[whistlingmarmot]

I have a Cannon S50 digital camera. I noticed it’s getting kind of dusty on some of the sensors/lens. Can I just buy a generic lens cleaning kit and use it on the camera? Seems like a basic deal, but any comments are appreciated.

[xterminus]

I wear glasses, so I just use my anti-fogging eyeglass wipes. I keep a couple in my camera case for when my own lenses fog up or get dirty, and then just use the rest on camera. I like that they're wet with alcohol too - which removes any gook build-up. The regular lense cleaning cloth that came with the camera doesn't seem to work as well. I buy my wipes at longs drugs, but I think they have them at walgreens too. A pack of 30 wipes should run 3 or 4 bucks. They look like those sanitary wipes that are included in first aid kits or if you prefer - the chicken-grease remover wipes you get with kentucky fried chicken. One tip. If your camera accepts filters, buy an el-cheapo uv filter and keep it on your camera all the time. This way your camera lense will never actually get dirty, and if you scratch the filter - you just go buy another for 2 bucks. It also helps extend the life of digital cameras as sunlight will eventually wreck the ccd array.

[Tom]

Get a lens pen - under $10 at any local camera shop. For something like the S50 you'll want the "mini" (smaller diameter) pen. A high volume blower brush is good thing to have too (unless you get fingerprints on the lens it's all you need to keep the lens clean and dust free).