How to take care of camera lenses(9 Best tips)

The lens Is a delicate part of your camera for which you should take exceptional care for its handling and maintenance. Camera lenses are not cheap items. You need to spend a lot of money on zoom lenses of different specifications. So you need to know how to handle it, clean it, protect it and keep it for storage to ensure its longevity and durability.

Failure to do so may incur more costs for buying new lenses. In this article, we will discuss how to take care of camera lenses and give some tips so that you can use and maintain your camera lenses in an easy and trouble-free manner.

9 Best Tips

1. Clean your camera lenses regularly(best way to clean your camera lens)

This is probably very simple but an important tip to take care of camera lenses for those who have to make outdoor shootings. If you are in wildlife photography or car photography, you need to make sure that the camera and lenses are cleaned regularly. For outdoor shootings, dust, moisture, and grits are accumulated in the camera body and lenses which causes bad picture quality and camera problems.

2. Use Lens hood for protection

Using a Lens hood is an effective way to protect the camera lens. It gives protection in two ways. Firstly if the camera is fallen down, it will impact the lens hood and the lens keep safe. Then Lens hood gives protection from direct sunlight onto the lens.

3. Use a protective UV filter

Like a lens hood, a UV filter saves the lens from harmful UV radiation. If the camera is hit by any hard object, it will damage the UV filter but the lens is protected against scratch or mechanical damage.

4. Use a protective lens cap(how to protect camera lenses)

Generally, two lens caps are supplied with the lens. So you should always use the front cap when you are not capturing snapshots. And you should use both caps when the lens is detached from the camera. Thus it prevents the ingression of dust or moisture from getting inside the lens.

5. Use an air blower and brush for cleaning

When dust is deposited on the camera and lens, you should not use a cleaning cloth directly for rubbing. Its good practice to clean the dust and debris with an air blower or brush to remove them from the surface. Then you should use a microfiber cloth for further cleaning.

6. Use a microfiber cloth for cleaning(clean a camera lens)

There are many types and quality microfiber cloth available in the market. These clothes are supplied with the lens cleaning kit which is known as one of the best accessories for camera. These clothes are also used for cleaning the glasses of the spectacles. You have to be careful when buying the cloth as bad quality cloth may further worsen the cleaning.

Also, you need to ensure the cloth is cleaned itself. Dirty clothes may again damage the lenses by creating scratches. You should never use your fingers to clean the lenses as they might make scratches on the surface by abrasion with dust particles.

7. Use a protective cover for rain

It is recommended by the camera manufacturer to prevent water from getting inside the camera body and lenses as well as electronic parts. water or moisture can cause severe problems with your camera and lenses. You should get rid of it as soon as possible before using the camera again.

8. Use a dry cabinet for storage

If you live in a place that is very hot and humid, you should better use a dry cabinet to store your camera and lenses to prevent fungus growth on the lens surface. If you are not in a position to invest much in the automated humidity-controlled cabinet, you can use a dry chamber with silica gel bags to absorb the moisture inside and keep the chamber dry and clean.

9. Use a lens bag for traveling

This is also recommended to use a lens and camera bag for traveling as you might need it any time. This bag has sufficient ports for keeping the lenses and your camera accessories safely. You need to use silica gel bags inside the bag for protection against moisture while you are traveling. Thus your lens gets protection against movements and outer adverse weather conditions.

Bonus tips

1. Changing the camera lens

When you need to change the camera lens, you should hold the camera such that the lens faces downward to prevent the ingression of falling dust particles inside the camera and lens. Also, you need to be watchful not to change the lens in a dusty and wet environment. These are just small tips that can save your camera from getting unwanted trouble and servicing.

2. Use cleaning solution spray

You can use cleaning solutions that are compatible with the glasses and lenses. You should not use any other cleaning chemical that can actually damage your lens rather than cleaning. These solutions are included in the lens cleaning kit available on the market.

3. Remove the battery when not in use

If you are not using the camera regularly, you can remove the battery from it for storage. On storage, you get some condensation of moisture that can pose problems for the electronic parts of the camera.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)

1. How do you maintain a camera lens?

Top 5 Tips-

You need to ensure regular cleaning and also as required in case of dust accumulation.
Use a lens cleaning kit that contains a microfiber cloth, cleaning spray, air blower, brush, and cotton buds.
Be careful in handling and changing the camera lens to prevent dust ingression.
Store lenses in a humidity-controlled chamber or silica gel packs.
Use protective caps, UV filters,s or lens hoods as much as possible.

2. Do camera lenses need maintenance?

Of course, maintenance is required for the camera lens. Here you need to focus on cleaning with a lens cleaning kit, handling with care, and storage in a dry and clean cabinet.

3. How do I care for my DSLR lens?

You need to ensure regular cleaning and also as required in case of dust accumulation. You need to know the proper way to clean the camera lens as below

Clean lens body and glass with air blower
Use a soft brush to clean dust particles on the lens surface
Clean with a microfiber cloth and don’t touch the lens with a finger.

4. What are five actions you should do to care for your camera?

Here are five actions-

You need to ensure regular cleaning and also as required in case of dust accumulation.
Use a lens cleaning kit for the cleaning process.
Be careful in handling and changing the camera lens to prevent dust ingression.
Store lenses in a humidity-controlled chamber or silica gel packs.
Use protective caps, a UV filter, or a lens hood as applicable.

Conclusion

So, friends, I have mentioned the tips on how to take care of camera lenses. You may find more tips from the lens or camera manufacturer. I think you have understood the main part of the topic which is to clean your lenses as you go. Needless to say about using the right tools for cleaning. Hope these tips will help you to take preventive measures for your valuable lenses.

So if you find more tips, you can share them in the comments section below.

If you have any questions regarding any tip mentioned here, send the query by mail.