There are lots of good reasons for pensioning off my old Nikon D50. There’s the 6-megapixel CCD, for example, the tiny low-res screen on the back, the lack of any kind of video and a viewfinder barely larger than keyhole. (Not that I spend a lot of time looking through keyholes.)
But the thing that finally did it was the sticky grip! I bemoaned my old camera's fate in my sticky Nikon D50 news story last week. But it’s not just Nikon DSLRs – lots of products with textured rubberised surfaces go horribly sticky over time. Which is what I found out from scores of helpful DCW readers who emailed in with their ingenious solutions for fixing everything from sticky umbrella handles to tacky hi-fi dials.
One was to try a paste of baking soda and a little water, but I didn’t want to risk that getting pushed into the memory card door hinge. Another was to try talc or French chalk, but I didn’t have any in the house.
The overwhelming majority, however, suggested isopropyl alcohol, or rubbing alcohol. I didn’t have any of that, either, but I did have some alcohol-based hand sanitizer so I though that was worth a go.
And it worked! It took a bit of effort and a few sheets of paper kitchen towels, but they came away a yucky yellow color and took the stickiness with them.
I now have a pristine, non-sticky Nikon D50 that looks as good (probably) as it did when it left the factory way back in 2005. The grip looks a little more polished than perhaps it did back in the day, but this camera has a big solid grip anyway and it hasn’t made it any more difficult to hold.
Now, if someone has a magic cleaning solution that can enlarge that 2-inch screen (yes, it really is a 2-inch screen) and maybe rub in some more pixels, that would be just great.
A big thanks to everyone who replied to the original story.
Read more:
• Best cameras for beginners
• Best Nikon cameras
• Best DSLRs
