Three tips for sprucing up your SLR for fall

If your SLR got a good workout this summer, it probably needs a little TLC to make sure it's in tip-top shape for fall and the holidays. Here are some ways to make sure that it's ready when you need it:

Clean the sensor. If you are seeing spots over and over in your images, there may be dust either on the camera's sensor or a lens. If your camera has a sensor cleaning function, use it. Then, to see if the dust is gone, set the camera's aperture to its smallest size, say f/22, and photograph a solid white surface, such as a blank piece of paper or plain wall.

If the spots are still there, the dust may be on your lens. To check, repeat the above photographic procedure with a different lens. If the spots remain, the dust is on your sensor. (If the spots disappear with a different lens, you'll need to clean the lens that produced the spots. See the next tip, below).

Unless you've removed dust from a sensor before, it's best to consult with an expert at a good camera store, who may be able to remove the dust quickly and easily using a handheld air blower. This is not canned, pressurized air, which should never be used to clean a sensor.

If you bring the camera to a store and the staff can't remove the dust with a blower, or there is no camera specialty store near where you live, contact the camera's manufacturer. You may need to ship the camera to them or an authorized repair facility for cleaning.

Clean your lenses and filters. If your camera has had a busy summer, there's probably dust or other contaminants on your lenses and any filters you usually attach to them. Unscrew and separate all filters and lenses and clean each gently with a lens cloth, being careful not to scratch the surface.

Refresh your memory cards. Unless you've been diligent, chances are there are photos on your memory cards that you haven't yet transferred to your computer. Now's the time to do so, both for safekeeping and to free up space on the cards for new photos. Check every card and make sure that all photos (and any videos you may have shot) have been copied to your hard drive. Once that's done, use the camera (or your computer, if you're using a card reader) to delete all the files on the card. Now is also a great time to make a backup copy of all these images from your computer's hard drive, to, say, a DVD or external hard drive. —Jeff Fox

—Jeffrey Fox