Camcorder Care (page 2)

The Inner Sanctum

Rule number seven: don't clean the inner parts of your camcorder unless you really know what you're doing. It's not a bad idea to run a head-cleaner cassette (the wet kind, not the dry) in the tape transport for a few seconds every once in a while. But before you start reaching for the alcohol and cotton swabs, go out and buy yourself some chamois-tipped swabs and be very, very careful about it--or better yet, hire a professional camcorder maintenance technician to do it for you.

Rule number eight: clean the viewfinder regularly. When we say viewfinder in this context, we really mean one or both of two separate devices: the traditional eyepiece-style viewfinder, and/or the larger LCD monitor attached to the camcorder body. The latter, LCD-monitor type viewfinder is pretty easy to clean: all you have to do is periodically buff the fingerprints and grime off the plastic or glass surface with a soft, non-abrasive cloth. Many LCD-monitor camcorders come with a cloth designed for just this purpose.

The traditional eyepiece-style viewfinder can be a little more difficult to clean. Most of them consist of two surfaces: the small diopter lens that magnifies the viewfinder, and the face of the actual image-bearing viewfinder itself. In this type of viewfinder, the lens portion sometimes flips up to reveal the viewfinder portion beneath. With any luck, the viewfinder itself won't get any debris or dirt inside it, and so won't require much in the way of cleaning beyond a quick air blast to remove dust particles. The lens, however, often comes in contact with eyelashes and eyelids, which leave deposits of lashes, dust, dirt and skin oils that must be removed carefully with a lens cloth.

Rule number nine (and final): use common sense, and always handle your camcorder with conscientious care. Remember that it is a very delicate piece of machinery that can quit working forever if you drop it just once. There hasn't been a shock-proof camcorder invented yet, nor one that is completely impervious to water, dust and grime. Follow these few simple rules, however, and you should have a camcorder that will last decades and never wake you up for a 3:00 a.m. feeding.