As most photographers can tell you, taking care of your camera is very important. Few people are willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a good quality camera and then not take care of it.With some help and guidance and following a few simple guidelines camera maintenance can be very simple. The following guidelines are intended to help your camera perform better, last longer and continue taking wonderful pictures without limiting your abilities.

Rule #1. Clean the Camera -Dust, lint, sand, and other dirt do not belong on your camera. If they are left on the camera, they can cause damage to the body, as well as potentially get inside the camera and cause even more damage. Keep your camera clean to keep it taking pictures, as well as avoid body damage and scratches.

Rule #2. Keep the lens Clean -This means, keep your fingers off the lenses! Ok aside from the obvious, at some point, something will happen and the lens will become dirty, simply clean the lens quickly with a soft micro fiber cloth to clean it. You can use your choice of warm breath, or a good lens cleaning solution as well to produce much better results.

Rule #3. Avoid Lens Damage -Face it, the cost of a lens is not cheap, this makes it very important to carefully handle the lenses, you want to avoid causing any damage to the lenses, and make sure they are stored and transported property. Excessive shaking, or being dropped can shatter a lens quickly, and are usually not repairable. A filter will help prevent the lens from being scratched, so that is another safety measure that you can consider.

Rule #4. Keep batteries in top condition -This includes conditioning the battery, keeping a battery charged, as well as make sure the battery contacts on both the battery and camera are kept clean and shiny. If the contacts become dirty, it can cause the camera to malfunction due to the lack of power flowing properly. Simply cleaning the battery and contacts can often solve a power problem. Read the manufactures instructions for the exact instructions on conditioning the battery for your camera to ensure you do not damage it.

Rule #5. Avoid Moisture -This is a major cause for concern, cameras are very high tech equipment. The slightest bit of moisture can cause serious damage- both to the unit and the lenses. Avoid moisture as much aspossible, if you live in a high humidity area; consider buying packs of silica gel to absorb moisture in the camera bag.

Rule #6. Saltwater is not your cameras friend -While this may seem like common sense, most people do not realize just how much damage saltwater can cause. The salt can cause serious corrosion issues, as well as the water can cause serious moisture damage which will render the camera badly damaged, or completely ruined in a matter of minutes.

Rule #7. Avoid Condensation -This is going to take some work if you alternate between indoor and outdoors photography. Do not take a camera from the icy cold outdoors and expect to use it immediately inside. The lenses must be dried out in order to be used again; one method is using a hair dryer on low heat to dry the condensation. To help reduce almost entirely the condensation problem, pack the camera and lenses separately into a plastic bag that you can remove most of he air from, make sure the bag is sealed very well before changing air temperatures. This will not spot condensation completely, but will help greatly.

As you can see these simple basic rules will help lengthen the life of your camera, and keep you taking happy gorgeous pictures for years to come. Each photographer also learned new tips and tricks based upon their specific usage as well as model type, but these are some great basic rules to get you started.