How do you clean your camera?

I was wondering how you all clean your cameras and maintain perfect cosmetic appearance over time. I read in a recent post of using cotton swabs and alcohol to clean the body. My 5D could use a nice cleaning and I have a new toy (1D Mark II N) on the way that I would like to baby also.

I don't bother cleaning mine, it's in awful cosmetic condition anyway and has a couple dents :/ (had them when I bought it). I would like to know how to fix up the leatherette stuff on it and make it stickyish again.

If I have to clean it due to dust just a brush and a pocket blower. If it needed more I use and old lens cloth which I damp slightly.

my t shirt usually.

I use disposable pre- impregnated polishing cloths (actually soft paper). These were suggested in a magazine article some years ago and I'm still on my one and only packet.

Obviously keep it well away from anything optical, but rubber/metal/plastic all seem to benefit from the occasional wipe over. Thats for the camera, lenses, tripod, heads, everything.

Personally I wouldn't put alcohol on my camera or lens bodies...unless its pure alcohol it will streak.

These suggestions might seem "off the wall" but I've seen several photographers use them and they do work. For wet cleaning your camera body or lens exterior use baby wipes....get the unscented, hypoallergenic type since they are the mildest formulation and don't have additives. You can get them in a small flat plastic case that's easy to keep in a camera bag.

See here for example: http://www.filmtools.c​om/nicl80bawi.html

Of course you can get baby wipes in your local store at less cost than paying a premium to a photo supply company.

Use cloth diapers to dry and polish your camera. The trick is to launder them a few times to get rid of lint but diapers work perfectly for cleaning and they can also be used as wraps to prevent your camera from getting scratched in your camera bag.

I use Lenscoat BodyBag for my cameras but cloth diapers are a really cheap alternative and have multiple uses...you can even use one to check highlight exposure

BTW, go to your local Menard's...they are having a sale this weekend on microfiber cloths in the Auto dept....these are relatively large; about the size of dish towels and can be used to clean your camera and to wrap them. If I recall correctly they are selling a six-pack of microfiber towels for about $4.

entrefoto wrote in post #10269868
I was wondering how you all clean your cameras and maintain perfect cosmetic appearance over time. I read in a recent post of using cotton swabs and alcohol to clean the body. My 5D could use a nice cleaning and I have a new toy (1D Mark II N) on the way that I would like to baby also.

ArmorAll Natural Finish Detailer applied lightly with a cotton swab to avoid buttons, wheels, etc. Wipe off with a slightly damp cloth and finish with a dry cloth.

Alcohol? A definite no. The manual (who reads that?) cautions against using solvents.

damp microfibre cloth

Go to Walmart and buy a gun cloth. These are microfiber cloths impregnated with silicone. I have been wiping my bodies and lenses down every Friday night for years. The silicone cleans and protects and does not take anything out of the leather grip parts. It also leaves an unseen and unfelt film over all the parts that repels water and moisture. They are about 4 bucks each.

Do not use them on the lens glass. For that, I have bought from B&H a kit for cleaning filters and lenses. Comes with a microfiber cloth and a spray bottle of cleaner that is safe for lenses coatings and filter coatings. About $15.

For the little peep hole on the back of the camera, I use a Q-tip, dry. Remarkable how good a job that does. You can see the difference right away.

I use Copperhill for the sensor and a bottle of canned air for the mirror box. Make damn sure not to shake it up and do a one second clearing spray away from the camera before using. The can should be held down hard on your table, start the spray and then move the open camera in front of it. Canon uses canned air, so can you.

I am a little weary about using silicone on cameras. I am an auto detailer so I use lots of silocone products- especially tires shine and stuff. The problem with silicone is that it looks really nice at first, but can turn brown over time (dirt sticking to it) this is especially true for tires (I use a solvent based tire dressing). I hate the greasy feel and try to minimize the use of silicone products on car interiors.

What do I like for plastics? Good ol' fashion natural white vinegar. I have not tried it on my cameras (don't feel the need to clean them) but I like how when it evaporates it leaves a little bit of a sheen on the surface. Just a little bit (depending how dirty I guess) for regular cleaning maybe 10:1 mixture with water.

I got my first silicone cloth in the mid 90's and have never noticed any color change or feel to the camera over time. It's not like your spraying silicone onto the camera, it's in the cloth, and even a new cloth does not feel wet enough to notice.

Thanks for the comments everyone! How do you all feel about Clorox wipes for sanitizing?

I just throw it in the washing machine along with my shirts from time to time.... just kidding.

I usually just use a microfiber cloth, if there is dirt or anything I dampen it. I think that is all that is necessary.

Anyone use q-tips for those tight hard to get areas?

rocket blower to get in between the nooks and crannies in and around the body and a very very very lightly damped microfiber cloth.