot, I pull out my equipment and do another inspection and, if necessary, another cleaning. Typically this is only a microfiber wipe down since I have not had too many problems with dust-bunnies inside the camera.

[Stevie J]

I do a microfiber cleaning for the Lens' surfaces, front and back, then in a controled space I point the body straight down, w/o lens, and do a sensor shake/cleaning. Then I pu the mirror up, still pointing the camera down and physically shake the whole camera. Needless to say this is bit crude, but I shoot in nature a fair amount and seals aren't perfect, and going the photo tech. constantly is a bit much.

[Wheatfield]

I don't clean my cameras ever, with the exception of infrequent sensor cleaning.
I clean lenses infrequently, and only if the glass has a smudge on it.
One of the things I noticed when I sold cameras was that more repairs were initiated by people who were cleaning their equipment and managed to damage something.
Cleaning lenses frequently is a guaranteed way to damage them, as eventually you will burnish a cleaning mark into the glass.

[hcc]

I just wonder what is your procedure to clean your camera/lenses after an outdoor shooting session?
And the drying/cleaning procedure after a rainy/snowy shooting session?

You already received some good advice. There are different approaches, and it may depends upon each case.

When I shoot outdoor, I normally do not clean my camera/lens afterwards unless the conditions were dusty, muddy, wet, foggy or salty.

If the weather was not good or the conditons were dusty, muddy, wet, foggy or salty, I proceed as follow:
- I always check, and clean with a cloth, the camera and lens outsides during the shooting;
- I never pack the camera/lens before I clean it with a cloth;
- at home, I 'wash/clean' the camera and lens with a damp cloth; I amy repeat the procedd several times until I am statisfied that the camera and lens are clean (no salt, mud, dust);
- I am particularly careful to clean the zoom lens; when you extend/retract, you can pump in a lot of dust and crap;
- if the camera was wet/soaked, I take off the battery and let the camera and lens dry completely before I even consider to re-start the camera;
- I do not take off the lens until the camera and lens are fully-dry and clean.

Hope that the comment will help....

[Jewelltrail]

I think being proactive is much better than being reactive. I try very hard to make it as difficult as possible for dust to get into the camera body, by switching lenses in a careful & ritualistic manner.

I almost never wipe the lenses themselves, unless water gets onto them. Instead, I use the Giotto blower whenever there is cause to do so. I am with everyone else here who suggests avoiding lens cleaning

[reytor]

Thanks, all for your input.
And specially for Wheatfield & hcc. Having different approach does help sometimes more than several similar ideas.

[Ben_Edict]

I don't clean my cameras ever, with the exception of infrequent sensor cleaning.
I clean lenses infrequently, and only if the glass has a smudge on it.
One of the things I noticed when I sold cameras was that more repairs were initiated by people who were cleaning their equipment and managed to damage something.
Cleaning lenses frequently is a guaranteed way to damage them, as eventually you will burnish a cleaning mark into the glass.

That's exactly how I treat my lenses as well: only clean them if really necessary. Any wiping will leave microscopic scratches and you'kll find quite a lot of lenses sold secondhand with "cleaning marks" - much more than those with simple scratches.

Ben

[Mechan1k]

If i do any cleaning ... it's with a Rocket Blower more than anything ... it shifts pretty much everything. Other than that a very gentle wipe with a microfibre cloth (and breath on lens elements ... not a fan of using alcohol on the coated lens elements).