Digital Camera Safety

As pieces of electronic equipment, digital cameras carry some inherent risks, if not used or maintained properly. This means practicing digital camera safety procedures is important.

Damage to the electrical components or accessories with a digital camera could lead to a fire or to a malfunctioning or broken camera. Use these tips to properly maintain, use, and protect your digital camera and to learn everything you need to know about digital camera safety.

Make Sure the Battery Charger Matches Your Model

Only use an AC adapter or battery charger that is designed specifically for your make and model of camera. Substituting electrical equipment made for other camera models could void your warranty and cause damage to the camera. It also could end up causing a fire, as the incorrect equipment could cause the battery to short-circuit.

Only Use Approved Batteries

Only use rechargeable batteries that are specifically recommended and approved for your camera. Using an ill-fitting or overly powerful battery pack could cause damage to the camera, or it could, again, cause the battery to short-circuit, causing a fire. In other words, jamming a battery pack from your old camera into your new camera is a terrible idea.

Check the Condition of the Cables

Make sure any cables you use with your camera -- AC adapters and USB cables especially -- are free from nicks and cuts. A damaged cable could cause a fire, so this is a key consideration about digital camera safety.

Don't Open the Camera Case

Do not try to fix the interior components of the camera yourself. Simply opening the camera case likely will void your warranty and could result in permanent damage to the camera.

Store the Camera Minus the Battery

Remove the batteries from the camera if you will not be using the camera for a week or more, especially if the batteries are empty. A battery left inside the camera for a long period of time is more likely to leak acid, which would damage the camera.

Don't let Batteries touch

When carrying batteries for your camera, make sure that you don't have multiple batteries in one location, where they could come into contact with each other. If the terminals on the batteries remain in contact with each other, they could cause a short and a fire. In addition, if the metal terminals come into contact with some sort of metal, such as keys or coins, the batteries also could short out, so be careful with the batteries when transporting them.

Watch the charging Process

If the camera does not charge properly or seems to "start and stop" when charging, consider sending in the camera in for repair. You may have a short inside the camera, which could cause damage to the camera.

Avoid Water

Do not expose the camera to extreme temperatures or water, unless your particular model of camera is designed for harsh conditions. In addition, avoid exposing the camera to sudden changes in temperature, especially in high humidity conditions, which could cause condensation inside the camera body, leading to damage to circuitry or the LCD.

Don't Interrupt Processes

Avoid removing the battery from the camera when the camera is in operation or is storing photos. Suddenly removing the power source while the camera is working could cause damage to data or could damage the camera's circuitry.

Choose a Storage Locale Carefully

Avoid storing the camera for extended periods of time in areas exposed to strong magnetic fields or electromagnetic radiation. Such exposures could damage the LCD or affect the camera's circuitry.

Keep Your Lens Safe Too

If you own a DSLR camera that you won't be using for a few weeks, remove the lens from the camera body. Place the caps on both ends of the lens, as well as on the camera body, to protect all of the components during storage. Clean the lens before storing it, just to make sure it'll be ready for use.