How to maintain digital cameras and accessories

As an electronic product, the biggest enemy of DC is the erosion of water vapor. Accidental water intrusion or exposure to humid air when not used for a long time will cause varying degrees of corrosion or corrosion to the internal electronic components. Oxidation.

1. The four "magic skills" of host maintenance

Water avoidance skill

As the biggest enemy of electronic products DC is the erosion of water vapor, accidentally entering Water or exposure to humid air when not used for a long time will cause varying degrees of corrosion or oxidation of the electronic components inside it.

Countermeasures: First of all, if you need to shoot in places with high air humidity such as scenic spots with waterfalls, avoid being exposed to rain, splashing and falling into the water; secondly, avoid If exposed to humid air, it is recommended to put desiccant in the box or case where the DC is placed. What, you don’t have desiccant? Some of the puffed foods we eat usually contain large packages of desiccant. In addition, if the DC is not used for a long time, we can take it out and turn it on at the appropriate time. This can also achieve the purpose of dehumidification.

Iron Shirt

DC is a fragile thing, and neither the internal components nor the lens assembly can withstand being beaten. If you accidentally drop it during use, the consequences will be disastrous. If you are lucky, it will just scratch the casing. In serious cases, it may involve blurred images, the lens will not stretch or retract, and the LCD will break. Then DC will have to say goodbye. Your trip and had to send it for repair.

Countermeasures: First of all, when shooting, try to hang the camera strap around your neck to prevent the camera from falling due to instability; secondly, when placing the camera, find a stable place to place it to prevent it from falling. Since the support is unstable and the camera may slip, you must also pay attention to the position of the DC when placing it. It must be placed vertically. Placing it flat can easily cause the lens to break the glass in front of the CCD, resulting in poor imaging, or the hardness may cause damage to the camera. object scratches the LCD.

Shadowless Hand

This is mainly for the lens part. If the lens lens is too dirty, it will affect the imaging. Improper protection inside the lens barrel will also cause dust to enter and affect the CCD sensitivity, as well as the LCD. More dirt will also affect our visual effects.

Countermeasures: First of all, when DC is used in a dusty environment such as wind and sand, you should move quickly after shooting and put it into the case immediately after use; DC’s lens is what we need to focus on protecting Objects, please cover the lens cover promptly when not in use, and be careful not to leave fingerprints on the lens with your fingers during shooting. Secondly, wiping the lens is also an important part of daily maintenance. Whether wiping the lens or LCD, you can only use soft glasses cloth for wiping glasses. There are many unqualified lens papers on the market that will only cause side effects. When officially wiping the lens, the direction must be rotated from the center outward. Do not breathe into the lens and then wipe it. The glasses cloth must also be dry. If there is only floating dust on the lens, we only need to use an ear cleaning ball (also called a blower). ) just blow it off, but don't blow with your mouth. Of course, if you wipe the lens frequently, it will have a counterproductive effect :).

For some users who use interchangeable lens DC, especially SLR users, quick lens replacement can effectively prevent dust from entering the inside of the machine and dust from the image sensor.

Ice and Fire Magic

When placing DC, you also need to avoid high temperature or cold environments. High temperatures may cause the lubricating oil used in the mechanical parts of the camera to overflow, such as oil leakage inside the lens barrel of a zoom lens; cold air will also cause water droplets to condense on the lens lens, and moisture will condense on the internal circuit board. The consequences are really disastrous. Dare to imagine.

Countermeasures: Of course, DCs need to be stored in a normal temperature environment. In summer, avoid taking them out of the air-conditioned room immediately for outdoor use. Otherwise, various parts of the fuselage will be different due to the temperature difference between sudden cooling and sudden heating. It condenses water vapor to a certain extent; if it is used in hot summer weather, you must pay more attention to preventing heatstroke. The DC itself will generate considerable heat during work. Coupled with the high temperature of the environment, it will definitely leave hidden dangers in the future. When not in use Also avoid exposure to the sun.

2. Maintenance of digital camera accessories

The content mentioned in this section may be easily ignored by users, but it is often the place where failures often occur. Let’s read on:) .

1. Battery maintenance. The battery in the camera you just bought is generally very low in power. It is recommended to use the remaining power for the first time before charging. For lithium battery charging time, it is best to within 6 About hours, while ordinary nickel-metal hydride batteries take about 14 hours. Of course, the length of charging time depends largely on the power of the charger used and the capacity of the battery itself. If you do not wait for the battery to be fully depleted before charging during daily use, resulting in a short charging time in the future, we can also use several charging and discharging processes to repair it. It is best to fully charge the battery after each use of the battery. Doing so can also effectively ensure the service life of the battery. In addition, you need to pay attention to the fact that the battery is very hot after being fully charged. It is better to wait until it cools down to normal temperature before installing it into the camera.

If the DC is not used for a long time, the battery must be removed from the battery compartment to prevent the solution in the battery from leaking out and corroding the camera after a long time.

It is also necessary to clean the battery at ordinary times. Ensure that the polarity of the battery and the two tabs in contact with the battery compartment are clean to prevent short circuits.

2. Memory card maintenance. Generally speaking, the memory card is placed in the box when purchasing the machine. It is best to put it back into the original box when not used for a long time, especially You should pay more attention to those SD cards, SONY memory sticks, etc., because they are thin, small and easy to be bent.

When inserting or unplugging the memory card, you must turn off the phone for operation. Some cameras require some time to write data after the shooting is completed due to their slow storage speed. If you pull out the memory card at this time, Not only will half of the written data be lost, but the card may also be permanently damaged. Therefore, it is the right choice to wait for a short while after shutting down the computer before removing the card. Sometimes we find that the card formatted on the computer cannot be used when inserted into the camera, because the default format under XP is to use FAT32 format, and most cameras use FAT format. If you use a machine to grid the card, make sure the light is sufficient. If the power is cut off halfway through the grid, the card will most likely be useless.

3. Selection of Tools

The author has seen that many consumers often cause some irreparable camera failures due to improper use of tools, so this section explains the necessary tools for daily maintenance. The tools are briefly introduced.

First of all, you need a sturdy and practical photography bag to hold your camera, memory card, and battery. If you need something more professional, then you need to consider whether it can hold an auxiliary lens or a small portable tripod. . A good camera bag must have good shock protection, comfortable strap design and helpful metal hardware, and also take into account the layers and space inside. If you buy a camera bag and you have to take out all the contents to find it every time you want to get something, then it can only be regarded as a pocket, and you will definitely not like it.

Secondly, is lens tissue necessary? According to the author's experience, it is better to use high-quality glasses cloth or suede, because the material and quality of some lens papers are really not complimentable. They feel rough to the touch, and there will be paper scraps left during wiping. Is it safe to use something to clean your lens? Not to mention the paper towels we use in daily life. The better the digital camera lens is, the less likely it is to be wiped with inferior paper!

For the lens, another more important tool is the ear cleaning ball mentioned above, which is the kind used to repair watches. Compared with the lens pen, the author is more inclined to use it. There are also certain brands of cleaning fluids on the market. Who knows what chemical ingredients they contain? Therefore, the author recommends using absolute ethanol or medical alcohol, because these two will not damage the lens coating.

The third is the drying box. The investment is relatively large, so it is recommended that qualified friends buy it. Basically, the same effect can be achieved by using the desiccant in the food bag with a little attention.