[skchow]

How does one go about cleaning the lens on his camera?  What materials do I need and where do I go about getting them?  What should I avoid using?  

Also, is there a good way to drain the batteries on my digicam so I can start recharging my battery earlier?

Thanks.

Sunny.

[drphoto]

Most people say to use a bulb type blower, then apply a few drops of lens cleaning solution (don't use windex) to crumpled up lens tissue (such as Kodak) and wipe gently. Some folks are using these new 'micro-fiber' cloths. All available at your friendly (or if you live in NY...not so friendly) camera store.

I suppose you could use canned air, but you have to be very careful not to spray any of the liquid, which can freeze things...hence crack the glass. That's why the camera manufacturers say to never use it on reflex mirrors.

You are talking about the lens elements right? Not cleaning the CCD sensor in a digicam. That's a little tricky. Don't use lens tissue!! There are special solutions and swabs for this.

Hey, I don't know....I let the assistants do these chores...

As far as draining batteries in a digicam....that's usually not the problem! Just use the preview screen a lot...and they'll run down quickly.

[djklmnop]

Hey Sunny,

All you have to do is head down to your local Walmart's vision center and pick up their microfiber cloth.  They run for $1.99 or so and are exactly the same as the ones made for cameras.  All you have to do is breath on the lens to gather some moisture, then you wipe gently in a circular motion from the center on out.  It's that simple.  Don't try to clean out every single dustspot you encounter, you will end up doing more harm than good in the long run.  You'll end up saturating the lens coating or even stripping it.  You should pick up the lens fluid too, but only use it when it's absolutely neccessary.

As for your camera battery, you don't need to drain it.. Your camera is probably lithium ion which does not exhibit the memory effect, so there is no added benefit to draining the battery. Just charge it whenever you feel like it. The only type of battery that exhibits the memory effect is NiCad.

Andy