This is what Burning Man playa dust will do to your camera [horror story]

Burning man is probably one of the best places in the world to get some exciting photos going. Sadly, not without a price.

Roger Cicala of LensRental tells that after each Burning Man festival he s faced with the task of cleaning (and sometimes scraping) the gear that came back from the Playa. It is not that the cameras are getting sand in them. They are getting dust. And lots of it. If you’ve ever been to Burning Man, you know how all encompassing the Playa can be. And by all encompassing, I mean getting everywhere.

Sadly, everywhere also means inside your camera. Even an hermetically, weather sealed camera would need an occasional card replacement and battery swap. (I think you would know better than to change lenses). But most cameras are not hermetically sealed, and they take some damage.

Add to this the fact that the Playa dust is really fine alkali dust, it can really get your gear. This Nikon D810 was on the playa, and LensRental opened it up to see the results.

The lead photo on the post and the one below, show the exterior of the camera. you know the saying, “Dust which appeared in the first act, will kill your camera on the third“.

But, the dust does not end here. The Playa dust is a special kind of dust, it’s extra fine so it really can get anywhere, here are some sample courtesy of LensRental: