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Just purchased a used camera, I think the person smoked, should I be concerend?


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Hello,

 

I just purchased a Canon Elan II Body only from an eBay camera reseller for

$30. When I got the camera today it was in a camera bag that smelled like

cigarette smoke (which I promptly threw in the trash). The camera body, mirror

etc. look fine, I cleaned the camera body really good with diluted Simple Green

and the cloth didn't appear to have the usual tobacco residue you see when you

clean up something from a smoker. I cleaned the mirror and screen with a

chemical lens cleaner.

 

Should I be concerned that the camera has been in such an enviroment? Is there

anything else I should do before taking it out shooting.

 

I was thinking of contacting the eBay seller, but I'm tight on cash and I'm

happy that the camera even works for the price.

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hi don't really understand your concern here. unless there are residues of tobacco inside the camera that degrades the picture taking ability what does it matter if it came from a smokey enviroment? give the outside a clean with a clean dusting cloth and leave it close to some perfume if you like for an evening! a drop of aftershave on the bottom of the camera left overnight would eliminate all other smell.
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I was hoping this wasn't going to come off as "Paranoia" I was just curious if I should be concerned at all for the functionality of the camera, I don't care if the person smoked or not.

 

Thanks for the cologne/fabric softner suggestions Im going to try that.

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I once returned a camera I bought on eBay because some former owner smoked. When I first took it out of the box it smelled like an ashtray. It was out of the box for a couple of days. Still smelled like an ashtray. I just knew I wasn't going to be happy with that.
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Dennis, for God's sake...I smoke too, and my camera(s) are all OK. Worry about pollution from cars and industry, and all the food additives, and all excessive vitamin content in everything you eat, and the way your food is grown - now this is something to worry about...
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I was given a Nikon camera that had been owned by an elderly lady scientist who smoked excessively, and eventually died in a house fire related to her smoking. That was over ten years ago. the camera still smells of smoke. I've used it a few times, and so far have not developed any strange symptoms and the resultant photographs look like any you might expect from a camera of its quality.
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Oh dear an anti smoker :) ... you should be more concerned about whether he had leprosy or aids :) ... I dont think you will should have any problems with it Dennis .. If you do have quality problems put it into a shop for a clean/service it would still be a cheap camera.. Regards ~peter~
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We poison our air daily with the fumes from Cars, Trucks, Cow flatulence, etc, etc. Our water is judged not by how pure it is, but how few toxins are in it. If that werent enough, there's a giant asteroid that will wipe out all life hurling toward us due to arrive in 2012. And you're afraid of a little smoke? Send the camera to me, I'll use it with verve, like it was the last camera I will ever own, and it just might be---hmmm
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I guess I shouldn't have asked such an obtuse question, I didn't mean to offend anyone that is a smoker.

 

I know pollution is dangerous, I know the food we eat isn't as clean as we think, I know the world can blow up at any second and nothing will matter.

 

I should of worded the question differently, I just wanted to know if the smoke could possibly affect the picture quality.

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my camera and lens and camera box is so soaked by bonefire smoke that now the whole bookcase they live in between trips is smelling like an old log cabin<br>

(btw i like the smell)<br>

this smell pollution contimues for about five years<br>

i guess it is the plastic trim that soaked the smoke smell<br>

still everything work fine<br>

(i've never tried to get rid of the smell so can't give any real advice)

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Smoke and other air pollutants can affect the lens via a thin coating, which can be readily cleaned. Most older cameras were produced when over 50% of the population smoked and it doesn't have seemed to have hurt the cameras at all.
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When I was actively working on optical instrumentation, I could often tell when the operator was a smoker because of the brown stain on the optical surfaces. (Probably all the surfaces had the stain, but it wasn't important.) The exposed lenses and mirrors always cleaned up OK and there seemed to be little deterioration of performance. I wouldn't worry about it.
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Thankfully it was just a body, so no lens to worry about. The body it's self didn't smell to bad, and with the simple green it cleaned up nice. The camera bag it was stored in smells like it absorbed most of the smoke. I plan on taking it out tomorrow for a test shoot and see how the pics come out.
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