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Television Production & Broadcast Journalism
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
Seeing little spots in a camera’s viewfi nder is not necessarily an indica-
tion that the lens is dirty. Perhaps the dirt is on the front of the viewfi nder.
Clean the viewfi nder with a soft cloth. If this does not remove the spots, the
lens should be cleaned. The following are some fi rm rules about cleaning
lenses:
• Never touch a lens with your bare fi ngers.
• Never use a cloth or tissue moistened with saliva to wipe a lens clean.
Saliva ruins the lens.
• Wipe dirt away using photographic lens paper only.
• Use compressed air from a can to blow the dirt off a lens. Never try to
blow the dirt off with your breath.
Post-Production Camera Care
While not in use, both studio cameras and camcorders should be stored
in a protected and temperature-controlled location. All the related cables
should be coiled and stored with the camera or camcorder.
Guidelines for care of a studio camera:
• Lock the pedestal and camera mounting head to prevent movement
while not in use.
• Close the iris and attach the lens cap.
• Move the camera to a safe location within the studio.
Guidelines for care of a camcorder :
• Remove the recording media from the camera , if present, and label it
properly.
• Close the iris and attach the lens cap.
• Power-off all the camera functions (light, microphone, recorder).
• Detach the camera from the tripod when transporting the equipment.
• Remove batteries from the camera, if present.
• Place the camera in its case for storage and transport, Figure 3-27.
Goodheart-Willcox Publisher
Figure 3-27. Place the
video camera in its case
for safe transport and
storage.