Cleaning S10

[aaron]

According to S10's manual, Canon warns user not to clean the camera lens in any way. Is this possible? Lens does get dirty in many situations, for example shooting in the snowy or windy weather, or going to Niagara Falls. Some water or dirt spots on the lens seem inevitable. What should one do in such situations? Can someone please help clarify?

Ed

 

[John-G]

These comments in the Canon manuals blows my mind. The same warning was in my Pro70 manual. I don't know about the rest of you but I seldom use my camera strickly in a "clean room" environment. Even though the Pro70 is threaded for 37mm, the design of the lens housing prevents the use of protective filters without causing vignetting. I've had my Pro70 everywhere and have gotten all types of "substances" on the lens ranging from sea-spray to food to finger-prints (don't ask about the food). I use the same precautions I would with cleaning any camera lens. Usually an air-puff, following by a blast of bad-breath and a gentle wipe with a microfiber cloth returns the lens to it's pristine condition. I use a similar cleaning method on my A5 and A50.

What's the alternative ? Never take the camera out of the plastic bag it shipped in.

• John

According to S10's manual, Canon warns user not to clean the camera lens
in any way. Is this possible? Lens does get dirty in many situations,
for example shooting in the snowy or windy weather, or going to Niagara
Falls. Some water or dirt spots on the lens seem inevitable. What
should one do in such situations? Can someone please help clarify?

Ed

 

[aaron]

I agree with you. But, I guess we should ask for the friendly professional at Canon, Mr. Chuck Westfall, to provide us with some suggestions.

What's the alternative ? Never take the camera out of the plastic bag it
shipped in.

• John

According to S10's manual, Canon warns user not to clean the camera lens
in any way. Is this possible? Lens does get dirty in many situations,
for example shooting in the snowy or windy weather, or going to Niagara
Falls. Some water or dirt spots on the lens seem inevitable. What
should one do in such situations? Can someone please help clarify?

Ed

 

[Chuck Westfall]

Hi, Ed:

First, for the benefit of those who haven't read the PowerShot S10 instruction book yet, let's review what it really says (on page 68):

CAMERA MAINTENANCE

Follow the procedures below to clean the camera body, lens, optical viewfinder and LCD monitor when they become dirty.

• Never use thinners, benzene, synthetic cleansers or water to clean the equipment. These substances may distort or damage the equipment.

Camera Body: Gently wipe dirt off the camera body with a soft cloth or an eyeglass lens wiper.

Lens: Use a lens blower to remove dust and dirt.

• Never wipe anything directly on the lens, even a soft cloth or eyeglass lens wiper. If particularly stubborn dirt accumulates, contact your camera retailer or the closest Canon Customer Support Help Desk.

Optical Viewfinder: Use a lens blower to remove dust and dirt. If necessary, gently wipe it with a soft cloth or eyeglass lens wiper to remove stubborn dirt.

LCD Monitor: Use a lens blower to remove dust and dirt. If necessary, gently wipe it with a soft cloth or eyeglass lens wiper to remove stubborn dirt.

• Never rub or press strongly on the LCD monitor. Rubbing or pressing firmly on it may lead to damage or other problems.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(back to Chuck)

Based on these instructions, your assertion that "Canon warns user not to clean the camera lens in any way" is flat-out wrong. As noted above, users are suggested to remove dust and dirt (i.e., "clean the lens") with an air blower.

Canon does warn against rubbing the lens directly, mainly because doing so risks the possibility of damage to the camera's autofocus drive mechanism. If the lens becomes dirty with fingerprints or other material that cannot be blown off, then it will become necessary to clean the lens conventionally, but this is most safely done by a trained service technician.

Once you own the camera, feel free to clean it as you please. However, be advised that damage to the lens mechanisms caused by direct pressure on the front of the lens will void the product warranty.

Best Regards,

Chuck Westfall
Manager/Technical Information Dept.
Camera Division/Canon U.S.A., Inc.

According to S10's manual, Canon warns user not to clean the camera lens
in any way. Is this possible? Lens does get dirty in many situations,
for example shooting in the snowy or windy weather, or going to Niagara
Falls. Some water or dirt spots on the lens seem inevitable. What
should one do in such situations? Can someone please help clarify?

Ed

 

[zyte]

Are other cameras as sensitive to cleaning the lens as the Canon S10? Is this typical for digital cameras?

First, for the benefit of those who haven't read the PowerShot S10
instruction book yet, let's review what it really says (on page 68):

CAMERA MAINTENANCE
Follow the procedures below to clean the camera body, lens, optical
viewfinder and LCD monitor when they become dirty.

• Never use thinners, benzene, synthetic cleansers or water to clean the

equipment. These substances may distort or damage the equipment.

Camera Body: Gently wipe dirt off the camera body with a soft cloth or an
eyeglass lens wiper.

Lens: Use a lens blower to remove dust and dirt.

• Never wipe anything directly on the lens, even a soft cloth or eyeglass

lens wiper. If particularly stubborn dirt accumulates, contact your
camera retailer or the closest Canon Customer Support Help Desk.

Optical Viewfinder: Use a lens blower to remove dust and dirt. If
necessary, gently wipe it with a soft cloth or eyeglass lens wiper to
remove stubborn dirt.

LCD Monitor: Use a lens blower to remove dust and dirt. If necessary,
gently wipe it with a soft cloth or eyeglass lens wiper to remove
stubborn dirt.

• Never rub or press strongly on the LCD monitor. Rubbing or pressing

firmly on it may lead to damage or other problems.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(back to Chuck)

Based on these instructions, your assertion that "Canon warns user not to
clean the camera lens in any way" is flat-out wrong. As noted above,
users are suggested to remove dust and dirt (i.e., "clean the lens") with
an air blower.

Canon does warn against rubbing the lens directly, mainly because doing
so risks the possibility of damage to the camera's autofocus drive
mechanism. If the lens becomes dirty with fingerprints or other material
that cannot be blown off, then it will become necessary to clean the lens
conventionally, but this is most safely done by a trained service
technician.

Once you own the camera, feel free to clean it as you please. However, be
advised that damage to the lens mechanisms caused by direct pressure on
the front of the lens will void the product warranty.

Best Regards,

Chuck Westfall
Manager/Technical Information Dept.
Camera Division/Canon U.S.A., Inc.

According to S10's manual, Canon warns user not to clean the camera lens
in any way. Is this possible? Lens does get dirty in many situations,
for example shooting in the snowy or windy weather, or going to Niagara
Falls. Some water or dirt spots on the lens seem inevitable. What
should one do in such situations? Can someone please help clarify?

Ed

 

[John-G]

Agreed. If you're searching for the straight scoop, Chuck's the guy your looking for !!

• John

What's the alternative ? Never take the camera out of the plastic bag it
shipped in.

• John

According to S10's manual, Canon warns user not to clean the camera lens
in any way. Is this possible? Lens does get dirty in many situations,
for example shooting in the snowy or windy weather, or going to Niagara
Falls. Some water or dirt spots on the lens seem inevitable. What
should one do in such situations? Can someone please help clarify?

Ed

 

[John-G]

What Chuck says makes sense (as usual). I would suspect any of the current crop of digicams with a motor-driven, retractable lens mechanism would require the same precautions to be taken. When you think about it... the lens is only extended and accessable for cleaning when the power is turned-on in camera mode. When it's powered on your basically fighting the motor and mechanism if you put pressure on the lens or lens barrel. I've always worried about the camera switch accidentally rotating to "camera" mode when I slip it into a case and having the lens come popping out with nowhere to go. Not good.

• John

First, for the benefit of those who haven't read the PowerShot S10
instruction book yet, let's review what it really says (on page 68):

CAMERA MAINTENANCE
Follow the procedures below to clean the camera body, lens, optical
viewfinder and LCD monitor when they become dirty.

• Never use thinners, benzene, synthetic cleansers or water to clean the

equipment. These substances may distort or damage the equipment.

Camera Body: Gently wipe dirt off the camera body with a soft cloth or an
eyeglass lens wiper.

Lens: Use a lens blower to remove dust and dirt.

• Never wipe anything directly on the lens, even a soft cloth or eyeglass

lens wiper. If particularly stubborn dirt accumulates, contact your
camera retailer or the closest Canon Customer Support Help Desk.

Optical Viewfinder: Use a lens blower to remove dust and dirt. If
necessary, gently wipe it with a soft cloth or eyeglass lens wiper to
remove stubborn dirt.

LCD Monitor: Use a lens blower to remove dust and dirt. If necessary,
gently wipe it with a soft cloth or eyeglass lens wiper to remove
stubborn dirt.

• Never rub or press strongly on the LCD monitor. Rubbing or pressing

firmly on it may lead to damage or other problems.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(back to Chuck)

Based on these instructions, your assertion that "Canon warns user not to
clean the camera lens in any way" is flat-out wrong. As noted above,
users are suggested to remove dust and dirt (i.e., "clean the lens") with
an air blower.

Canon does warn against rubbing the lens directly, mainly because doing
so risks the possibility of damage to the camera's autofocus drive
mechanism. If the lens becomes dirty with fingerprints or other material
that cannot be blown off, then it will become necessary to clean the lens
conventionally, but this is most safely done by a trained service
technician.

Once you own the camera, feel free to clean it as you please. However, be
advised that damage to the lens mechanisms caused by direct pressure on
the front of the lens will void the product warranty.

Best Regards,

Chuck Westfall
Manager/Technical Information Dept.
Camera Division/Canon U.S.A., Inc.

According to S10's manual, Canon warns user not to clean the camera lens
in any way. Is this possible? Lens does get dirty in many situations,
for example shooting in the snowy or windy weather, or going to Niagara
Falls. Some water or dirt spots on the lens seem inevitable. What
should one do in such situations? Can someone please help clarify?

Ed

 

[anonymous]

You can power off the camera with the lens extended by removing the battery (very quickly) while it is in record more. That way it doesn't have power to retract the lens and/or close the cover. Re-installing the battery will reset everything.

Use a cotton tipped swab and some lens cleaning solution to clean the lens, and use EXTREMELY gentle pressure. For stubborn deposits (the baby sneezed during a close-up and the discharge dried on the lens), you will have to saturate the debris with fluid using the swab for several minutes to soften it, then it can be gently removed with the swab. The same procedure should be used to clean the viewfinder.