Hi and welcome to Episode 115 of the Photography Explained podcast.
I’m your host Rick, and in each episode I will try to explain one photographic thing to you in plain English in less than 10 minutes (ish) without the irrelevant details. What I tell you is based on my lifetime of photographic experience. And not Google.
Before I go on I need your help. I need your questions to answer. More on this at the end but please have a think while you listen to this.
Here is the answery bit.
To clean a camera and camera lens covered in soot and steam you need to work slowly and gently. Dry the camera out in a warm but natural environment. Remove any dust gently with a small brush. Use a blower/ blower brush to get rid of harder-to-remove bits. Use a magnifying glass to spot unwanted debris. Work slowly. Clean the outside first, remove the lens and see if any soot has got inside and remove that.
Work logically and with care. But, if you have any doubts about doing this pay someone reputable to get your camera cleaned professionally.
You can listen to the episode here
Or keep on reading. Or do both. Entirely up to you!
That was the long answer, and here is the full question.
Thanks for the question, Terry. You could have asked me an easier one!!
“The Great Dorset Steam Fair is in your neck of the woods, and the last time I went was in 2009. If you’ve been yourself you’ll know that there is a huge amount of dust and soot in the air, getting into places I didn’t know I had places!
Not only am I covered in soot from over 100 steam-powered vehicles but so is my camera equipment.
What do you suggest is the best way to clean my gear?”
Well then, for those of you who don’t know this the Great Dorset Steam Fair is, erm, a Steam Fair in Dorset. This year it starts on Thursday 25th August, and yes I might have to go there with my camera and see what kind of mess I end up in.
The Great Dorset Steam Fair is an annual show not only for steam-powered vehicles and machinery but also has live music, food, drink, and all sorts of entertainment. And you can camp there.
But the main thing is the steam-powered vehicles and machinery. Want to know more? Check out the website gdsf.co.uk
OK, that is what we are talking about here, but before I start.
Terry – prevention is better than cure. Don’t get your camera and lens covered in soot. Don’t do this again ok?
The problem with soot.
Well, soot is a very fine thing, carbon particles resulting from incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. Whatever that means.
More significantly, it is a very fine dust, and it can get anywhere and everywhere.
Soot is not the friend of cameras or lenses. Not a friend. Oh no. And throw a load of airborne steam into the mix and we have a potentially nasty combination to deal with.
And I have to say this – what I am telling you here is what I would do, but I have never been in this position before.
Get the camera dry.
Moisture is another enemy of the camera. Place the camera somewhere in your home that is warm and dry. Not too warm, just warm and dry where the camera can dry out naturally and slowly.
OK – we have a dry camera, now we need to find somewhere clean to work.
I have access to a white desk, which I use for cleaning my camera and lenses. I make sure it is clean and dust free first, by cleaning it with a wet, anti-bacterial cleaner and a clean, well-used microfibre cloth.
I have a directional LED light on the desk that I can move and get close in on what I am working on.
Check the moving parts
Now I do this in the field before I put my camera away. I do a quick check to see if there is anything inside the moving bits. Hopefully, there is nothing there. Zoom in, zoom out, and rotate the focus ring.
But I do not take the lens off. Oh no. I do that during cleaning.
And if you have swapped lenses in this environment that is fine, you will just have more work to do.
Brush
I use a small brush to gently brush the dust off all surfaces. I regularly clean the desktop surface so I am not getting stuff on the camera that I have just carefully removed.
Blower
I then use a blower to gently blow dust out of bits that I cannot reach, always conscious that I am trying to blow dust or soot away from recesses and hidden places, and not into them.
I have a very old blower brush and a hurricane blower, which isn’t as bad as it sounds. Just gentle puffs of air to gently remove stuff.
Compressed air
I don’t use this. I worry that I am going to drive some debris somewhere that I will never be able to get it back from.
Take them apart and check inside
Once I have removed the debris that I can see I will gently take the lens off, and see if any soot is within the mounting. If it is I will use a brush again to gently brush debris off the camera body, working away from the sensor and not to it. And I might use the blower again to make sure.
To be 100% sure I bang the camera body on the desk to see if any debris falls out. I do this again with the camera lens. Not too hard mind – I don’t want to break them.
Just kidding – do not do this ok!!
Camera body
I clean the camera body with a very slightly damp clean microfibre cloth. I clean the viewfinder and LCD screen with the same lens cleaning solution and cloths I use to clean my lens.
Camera lens
I clean the lens body down with the same, slightly damp micro fibre cloths.
I use lens cleaning solution and disposable wipes to clean the front and rear lens elements.
Sensor
I use the blower to gently remove anything in there. I don’t clean the sensor. I get this done professionally when I go to a photography show.
But I do have a thing that magnifies the senor so I can have a good look and know if there is a problem or not.
Magnifying glass
I have a magnifying glass which helps me find small stuff. Well, not so small stuff with my dodgy ageing eyes!
That is all I do, using basic stuff, time and care.
Not prepared to give this a go?
Then pay to get your camera and lens cleaned. And don’t do it again. Don’t make the same mistake that Terry made!!
Camera bag
And don’t forget to clean your camera bag, inside and out.
Clean you
After a day of being exposed to steam and soot, my final recommendation is a nice hot shower.
The talky bit
Cleaning something like this yourself is a risk. There is a risk of soot getting in somewhere and causing some damage. But that risk is pretty low. Clean your camera and lens as I do and you will probably be ok.
I have worked in quarries, construction sites, deserts and other very dry and dusty environments and never had a problem.
If you are not sure about doing this then do not do this. Go somewhere and get your camera and lens cleaned properly, and ask them lots of questions about how to clean your camera.
If you are comfortable doing this then crack on, but be aware that there is a risk of something not being removed and causing damage. This is not a risk-free thing to do. This applies to me, and I accept that risk. And if I do all this and damage my camera then that is down to.
So think before you do this.
But, having said all of that, I have not had any problems with my Canon 6D having cleaned it how I do above, but then again I have not had a camera covered in soot.
I have not had a camera covered in soot ever, so I have never done this myself.
The kit that I use – how much does it cost?
- Microfibre cloths
- Blower brush
- Hurricane blower
You can get this lot for less than £20/ $20 bucks.
And the expensive stuff
- Eclipse lens cleaning solution – £10-20 pounds/ dollars
- Pec Pads – £15-20 pounds/ dollars for a pack of 100
So for 50-60 quid/ dollars, you can be fully kitted out.
Prevention
Not getting your camera covered in soot is the answer of course – more on that next week.
What do I do?
Well, I have never been to the Great Dorset Steam Fair, so have never been in this unique and unfortunate position.
But I have told you what I would do.
Related episodes
Nothing relates to this. Nothing.
Next episode
Terry has sent me another question, which is thankfully a bit easier to answer, and the logical next question after getting covered in soot and steam! In Photography Explained Podcast Episode 116 – “Listener question – I want to go out and shoot in the rain but my camera is not weatherproof?”
Get your question answered.
Get your question answered like Terry did. Or questions. You are not limited to one question here.
This is what my podcast is all about, answering your photography questions. Not mine. So please get in touch with your question, and not only will I answer your question, but I will give you a shout-out on that episode, which is nice. Just head over to photographyexplainedpodcast.com/start.
OK – I’m done
Thanks for listening to my small but perfectly formed podcast. To find out more about my podcast and do stuff to help me check out the podcast website, which is photographyexplainedpodcast.com/.
This episode was brought to you by me loving answering the question from Terry. And a ham, cheese and tomato omelette.
I’ve been Rick McEvoy, thanks again very much for listening to me and for giving me 10 (ish) minutes of your valuable time, and I will see you on the next episode.
Cheers from me Rick
OK – that was the podcast episode.
Want to know more?
Head over to the Start page on the Photography Explained Podcast website to find out more.
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Let me know if there is a photography thing that you want me to explain and I will add it to my list. Just head over to the This is my list of things to explain page of this website to see what is on there already.
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And finally a little bit about me
Finally, yes this paragraph is all about me – check out my Rick McEvoy Photography website to find out more about me and my architectural, construction, real estate and travel photography work. I also write about general photography stuff, all in plain English without the irrelevant detail.
Thank you
Thanks for listening to my podcast (if you did) and reading this blog post (which I assume you have done as you are reading this).
Cheers from me Rick
