NikonGear'23
Gear Talk => Other => Topic started by: BW on April 16, 2016, 19:19:49
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Starting this thread with a hope that we all could share tips and tricks to maintain the quality of our gear and make it last for several years. Pictures are most welcome. Examples of gear are photo bags, tripods, flashes, triggers, cables, remote controles, lenses and cameras. The list is not final. General maintenance is mainly external but sometimes we have to open up to get access. What tools do you use, what fluids, oils, greases etc? I think you get the picture :)
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Hmmm.
I keep my "gear" in a cupboard in a normal "dry" room. That's about the maintenance I applied beyond lens and sensor cleaning for the last decades. Never dared to open a lens and a camera.
rgds, Andy
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8) ;D 8)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/Duke_1/135D-Submerged_zpsggid8gux.jpg)
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Hmmm.
I keep my "gear" in a cupboard in a normal "dry" room. That's about the maintenance I applied beyond lens and sensor cleaning for the last decades. Never dared to open a lens and a camera.
rgds, Andy
Sensor cleaning qualifies as maintenance, what do you use to clean your sensors?
Besides the rocket blower, I use the eyelead gel stick.
In my experience it is easy to use and though it doesn't remove the most stubborn of dust particles, it does a good job.
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Almass's methode is certainly the best if you have a very good relationship with your insurance company ;) But I stick to conventionel methods. Blowing off sand and dust particles before I apply a wet brush to do the dirty job. It goes without saying that this is on the surface of the camera. Around all the knobs and wheels, dust particles are especially prone to stick. Then I dry it off with a clean cloth that does not floss. A quick round makes the camera really shine. I forgot to mention the importance of cleaning the photo bag. A good whaking and a round with the vacum cleaner is important so that your clean gear doesnt becom dusty when it goes back in the bag.
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Sensor cleaning qualifies as maintenance, what do you use to clean your sensors?
Besides the rocket blower, I use the eyelead gel stick.
In my experience it is easy to use and though it doesn't remove the most stubborn of dust particles, it does a good job.
I do it routinely on my own cameras and I think that this is something one should be able to do. If you dont brag about it on internett forums, warranty still applies 8)
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@Almass: 😊👍
For sensor cleaning, I'm using swabs and cleaning liquid from Visible Dust http://visibledust.com But I use before a blower with an incorporated filter. The most important is preventive maintenance, leaving the DSLR without a cover for a minimum time; holding the camera oriented to the ground when changing lenses; taking an additional body, avoiding changing lenses in exposed areas; keeping body, and lens caps dust and dirt free etc..
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Almass's methode is certainly the best if you have a very good relationship with your insurance company ;) But I stick to conventionel methods. Blowing off sand and dust particles before I apply a wet brush to do the dirty job. It goes without saying that this is on the surface of the camera. Around all the knobs and wheels, dust particles are especially prone to stick. Then I dry it off with a clean cloth that does not floss. A quick round makes the camera really shine. I forgot to mention the importance of cleaning the photo bag. A good whaking and a round with the vacum cleaner is important so that your clean gear doesnt becom dusty when it goes back in the bag.
Is that a LEGO part as a front control wheel? :D
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I use the stuff until it is broken and not mendable anymore, then I sell it on ebay. Used or for parts.
Or I find a particular part not terribly useful anymore and sell it on ebay.
Or something breaks and I replace it with same or better.
As long as I got two bodies and a few lenses in regular use everything is fine.
Sometimes a friend says my front lens is dirty. I give him a cloth and tell him to wipe it if he has a problem with it.
That was the fun version with some grains of truth
What do I do?
I bring the stuff to NPS for check & clean
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I'm taking often photos into rather unfriendly environments like here on the very windy beach of Fuerteventura (Canary Islands) i.e. wind (30 kts), sand and salt water spray. Two little plastic garbage bags, and each evening spending 30' chasing sand particles, and washing off the surface with a water moistened towel being part of the post-production ritual.
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5723/20701211843_7588cf74a0_b.jpg)
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/723/21311637872_42c9c60cde_k.jpg)
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The only things I do are:
- dusting off;
- wiping the external body parts with a cloth;
- wiping the optical surfaces of lenses with a lens pen;
- taking all precautions mentioned by MFloyd, four posts above. I also wipe or protect the camera / lens junction when it rains, given that most lenses I use have no gasket (the Tamron 45/1.8 being one of the few exceptions).
For sensor cleaning, I always visit a serious shop owner who would do it for free 50% of the time (depending on our other business). And I only ask for it when there is an apparent problem on a NEF, rather than "preventatively", which would increase the risk of accidental scratches.
So far these precautions were ok; I never had to return a camera for repair, and especially not the Nikons (D700, D800, Df). The only trouble was having oil sprayed onto the sensors due to the mirrors: neraly nothing with D700, a bit more with D800, and even more with Df that initially needed its sensor to be cleaned every month. But now, that lousy running-in period is over. Last cleaning was 6 months ago I guess.
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Is that a LEGO part as a front control wheel? :D
Of course! Endless possibilities for customisation :)
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Question x 2 -
When cleaning the outside of the body to remove perhaps salt spray from shooting on beach - with brush or cloth - just clean water or do you put something in it?
Lens cleaning - besides a lens pen or similar - can one also use a damp cloth - and if so - anything else on the cloth? (besides water)
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@elsa hoffmann:
(1) just pour clean water on a cloth; not too wet, not too dry - with professional sealed lenses you can go more wet- ;
(2a) lens cleaning - exterior: see (1)
(2b) lens cleaning - front / back lens: avoid direct contact whenever possible; otherwise: make sure that there is no dust or debris present on the lens surface; use (hand)blower; further, use special purpose lens tissue - DO NOT use normal paper which is very abrasive - without lens liquid if possible; if not: with lens liquid. Lens coating is very wear sensitive and at each cleaning, how careful you are, there is a small portion of the layer you are taking off on each passage. Clean always in circular passages, starting from center.
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Borge. I am intrigued by the circular Lego piece you have attached to the front command dial of your Df. What is its purpose?
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on my fungus cleaning post:
https://richardhaw.com/2016/03/27/repair-fungus-cleaning/
i mentioned how to retard fungus growth by using this:
(https://richardhaw.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/img_2236.jpg?w=1090)
if you can find one, i suggest that you stock up... :o :o :o
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My D800 had the internal frame cracked, since it was out of warranty I decided on a DIY solution
Broken frame
(https://armando-m.smugmug.com/De-otros/n-fCk36/i-vtxBSVx/0/O/i-vtxBSVx.jpg)
Glued together - used an loctite epoxy that says can be machined/threaded , advertises as "liquid steel"
(https://armando-m.smugmug.com/De-otros/n-fCk36/i-wnzRSvL/0/X2/i-wnzRSvL-X2.jpg)
Added an L-bracket and modified it so it gets and additional support point on the side of the camera
(https://armando-m.smugmug.com/De-otros/n-fCk36/i-PgpPtrv/0/O/i-PgpPtrv.jpg)
It may not look pretty but it has held together and no more blurry shots when used on a tripod
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Borge. I am intrigued by the circular Lego piece you have attached to the front command dial of your Df. What is its purpose?
It is meant to give a better grip to my middle finger to make adjustment in shutterspeed when I use G lenses in manual mode. Aperture on the thumb and shutterspeed for the middle finger.
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Lens coating is very wear sensitive and at each cleaning, how careful you are, there is a small portion of the layer you are taking off on each passage. Clean always in circular passages, starting from center.
I have personally seen Nikon lenses from a very busy L.A. rental house that had the coating on the front surface of the front element worn off due to the obsessive ten-times-a-day, 200-days-a-year cleaning by photo assistants who were apparently endeavoring to demonstrate what marvelous assistants they are.
In reality, the hard AR coatings on the outer surfaces of modern** lenses are highly resistant to a reasonable amount of wiping and cleaning.
**Modern = post WW2, roughly.
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My small, feeble contribution:
For the rare times when one feels the need to wipe a deeply recessed rear element, this alligator clip zip tied onto a piece of welding rod ---carrying lens tissue, of course--- comes in handy. I've used it several times since I made it about 20 years ago.
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MFloyd: In salt water, wind & sand: Why not try unterwater housing?
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MFloyd: In salt water, wind & sand: Why not try unterwater housing?
Not obvious to house a 300mm+ in an underwater housing :-))
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Armando, is the cracking that occurred in your D800 something that also occurs with the D810? Or does anyone else know?
A very nice repair by the way - well done.
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Armando, is the cracking that occurred in your D800 something that also occurs with the D810? Or does anyone else know?
A very nice repair by the way - well done.
This was discussed in jan 2015, I can not recall who, but someone shared a picture of the same area of the frame of a D810, it appeared to be more sturdy than the 800
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MFloyd: In salt water, wind & sand: Why not try unterwater housing?
have you seen the price of an underwater house and port?
and seriously not practical unless you scuba
the plastic sleeve thingie might be better in some cases