Camera Care Tips
To Protect Your Digital Camera

Providing even basic camera care for your expensive digital camera equipment will help to reduce the risk of damage and therefore hefty repair bills.

However you cannot protect yourself from everything and so making sure you have adequate camera insurance should also be among your priorities.

Below are a few simple camera care tips to protect your equipment from some of the more common every day dangers and problems encountered by today's digital photographer.

Protecting your cameras LCD screen

Most cameras are built to a rugged standard, able to cope with many bumps and knocks. However the LCD screen is probably the one area that can be prone to scratches and dinks.

There are two ways to provide camera care for your screen. The first and least intrusive way is to purchase what is known as an invisible shield, which adheres straight onto the screen. It is a thin piece of plastic, which although looks flimsy, is designed to be strong enough to resist scratches. You will still be able to still see through to the screen as you would without one.

The second is to buy a screen cover, which most manufacturers of digital SLR's can supply. These are a little more bulky and are usually made from plastic. Some of these also provide a useful shade to allow you to view the screen even in bright sunlight.

Protecting Your Camera Body In Cold Wet Weather

Shooting pictures in winter usually means being outside on cold, windy wet days, which is fine for you, as we are quite durable. However the modern digital camera with all its circuit boards, connectors and buttons are rather more vulnerable.

By following a few simple camera care tips you can help to ensure that your camera returns home safe and sound at the end of the day.

• Always carry the camera in a waterproof padded camera bag.
• In particularly cold weather you can wrap the camera inside a plastic bag as well with a few of those silica desiccant packets or some grains of rice to help reduce any moisture.
• Always carry a soft towel to remove any water as soon as it gets onto the camera.
• If shooting in the rain, a plastic bag covering the camera with an opening for the lens is a good idea. For a more professional look and build you could invest in a camera sleeve. These are specially designed to fit the camera and make it easier to handle than a plastic bag.
• During cold weather, make sure batteries are kept warm and dry when not in use. Cold weather can drain the power from batteries very quickly.

Memory Card Care

• Keep memory cards away from magnetic sources such as magnets, television monitors and audio speakers.
• Cards need to be kept cool so they shouldn't be left in places where they can heat up, such as car glove compartments or dashboards.
• Keep the cards dust free and try to remove them from your camera inside or away from dusty conditions. This is especially true if you are at the beach.
• Always use a protective case to transport your cards around or when not in use.

Camera Insurance

There are many reasons to have specific camera insurance other than just in case your camera is stolen. Insurance can also protect you from damage to your camera during transit and also from corrupt of damaged media cards. This is a valuable asset to the professional photographer whose livelihood depends on his equipment and work.

Your home insurance policy may protect your camera while it is in the home, some can even provide extra cover for when the camera is away from home. However this cover will not be adequate for the professional photographer whose costs will be far higher, especially if the loss includes travel and accommodation fees also.

To find the right insurance for your camera it is best to check with some professional photography bodies or online photography forums. It still holds true that personal recommendation is the best way to find the best solution and who knows more about camera insurance than fellow photographers.

Get the most from your photography art by making sure that your equipment is in tip top condition and protected at all times.