dust ! is it really a problem.

[John King]

Gidday TL

One really needs to buy dust/weather-sealed lenses for your camera. These have seals and O rings around all the openings into the lens, and also have some kind of 'breathing apparatus' so that the lens does not suck air either from the outside or through the camera body when it is focusing, zooming and just from flaying around in the environment.

We live on a dusty planet. Dust is the part that's left behind after the soft parts of the Himalayas have worn down to a flat plain. Dust particles are therefore extremely hard, and can cause serious damage to lens elements, and to the working parts of the lens through abrasion and bogging them up inside.

Camera bodies can also allow air to be sucked through them into the lens.

I have two non-sealed bodies and two sealed bodies. Neither have dust problems. About half my lenses are sealed, the other half not. To date, none of them have any dust (oldest body and lenses are about 13 y.o.). I don't baby my gear, but nor do I ill treat it.

I also use protective filters on all but two of my lenses. I have never yet damaged the front element of a lens, or its coatings, by cleaning the filter ... .