So what was the consensus on how to clean lens? Currently, I'm using a "Photographic lens cleaner" that I bought from London Drugs. I use it along with a dust free wipe and a microfibre cloth to dry the lens (as the dust free wipe doesn't really absorb moisutre that well so the fluid just sits on the lens)

The lens cleaner fluid was fairly cheap...about $3 for a 60ml bottle.

^^^ You're using too much fluid. Try not to use the micro-fibre too often, as small particles of dust & dirt can get trapped in the fibres and scratch the coatings.

Here's what I do:
1) blow of any loose dust/dirt with a blower.
1) use a lens tissue Tiffen/Kodak to wipe any more stubborn partices.
3) use another sheet of tissue with a drop or two of cleaning fluid to clean the lens element if there are any oil residue or stains.
4) let any excess fluid evaporate. There should not be so much that you need to use another piece of tissue or cloth to wipe off excess fluid.

I've got this Hoya lens cleanign cloth that is for eyeglasses..
Is it safe to use that cloth to lightly buff the lens? or to just kinda dust the dust off of it?

lol i swear, all hes trying to do is clean the filter why go through all that trouble, spit on it and wipe it with your shirt or something. when i said filter off i meant the filter being uber clean or not wont exactly matter. and im sure people arn't buying filters for flare control.

I find the staff at London Drugs are more knowlegeble on photo products than some major photo chains (vistek etc...)

Your post makes no sense. :(

I use a microfiber cloth to clean my lenses. Breathe on it, and wipe it.

i was just reading on a photog mag that breathing on it might be the best solution, and as a 'tip and trick' it suggested the use of cigarette rolling paper or something along those lines to wipe the lens with since it 'won't scratch the lens'

where's a good place to buy the suggested tiffen/kodak lens tissue?

Beau, Leo's, etc...

Not so sure about using cigarette paper though.

To bring an old thread back,

Senna, what cleaning fluid do you speak/recommend of?

Tiffen, Zeiss & ROR all make good cleaning fluids.

are they all safe for multi-coated glass?

yep.

^great, gonna pick some fluid up!

fyi for anyone that is intrested, Broadway Camera does not sell Lens Tissue, but they sell Optex cleaning fluid

I went to Lens And Shutter (open on sundays) and they had Tiffen Lens Cleaning Tissues, but ran out of fluid.

Yeah gonna have to pick some fluid/tissue myself and this gonna be first time cleaning my 3 lens.......

is this really ok? Meguiars?

http://reviews.davidleetong.com/?p=842#more-842

^
you don't know if the Meguiars has any extra chemicals that maybe harmful to the lens coating. Initially you may not notice a difference, but maybe after time, that coating could be broken down, and washed away. I would stick to the cleaners that are made for photography lenses.

I don't think it worth trying to save the extra buck, when your cleaning glass that is more expensive than a car windshield.

I found the Tiffen cleaning solution that Senna mentioned previously works fine.

WTF....go ahead and try it....I dare you.

That stuff is not guaranteed for optics or optical coatings, so I personally would not use it. A bottle of lens cleaner is $7, and will last you years.

on a related note.

being a big noob i am from SLR cameras, i was taking pictures in downtown while it was raining. obviously my lens started getting droplets of rain so i decided to wipe it with the only thing i can wipe it with... my cotton material jacket. i started wiping when i saw an oily film haze into the lens. i kept wiping but it wouldnt go away. then someone made me realize that it was the lens coating so i was like "oh shit"!
long story short, did i just wipe out my lens coating? and is there anyway to get the lens re-coated?

i always soak my lenses in water for a few minutes and then just leave it out in the sun to let it dry! : D
















no not really.. lens pen ftw : )

No, the coatings on the lens is not that fragile. It's more likely that it's the oils in the fabric, or dirt in the raindrops, so don't worry. You can use a clean 100% cotton shirt to wipe your lens too, but a shirt that's been worn for a day or two will have oil/dirt in the fabric, so you'll get the smearing.

does beau sell ROR? When ever I finnish my Tiffen cleaner, I want to try out some ROR. I heard that stuff is the best out there.

Yerp.

*sigh*
smeared my LX3 accidentally today and now i have this grease mark...
are all the tissue/cleaners you guys suggested for any lenses? even the small P&S lenses?

thanks

Yup!