Photography - equipment, help hints

[GrauGeist]

B&H is a great place to look.

A couple friends of mine who are professional photographers have been using B&H for ages, and highly recommend tham.

 

[evangilder]

B&H is great! Fo lens cleaning (dry), I use the cloths they sell for cleaning my glasses. They work great. Aaron, you shouldn't need to wet clean your sensor unless you have been through a dust storm. A rocket blower will get rid of the dust on the sensor. If you need to do a wet clean, be very careful and read up on it before tackling the job. You don't want to mess up the camera when cleaning it. That's not to say you will, but just read up to know what to expect before going through with it.

I don't like the lens cap leashes because there are times I am moving my lens quickly across a pan shot, or in the open cockpit of an airplane. That thing gets swinging around, or blown by the wind, and it gets in the shot, or hits you in the face. I make a practice of removing the lens cap and putting it in my pocket. Haven't lost one yet.

When buying lens filters to help protect your lens, don't buy cheap ones! The reason is that they can soften your focus dramatically, or create additional glare. I bought a cheap filter with my 50-500 lens thinking it would be great. I almost returned the lens because the focus was really soft. Then I removed the filter and took some test shots. WOW, that was the problem, the filter, not the lens. For the record, I have never used filters since. It's one more reflective surface for light o bounce around in. I don't recommend it for most people, but it's a choice I make.

 

[B-17engineer]

Thanks for the info guys! Will keep my eyes peeled.

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

Eric, what is a rocket blower. Oh and I will read up on the wet cleaning of the censor. I've got some persistent dust particles that I can't remove with the little squeeze air brush I have and they are driving me Thank you very much for the info guys, much appreciated.

 

[ontos]

I know you probably already checked this out, but are you sure the dust is on the sensor and not the viewfinder ?

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

Yes Ontos. They only show up in the photos over 250mm of magnification. They might be in the lens but I think they are on the sensor. Course, I've been wrong before.

 

[GrauGeist]

Hey Aaron, the "rocket blower" is that little squeezy blower thingy that has feet to allow it to stand up when not in use. That makes it look like an old-time Flash Gordon rocket ship...sorta.

There's other shapes/sizes that are used as well, but all are made of a rubber-like material that allows you to squeeze it, allowing the air to blow out it's long-ish nozzle. I've also seen similiar "bulbs" used to irrigate the eye with medicine or eye-wash fluids (like in a shop first aid kit).

 

[vikingBerserker]

Oh ok, it's like the ear irrigation syringe bulb. Man, I join this place to talk about WW2 aircraft and my skills in photography and model building have rocketed!

 

[evangilder]

Looks like they come in multiple sizes (That, I didn't know).

 

[Shinpachi]

 

[evangilder]

Aaron, before you try to clean the sensor, clean the front and back lens elements first. If the dust spots only show up with a focal length and beyond, switch lenses and see if the spots show up. If they don't, it is most likely a spot on the lens. If it is on the sensor, it will show up on all photos in the same place, regardless of magnification. I have plenty of examples of sensor dust.

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

Thank you very much Dave and Eric. I will recheck the large lens but if it is just the large lens I have a bad feeling that it is inside the lens. Again, thank you very much.

 

[evangilder]

I have a few spots inside my 50-500mm, which isn't terribly surprising given the conditions I shoot in. Not much you can do about that, unfortunately. I have been thinking about getting it cleaned professionally, but have no idea how much it will cost.

 

[ontos]

Wow, that sucks Eric. Whenever I have to get my camera cleaned, I have to take it to Ritz, they charge you way to muck. No one closer in Riverside.

 

[evangilder]

Yep, I just use the clone stamp tool to wipe the spots out. One of these days, I will see what it costs to clean.

 

[RabidAlien]

Heh. I love the clone stamp! That, and the bandaid. Have y'all checked on sending the lenses back to the manufacturer to have them cleaned? I think Canon did that a while back, or they had an authorized repair center you could ship it to. I haven't had one cleaned in ages, though, so I dunno if they're still doin that.

Since I got my digital SLR, I haven't stopped in a Ritz/Wolf since. Waaaaaaaaay overpriced, and you're lucky to find someone there who knows about photography and associated equipment. Last time I bought a filter (my polarizer self-destructed on me), I had to pretty much explain to the guy what a polarizer was and how to tell what type I needed.

 

[evangilder]

Yes, both Canon and Nikon have repair centers that will clean your cameras and lenses. My 50-500 is a Sigma. I don't know if they do cleaning direct, but the local camera store I use (local independent, not a chain retailer) said that he could give me an estimate on cost and time if I bring it in.

 

[GrauGeist]

Sigma does have regional repair centers, you can find them under the Service link on thier homepage: Sigma Corporation of America

They were exceptionally helpful when I had to send in my old Sigma 70-300 for cleaning and seal replacement but it was beyond repair (obsolete, no parts available). They made me a great deal on a new one, using my old one as a trade-in and I think I got the better end of the deal.

For your Pentax camera equipment, they have a factory service center as well as authorized repair shops across the states. I've had great experiences with the factory service center. You can find info on the Customer Care page by clicking the Support link on their home page: PENTAX Digital Cameras and DSLRs - Official PENTAX Imaging Web Site

 

[RabidAlien]

Evan, you use the Sigma 50-500mm too??? That cinches it....I've just gotta save up $1G!!! Been looking at that one for about a year or so now.

 

[RabidAlien]

Dang. That was weird.