03-26-2020 - Gear, News
Best Practices: Cleaning and Disinfecting your Camera Gear
By: Jeff Berlin
We are in a new world, where films like Contagion may seem a bit more like documentaries than narrative fiction. Filmmakers and creatives are experiencing serious disruptions to their work, and to their lives, due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Since our equipment is most likely sitting idle, it’s a perfect time to discuss best practices for disinfecting and cleaning gear. And though we are in a global pandemic, life also doesn’t stop, so if you are doing any shooting, these tips, courtesy of the LensRentals.com blog, are more relevant than ever. And to be clear, no matter the type of camera, mirrorless or DLSR as shown in the article, or a cinema camera like the VENICE, the science is the same.
The author of the article, Roger Cicala of LensRentals, comments, “I’m qualified to talk about this subject to some degree; I take care of a ton of camera equipment, and I was a physician in my past life.” He also notes that most gear is pretty easy to fully disinfect, but because camera bodies present special challenges, the best practice starts with prevention - don't share your camera with someone else, but since that’s not usually an option when shooting motion pictures, limit who has access to the camera, disinfect your camera carefully, and then set it aside for 24 hours to 48 hours. There is some new data suggesting COVID-19 remains infectious on steel and plastic for up to 72 hours.
The blog post details which household cleaners are safe for your gear - lenses, bodies and accessories - and that most gear is pretty easy to disinfect. The author also states that, "if the gear hasn’t been touched or breathed on in 24 hours, it’s almost certainly safe; at 72 hours, you can take off the almost."
The full post can be seen here on the Lensrentals.com blog.
