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Internal Damage
The principal risk to your camera from sand comes when small particles find their way into the device's body. Cameras are intricate devices, which usually have many small moving parts as well as digital circuit boards and storage. A few stray grains of sand can be enough to cause your camera's shutter to seize up, or stop its buttons from working properly. In addition, sand particles could interfere with the machines' delicate electronics, which may result in data loss.
External Damage
Sand can cause extensive wear to the outside of a camera. Although small, sand particles are highly abrasive, especially if blown about by a breeze. As such, they could scratch a camera̵7;s casing and may rub against delicate external components such as the device's viewfinder or a built-in lens. Be especially careful when near the sea, as the sand near coastal areas is often mixed with salt. Salt can cause even greater damage than sand, as it can corrode the metal parts of the camera's chassis.
Accessories
Sand can be just as dangerous to accessories such as lenses as it is to your camera itself. In particular, changing lenses in sandy areas can cause a large amount of damage, as your camera's lens fitting is effectively an open hole into the body of the machine when it doesn't have a lens attached. Also, sand can become trapped inside lenses with tubes that move in and out when you zoom them. Camera bags can also cause problems, as they may collect sand while your camera is in use and transfer that sand to the camera once the device is put back in its bag.
Preventing Damage
The only sure way to protect your camera from sand damage is not to use it in sandy areas. If this is not an option, cover the whole camera in a plastic bag and a lens hood before use. Avoid touching any sand with the camera or your hands, and wipe hands thoroughly with a dry cloth if you touch sand before touching the camera. Also clean the camera carefully after use, especially if it seems to have been exposed to sand. Gently brush off any sand you see on the body of the unit. If there's sand in the body of the camera or the camera malfunctions, send the camera to an authorized repair shop.