Cameras & Camcorders

[MrsCollins]

My camera is a few years old and the owner before me didn't take much care of her camera. It's just my started DSLR but I've noticed that the kit lens isn't worring correctly and inside the lens I can see tons of dirt & sand specs. Someone said that I can go to geek squad & get it cleaned but so far I haven't seen anything on their site saying they do that type of work. Is their any otehr way I can get it cleaned & perhaps the body as well? LIke I said she's 4 years old (maybe almost 5) & she's seen better days.

It's a Canon XS DSLR with a Kit lens.

Any help would be great! I need it for school big time.

[Mike-BBY Retired: Senior Social Media Specialist]

Hi MrsCollins,

Regular preventative maintenance is a good practice to keep your cameras working their best. While Best Buy no longer performs camera repairs in-store, our local Geek Squad agents can perform an assessment and send your camera out to our manufacturer authorized repair facility.

Thanks,

[MrsCollins]

Does it require to have anything special? Like a package that I have to pay for that covers so & so?

I will defintely look into that! Thanks!

[xl]

Some thoughts...

• I assume you've already tried the sensor self cleaning feature.  Sadly dirt trapped inside does not magically fall out of the camera
• A simple test of taking picture of a blank white wall with a small aperture would identify sensor problems on a used camera.  Too late now.
• Personally I avoid kit lenses as the limited zoom encourages lens swaps that increases the likelihood of a dirty camera.
• using zoom lenses can still be a problem.  When you zoom in and out on something like an 18-200mm, where does all the air go?  Air will still suck in dust at the barrow seams!
• I once thought I had a dirty sensor.  A lens swap showed my lens was dirty.  Replacing the lens fixed that problem.  See what happens if you put a different lens to see if the dust problem moves.  Cleaning the DSLR is easy with a swap in a clean room.  Cleaning a lens means ripping the lens apart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao5xKobItVM

Hopefully you don't get lens fungas like I did...

http://www.redbubble.com/people/profaudio/journal/5799370-what-is-lens-fungus-can-it-really-affect-m...

[MrsCollins]

That's what I was saying it IS the lens that's dirty which is causing the focus to work incorrectly. If you take apart the lens from the camera body & look into the small opening you can see all the dust on the glass that's in side. I've tried getting it out myself but it's to far ahead to reach. But I figured that since it's an older camera I would get the whole body cleaned since it does need it.

As for a zoom lens, I like them for the range of distances they can give me but they do end up getting dirty especially around the zoom ring where things like sand & dust can get trapped in. But sometimes a zoom lens is easier. I just haven't had the time or money to buy a different lens so I've been using my Kit lens for school instead.

[xl]

Lens cleaning costs can be significant.  Possibly the price of a used lens, if not new.

I've heard of one person selling a damaged lens that was cleaned with "steel wool".  Please don't use steel wool.  Take the lens to a service depot for a quote.  If you are successful at taking the lens apart, it may be nearly impossible to get the lens get the optics back right.  Also touching the special coatings may ruin the lens.

If this is the 18-55mm kit lens, it's not worth cleaning.  A new lens may be the price of an hour's cleaning rate.

[Rrrrrrr]

For cleaning, I prefer to send my bodies directly to Nikon. They go over them thouroghly (Canon does the same). 3rd party can be hit and miss.

For the lenses, I have a Rocket Blower that works great for blowing loose dust off the rear element. Also liquid lens cleaner and lens cloths. Some of my lenses do have some small specks inside but dont affect the image at all.

[MrsCollins]

XL- Uh trust me I won't be using steel wool as a cleaning tool. I need this for school & I feel I'm a little smarter then that :/

Rrrr: how much does it cost you to typically send one camera body & one lens to Nikon? I have a Canon body & lens & was told I would most likely have to send it there. I can see the specks once I take a picture which is why I want it cleaned that & the focus isn't working correctly & sometimes I don't have the time to do it manually (manually focus I mean).

[TheLexMachine]

The lens has to go to a Canon service center to be cleaned and calibrated but you would be better off simply having it recycled if it's a regular kit lens and not a premium kit lens and the cost of cleaning it may be more than you are willing to pay. You can go to the Canon website to get more information and to contact them for an estimate.