This is a just an addition to Aimee Baldridge's educative and valuable article published here on the subject. I agree with everything she has written and want just to add a few more lines from my 15 year old experience as a serious amateur in the field of photography and lens maintenance.

Digital cameras have the same optic mulicoated lenses as 35mm, 6x45, and large format cameras. Some SLR manufacturers continue today with SLR lenses for SLR shaped bodies which have digital CCD inside instead of the film at the rear nodal plane. Digital lenses however as a general have smaller diameters to suit the smaller equivalent format in comparison to the 35mm format, and compact digitals have even smaller lenses fitted.

Now to the tips.

1. Early check and prevention. Lens fungus as Aimee has said, love humidity and darkness. Therefore open your camera and check periodically (if possible front to back as in case of detachable SLR lenses) to notice one or more minute clustures of wavy lines branching out from a central dot like a spider's web. This most common lens eater is the oligodendral asci whose spores come and settle on the outer surface of your lens's prime element in the beginning. (OK. Your camera lens's outer surface!). Wipe it off very gently with absolutely no pressure using a very soft lens tissue paper and a lens cleaner. Do not use an ordinary rag and water! Never use a chamoise leather piece! If you are successful you have saved your lens. If not then get hold of an electronic flash gun and fire it repeatedly on the lens. The flashlight falling on the fungus shall kill its spread and arrest it temporarily. Take your camera to a camera repair shop and hope for the best. Even if the fungus has attacked inner elements, which you can not reach (and should not reach if you are not known to repair lenses) the flashlight will stop all fungal activity in your entire lens. Every time you store your camera for a good period of rest fire an electronic flash on the lens before packing.

2. Preventive storage of cameras, lenses and ( for non digital cameras, the negatives and transparencies). Aimee has very correctly advised the use of dessicants/dehydrants in form of silica gell bags in your camera cases. Photographers all over the world pack these in SLR bodies, lens cases and in camera bags and cases when doing outdoor work. When you are back in your home, have a strong wall mounted wooden/plyboard showcase with glass doors (sliding on rails if possible) with a wired socket inside for mounting a 0 watt clear electric bulb using 110/220 volts direct current and have that bulb switched on always. Your cost of electricity consumed will be very very small in comparison to the cost of repairing (or God forbid losing permanently) a fungus eaten lens in you expensive camera. Store your entire camera system in here and forget lens fungus. Your negatives and slides that are also commonly damaged by fungii shall also stay safe in here with guarantee.

3. General lens care. Keep your fingertips away from your camera lens and view finder. Educate yourself to remember this common human carelessness that also invites fungus spores other than smudges. Use soft lens tissues and specialised lens cleaning detergents to clean your fingerprints. Use a blower (not a blower brush) to blow away the occasional dust spec. Never blow air on you lens from your mouth. You could blow in a good amount of vaporised mucous from your mouth to ask bacteria and fungus spores to come in and colonise! Never try to vaporise the lens surface with hot breath to wipe the surface afterwards. These are not your ordinary daily wear opticals. Where possible use plastic or metal lens caps or hoods. Avoid taking your camera to seacoasts and waterfalls where a high degree of humidity persists. If at all shooting there, clean your lens in the manner described above after returning to normal environments.

This is my own regimen. I would like folks that read this to comment in these columns.

Thanks.