So you’ve got some new camera equipment, and can’t wait to use it! Great!

There are some basics you should know about how to take care of that investment.

 Cameras and lenses don’t like extremes of anything…heat, cold, storms, etc.  Actually, no electronic equipment does very well with water, rain or snow. A few drops is OK, but you sure don’t want to drop it in a puddle or have it fall out of your purse or pocket into a snowbank and have it get waterlogged. Not good. My wife even spilled some computer ink on hers once and it was bye-bye Nikon point and shoot! Moisture just seems to wick into the cracks immediately!

 Prolonged exposure to heat and cold also isn’t good, but the equipment will tolerate it better than water. When you shoot in freezing temperatures then want to come indoors, it’s best to put the camera in a zip lock bag (squish all the cold air out of it), then bring it inside. This will protect it from condensation, which is water that forms when warm moist air hits something cold. Water not good, remember!? The plastic bag will allow the camera to warm up slowly and if condensation happens, it will be on the plastic bag, not your valuable camera.

 Avoiding dust and dirt is also good. This can accumulate inside cameras and lenses, clogging things up, especially anything that moves like lenses and mechanisms, shutter buttons, etc. It can be difficult and expensive to have cleaned back to working condition. A simple preventative is a small camera case or bag to protect it, or if in a purse, a separate zipped compartment or even a plastic bag in the purse.

 Same rules apply to the digital data cards you may carry for the camera. Keep them in their little protective cases and they’ll avoid getting messed up, and will last much longer.

 Happy shooting!