Summer is here which means, when I’m heading out on a photo walk, I’m usually reaching for a can of bug spray, sunscreen – or both. But while these summer staples help prevent me from suffering bug bites and sunburns, bug they can actually be dangerous for camera gear.
DEET (diethyltoluamide) is the active ingredient in many bug sprays, but while it’s an effective bug repellent it’s also a solvent. That means the chemical can actually eat away at plastics. The chemical can also damage the protective coatings on camera lenses.
Perhaps it seems like common sense not to take a can of bug spray and aim it at your camera, and that’s fair. But, it’s easy to get geared up for a photo walk and reach for a can and start spraying, leaving a camera uncovered and too close to residual spray. Or even an iPhone camera slightly exposed from a pocket.
The DEET left on your hands after spraying can also potentially damage the camera, in small amounts, helping to rub off labels and wear down buttons.
Photographers fighting mosquitoes and ticks don’t necessarily have to skip out on the bug spray. Leave the camera indoors or inside a camera bag when spraying. Washing your hands can also help keep residue off the camera.
Another option is to use picardin-based sprays, which studies suggest are similarly effective at preventing mosquito and tick bites. Picardin is loved for having a smell that’s less harsh than DEET-based sprays, but it also doesn’t have the plastic-eating effects.
Any spray will, at minimum, create a haze to your images if it gets on the lens, so Picardin should still be sprayed away from the camera. But, the residue left on your hands and face are thought to be safer for electronics compared to DEET.
Bug spray is not the only common summer staple that could potentially damage a camera. Aerosolized sunscreen can leave an oily coating and damage lens coatings as well. Like with bug spray, don’t spray sunscreen with a camera in the vicinity.
The chemicals in some sunscreens can be particularly damaging to the camera’s grip – washing your hands after sunscreen can help prevent the residue from building up on the grip.
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