Camera Maintenance Tips

CAMERA MAINTENANCE TIPS
-- CAPTURE THE MOMENTS OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON--

New York, NY December 3, 2009 – It’s the Holiday season! As families, friends and loved ones gather together to celebrate this eagerly anticipated time of year, picture taking is sure to be in full force. Phototech, one of the oldest sources for camera repair in the U.S. and Canada, would like to offer the following tips to help ensure your camera is armed and ready to capture those special Holiday moments.

“The following camera maintenance tips and important points are sure to help guarantee that your holiday festivities will not go undocumented due to a camera malfunction or breakage,” says Paul Naraine, Vice President of Operations for Phototech. “We hope that by educating the community about some of the most common camera pitfalls, we can help make sure everyone enjoys this Holiday season and preserve those special traditions in pictures for years to come.”

Be delicate and manage with care: Since most camera equipment is made of plastic and precision optics, they are naturally fragile objects. Be sure to use the camera strap at all times and place the equipment back in the case when traveling or before you carry it in a purse or bag. And be extra careful with your camera’s plastic battery doors and/or memory card doors because they break off very easily.

Lens do’s and don’t’s: Always be aware of your camera lens’ position. Because lenses are the weakest component of many cameras, they are most susceptible to light impact or pressure that often causes them to break. Mr. Naraine adds, “All too often camera owners clean their camera lens too much. Because of the constant cleaning, the coating comes off and the lens needs to be replaced. The best way to think about camera lens cleaning is to limit cleaning to only smudges, large specs of dirt or hairs.”

Crumbs, dust and liquids – Oh my!: Be sure to vacuum out your camera case or camera bag every six months. The dust and debris in these places can cause serious issues. Never place your camera equipment in the same bag as any liquids. Mr. Naraine recalls, “We have seen many cases in which baby formula or juices opened and went inside the camera. As a result, we had to make extensive repairs to get the camera back to working order.”

Remember to check your memory: When inserting memory cards or batteries, pay close attention to symbols to align correctly. Many times memory card pins are bent or a battery gets stuck because of misalignment. Also, remember to format the memory card after images are transferred to avoid errors on the memory card causing errors on the camera.

Mr. Naraine adds, “Most camera repairs can be avoided if the owner takes the above precautions. But, in some instances, instead of trying to fix the camera yourself or throwing the camera away and buying a new one, bring it to a professional camera repairman and have them check it out. They’ll be able to advise you on next steps, saving you money and helping our environment by having one less camera fill our landfills.”

Phototech is one of the oldest and most reputable sources for camera repair in the U.S. and Canada servicing hundreds of cameras and lenses of all types every day. Their customers are consumers, professional photographers, dealers and manufacturers from all over the US. Their technicians are authorized and trained by manufacturers like Canon, Nikon, Fuji and Pentax. Phototech is an authorized service facility for Canon, Fuji, Nikon, and Pentax and also able to repair most cameras made by Casio, Hasselblad, Kodak, Olympus, Pansonic, and Sony. Phototech was voted as a Best of City Search NYC in the Electronic Category for 2009 and has been a member of the BBB for more than 10 years with an A+ rating. Located at 110 East 13th Street, New York, NY, Phototech offers repairs via mail order to anywhere in the U.S. and its surrounding territories. The company also offers messenger services for those customers located or working in Manhattan. In addition, Phototech offers a special coupon for every CCD cleaning, which is usually done within one hour Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 4:00pm. For more information please visit www.phototech.com, call 212.673.8400, email service@phototech.com or stop by the store Monday to Friday 8:00am to 6:00pm and Saturdays 10:00am to 3:00pm.