used camera advice needed

jeff lapoint

hello all!

quick question for you:
just bought a used black 300d for my brother in law's birthday gift. camera arrived today in perfect condition (despite UPS' best efforts...do they play rugby with these things?) and exactly as described. put it through a few pics with several different lenses and no worries save for one...

it appears the former owner, while a man who babies his gear, was an indoor smoker. camera, battery, charger, and box all have a bit of the ash tray funk about them. i got a good deal on the camera and it works and looks great, but giving a gift that smells like last night in vegas...

i bought it off FM and i was under the impression that people stated if they were a smoker or not (wrong impression, you have to ask!). to be honest, i may have bought it even if i knew 'cause it was a good deal.

any idea how to get this bad boy smelling better? not the end of the world, but i would be nice to exorcise the ghost of joe camel before the gift is unwrapped.

thanks for any/all suggestions

-jeff

Chase

jeff lapoint wrote:

hello all!

quick question for you:
just bought a used black 300d for my brother in law's birthday gift. camera arrived today in perfect condition (despite UPS' best efforts...do they play rugby with these things?) and exactly as described. put it through a few pics with several different lenses and no worries save for one...

it appears the former owner, while a man who babies his gear, was an indoor smoker. camera, battery, charger, and box all have a bit of the ash tray funk about them. i got a good deal on the camera and it works and looks great, but giving a gift that smells like last night in vegas...

i bought it off FM and i was under the impression that people stated if they were a smoker or not (wrong impression, you have to ask!). to be honest, i may have bought it even if i knew 'cause it was a good deal.

any idea how to get this bad boy smelling better? not the end of the world, but i would be nice to exorcise the ghost of joe camel before the gift is unwrapped.

thanks for any/all suggestions

-jeff

Maybe wipe down everything that you can to get ash residue off of it.....let it sit next to a fan or something?

If it were anything but a camera I would say febreeze it, but that might be such a good idea. :uhoh

pathfinder

Chase wrote:

Maybe wipe down everything that you can to get ash residue off of it.....let it sit next to a fan or something?

If it were anything but a camera I would say febreeze it, but that might be such a good idea. :uhoh

I'd lightly wipe off the outside of the body with eyeglass cleaning solution - this is usually water + isopropyl alcohol mixture - and should be safe for the optical or painted surfaces. The strap could be removed and washed in soap and water perhaps. Lens surfaces if coated with smoke externally can be cleaned with sensor swabs and methyl alcohol or eyeglass cleaning solution water+isopropyl alcohol.

I'd also sit the camera outside in subdued sunlight or shade and fresh air for a few hours - taking care not to let it get too warm sitting in direct sunlight. I suspect these measures will remove most of your olfactory distress.

bfjr

Hi DocJeff, congrats on the purchase
How did your test go ?
I'm a smoker and use a product called "Plexus" found at most cycle shops. Can't say I've used it on the camera but it's could stuff of course only for the outside, spray some on a micro fiber cloth and give it a go. I got a bunch at home if we can hook up.

robscomputer

Wiping down the camera is a good idea. I would perfer to use those small handie wipes designed for notebook screens. They have a light solution to cut oils but not enough to damage any plastics on the camera.

For the smell I would think a great cleaning would help, getting down with q-tips into every crack but the best solution might be baking soda. I would try leaving the camera and some baking soda inside a large sealed plastic bag. Just have a box of baking soda open and this should elimate some of the smell. Be careful to not spill any while inside the bag.

If this doesn't work I'm not sure how besides a heavy detailed cleaning out help?

Rob

jeff lapoint

Chase wrote:

Maybe wipe down everything that you can to get ash residue off of it.....let it sit next to a fan or something?

If it were anything but a camera I would say febreeze it, but that might be such a good idea. :uhoh

thanks chase. maybe i should stop weaving this potpourri camera case...

jeff lapoint

pathfinder wrote:

I'd lightly wipe off the outside of the body with eyeglass cleaning solution - this is usually water + isopropyl alcohol mixture - and should be safe for the optical or painted surfaces. The strap could be removed and washed in soap and water perhaps. Lens surfaces if coated with smoke externally can be cleaned with sensor swabs and methyl alcohol or eyeglass cleaning solution water+isopropyl alcohol.

I'd also sit the camera outside in subdued sunlight or shade and fresh air for a few hours - taking care not to let it get too warm sitting in direct sunlight. I suspect these measures will remove most of your olfactory distress.

thanks so much for the reply and the suggestions pathfinder sounds like a good plan. i'll let you know how it turn out!

jeff lapoint

bfjr wrote:

Hi DocJeff, congrats on the purchase
How did your test go ?
I'm a smoker and use a product called "Plexus" found at most cycle shops. Can't say I've used it on the camera but it's could stuff of course only for the outside, spray some on a micro fiber cloth and give it a go. I got a bunch at home if we can hook up.

ben,

the stuff must work 'cause i missed the fact that you were a smoker! and where was that magic spray when i was trying to be careful about sneaking smokes in high school?

the test? i think it went well, and i especially appreciate you asking! 8 hours of hell...when i got home all i wanted to do was sleep, but my had wife put together a surprise party for me. i'll take margaritas over napping any day scroe reports are due in two weeks--i'll keep ya updated

-j

jeff lapoint

robscomputer wrote:

Wiping down the camera is a good idea. I would perfer to use those small handie wipes designed for notebook screens. They have a light solution to cut oils but not enough to damage any plastics on the camera.

For the smell I would think a great cleaning would help, getting down with q-tips into every crack but the best solution might be baking soda. I would try leaving the camera and some baking soda inside a large sealed plastic bag. Just have a box of baking soda open and this should elimate some of the smell. Be careful to not spill any while inside the bag.

If this doesn't work I'm not sure how besides a heavy detailed cleaning out help?

Rob

rob,

thanks for the reply. i have several of those wipes around, so i'll give that a shot as well.

-J

binghott

i'd maybe try one of those clorox wipes things.

this reminded me of the times my camera would smell like the sea after i'd been taking pictures by the water all day. it didn't smell that badly, but i could really smell it when my nose was up against the camera while taking a picture.

jeff lapoint

binghott wrote:

i'd maybe try one of those clorox wipes things.

this reminded me of the times my camera would smell like the sea after i'd been taking pictures by the water all day. it didn't smell that badly, but i could really smell it when my nose was up against the camera while taking a picture.

thanks for the reply barry! by the way, yur avitar pic kicks a**. i feel the same way with my 400

herion

Hi,

There is a *safe* way to use the Febreeze ...

Squirt some on a paper towel and crumple it up. Put the camera and the towel in a LARGE ziploc bag. Make sure the bag is large enough that the towel doesn't touch the camera. Seal it up overnight and by the morning, everything should be April fresh!

Good luck!

jeff lapoint

herion wrote:

Hi,

There is a *safe* way to use the Febreeze ...

Squirt some on a paper towel and crumple it up. Put the camera and the towel in a LARGE ziploc bag. Make sure the bag is large enough that the towel doesn't touch the camera. Seal it up overnight and by the morning, everything should be April fresh!

Good luck!

good call! you just have to respect a man who can apply diffusion

(my old man can do this...but he mainly uses it to clear rooms rather than clean cameras of smoke smell)

KA0TVO

jeff lapoint wrote:

hello all!

quick question for you:
just bought a used black 300d for my brother in law's birthday gift. camera arrived today in perfect condition (despite UPS' best efforts...do they play rugby with these things?) and exactly as described. put it through a few pics with several different lenses and no worries save for one...

it appears the former owner, while a man who babies his gear, was an indoor smoker. camera, battery, charger, and box all have a bit of the ash tray funk about them. i got a good deal on the camera and it works and looks great, but giving a gift that smells like last night in vegas...

i bought it off FM and i was under the impression that people stated if they were a smoker or not (wrong impression, you have to ask!). to be honest, i may have bought it even if i knew 'cause it was a good deal.

any idea how to get this bad boy smelling better? not the end of the world, but i would be nice to exorcise the ghost of joe camel before the gift is unwrapped.

thanks for any/all suggestions

-jeff

Jeff,
Well, used car salesmen use the fabric softner that comes in sheets. They put it under the seats and floor, roll up the windows and in about 24 hours it smells fresh. Perhaps you could just store it in a box with several sheete of snuggles or whatever, wouldn't suggest wiping it however. This does work well for cars.

jeff lapoint

KA0TVO wrote:

Jeff,
Well, used car salesmen use the fabric softner that comes in sheets. They put it under the seats and floor, roll up the windows and in about 24 hours it smells fresh. Perhaps you could just store it in a box with several sheete of snuggles or whatever, wouldn't suggest wiping it however. This does work well for cars.

another great idea! you guys are en fuego

pathfinder

jeff lapoint wrote:

another great idea! you guys are en fuego

I don't want to be a party pooper here - but Plexus and Febreeze and Fabric softeners tend to be based on wax or silicone bases - especially Plexus and fabric softeners. Baking soda breaks down to an acid. I would not want my camera in a plastic bag with these ageents for fear that the optical surfaces could be degraded by coating with these agents via a vapor phase. Wax on your mirror will be a headache to remove without damging the mirror. :uhoh I would not want my camera inside a non- porous plastic bag unless I was out in the rain. Optical goods are not shipped in plastic bags, but porous paper with silca gel packets to absorb moisture. I would worry about condensation inside lens elements if the camera was stored in a plastic bag. I think that is a very bad idea!! Baking soda gives off carbon dioxide - along with water this hydrolizes to form acid and bicarbonate - again - I would not want carbonic acid in a plastic bag with my camera either.

Removing the odor is fine - as long as the camera is not harmed in the process - first - do no harm - right?:): That is why I suggested a MILD water and alcohol solution used to dampen a soft cotton cloth suitable for cleaning glass. This should not harm the cameras exterior, nor will it harm the optical surfaces of the mirror, or lens elements, or viewfinder. Just my opinion, but I have used this on my cameras and lenses without apparent harm. I would NOT use Plexus or Febreeze or Fabric softener anywhere near my cameras.clap

dragon300zx

Pathfinder is 100% right on this one. Lets go back to high school science guys. Alot of these suggestions are not so hot for a camera. Best choice if you ask me isn't even eyeglass cleaner. Use lense or sensor cleaner for the glass. But for the rest of the body get 99% rubbing alchol dampen a cloth with it and lightly rub off the body, not getting it wet but whipping it clean. We use this in the IT field all the time for cleaning monitors computers printers, etc.

pathfinder

dragon300zx wrote:

Pathfinder is 100% right on this one. Lets go back to high school science guys. Alot of these suggestions are not so hot for a camera. Best choice if you ask me isn't even eyeglass cleaner. Use lense or sensor cleaner for the glass. But for the rest of the body get 99% rubbing alchol dampen a cloth with it and lightly rub off the body, not getting it wet but whipping it clean. We use this in the IT field all the time for cleaning monitors computers printers, etc.

::):roflthumb

jeff lapoint

10-4 on moisture risk (and high school science)

only alcohol wipes used on camera exterior. camera is airing out (with lens on) and dryer sheets are stuffed in the box. hand washed the stap and dried it outside overnight. put it into a zip lock with dryer sheet.

thanks for all the suggestions regardless of moisture risk. i appreciate all the responses!

-j

jeff lapoint

jeff lapoint wrote:

another great idea! you guys are en fuego

again, i really appreciate all the responces (i very rarely get this many:uhoh ). in my excitement i kinda neglected to realize someone may look these up later and damage their gear. heed the advice above about moisture!