How to take care of your personal digital camera

Digital cameras are not exactly cheap accessories. Some, like the SLR, can cost many times more than their film counterparts a decade. This is why insurance on your digital camera would be the best money spent on your computer, especially if it includes an expensive SLR with lenses and accessories.

An insurance policy for a camera need not be expensive. Premiums – such as home, auto and other insurance – vary the value of the equipment you are securing. In fact, the best insurance policies may come from the same company that also has insured the car or the house. Check first with your insurer if you have special policies for personal property or for the traveler, specifically for your camera and other valuables. Make sure the policy covers accidental damage like the theft loss.

Camera lenses must be kept free of dust, dirt and stains. Otherwise, you’ll end up getting blurry images, and in the worst case, with a hard focus camera. Your camera or camera lens probably came with a cover, use it. If the cap can detach, try to buy some of the cheaper products for lens care. These usually consist of a tape with an adhesive end that fits the lenses and the elastic band that fits snugly around the lens or the camera body. Its function is to keep the lid hanging off the camera when not covering the lens.

To combat the dust or stains that inevitably affect the camera lens, regardless of the cover, you can take several precautions. One method is to use a clean, soft brush, such as an artist’s brushes to remove dust. To remove stains, use a cloth and lens cleaning solution you will find in any camera store. There are also special products for cleaning lenses. A very popular product is Lens Pen or “lens pen” (http://www.lenspen.com), which combines a brush and a cleaning pad delegate in a cylinder that fits in your pocket like a pen.

In a digital camera, the delicate chip capturing the light – sensor – attracts dust particles when exposed to open air, which happens when you change lenses in an SLR. These dust particles are revealed in digital images as dark spots that disfigure the image and then to be cleaned using photo editing software.

Front dust problem, you have two solutions: periodically clean the sensor or send the camera to a service center of the manufacturer to have it cleaned professionally. The latter solution does not void the warranty, but it will take time. The first solution means that you learn the fine art of using sensor cleaning products such as partners Visible Dust (http://www.visibledust.com) or Sensor Swabs (http://www.photosol.com). The use of any of these products to clean the sensor by your own hand invalidates the manufacturer’s warranty, so you know what you are doing.

At least if you have an SLR, you should have a blower that blows air directly over tighten the sensor. This accessory is found in any photographic or online store. This blower will not clean the sensor completely, but enough to start. If you have a compact digital camera or a new SLR with automatic sensor cleaning, you’re lucky. Do not have the worry of dust and cleaning the sensor, although there are reports that some cameras with automatic sensor cleaning still have problems with dust.

Most digital cameras can be damaged by water, so put it protected from the rain, unless you know that the camera has a protective seal called “weather sealing”, present only in high-end cameras. Despite this label, the especially cold, extreme temperatures can cause the camera to malfunction. The solution: a protective camera bag when not in use. Consider also a case for the belt that adequate protection and maximum mobility, while maintaining easy access to the camera.

Dealing damage to the digital camera depends largely on what has occurred. Cosmetic damage – dents and splashes resulting from everyday use – they do not affect the operation of the camera could be ignored if the camera is not too expensive.

However, if it is an expensive DSLR you think resell someday, a good investment would be sending the camera to the service center of the manufacturer, because the next buyer will surely be willing to pay more if the unit is in good condition. Place in Internet information centers around the world of Nikon, Canon and other leading camera manufacturers.

In case of more serious injury that paralyzed the chamber, bound process will be a visit to the manufacturer’s authorized service center. This is important because this is where insurance comes into functions of the camera. That is why we do not hesitate to take insurance. Otherwise, he will be faced with the tough decision to pull the camera or pay for the repair out of pocket. (DPA)