10 ways to protect your camera gear
If you own a DSLR you have probably spent a lot of money on the camera, lenses and other accessories. That is why protecting your gear must be a mission for you. Here are some tips on how to do that.
- Invest in cleaning tools. Investing in proper and good quality cleaning tools it’s the first step into be more careful with your camera. It is a relatively cheap investment compared to the price of your gear. You can get rid off with paying just 15 to 40$. Don’t risk ruining your gear by cleaning it with the wrong set of tools. There are 2 set of tools: one for you camera exterior interior and lenses and one for you image sensor.
- Cover your lenses. Covering you lenses with an UV filter it’s another way o protecting it from scratches, dust, smudgy hands, and even dropping, since you don’t damage your front element of the lens but you will damage your UV filter which it’s way less expensive than your lens. An UV filter it’s about 10 to 100$ depending on your lens diameter and of the quality of the UV filter. But be aware that buying a cheap filter might change the way your photographs come out that being in a negative way
- Always keep your lenses safe. When you are not using your lenses never let them without their front and rear caps. This way you protect them from accidental scratches or from that pesky dust.
- Change lenses quick. When changing your lens lens, try to keep your image sensor exposed to outside condition for less than 30 seconds to avoid dust sticking to your sensor
- Buy a bag. A lot of you take your camera with you in vacation, for a walk or even for a photo shoot. That’s why you must have a good and secure bag to carry your equipment. A good camera bag can be kind of pricey, but a good bag it’s important for 2 reasons: it’s designed so that it’s easier to access all of your equipment; the construction of the bag gives you maximum protection for your gear protecting it from bumps and drops.
- Keep away from rain and run like hell from salt water. Everybody knows that water and electronics just don’t mix. So when it rains try to put your camera in your protective bag or take cover. But, salt water it’s your worst enemy, because it attacks the metal in your camera and the worst part is that it attacks your circuitry. If you happen to have salt water in, don’t wait not even a minute and go as soon as possible to a specialized camera shop to fix it.
- Protect you gear from humidity. Water might get in in a vapor state and then condensates on to your circuitry inside your camera and provoke a short circuit that might ruin your camera. There are 2 situations where this might happen: when you store you camera or when you put your camera into a quick transition between cold and warm (for example in the winter when you come in your warm house from the cold weather). Here are the solutions to protect it: when you store your camera put some silica gel in the bag/box where you keep your camera; to protect the camera from quick transitions from cold to warm use a plastic bag to put your camera in before entering a warm environment and leave it in the bag for 10-15 minutes, then it’s safe to take it out of your bag.
- Remove Batteries. Before storing your equipment for a long time, try to remove the batteries. Batteries can sometimes leak and you don’t want to find your camera ruined by a leaky battery.
- Use a Point&Shoot digital camera. There are situations where taking your DSLR camera can be risky (harsh conditions). So take a point&shoot with you which is more expendable.
- Protect your camera from heat. Avoid letting your camera sit in the direct sun light or in hot environments (like in your car where in the summer temperature reaches over 100 degrees). Extreme temperature can damage your equipment. If you have to leave your gear in the car try covering it with a white or reflective material.
Hope you have found this information helpful in keeping safe your beloved equipment 
. If you have any other tips i look forward to hear them.
