[ALTypeS]

i bought this optical paper/some liquid shit

and it doesnt work at all...what can i use or buy to clean my lens

im so mad now cause its worse than before

[kumo]

zeiss lens clothes. pre-moistened in little packages... best ever

[ALTypeS]

Originally posted by kumo
zeiss lens clothes. pre-moistened in little packages... best ever

can I find this at any camera store?


the optical paper i used had like..lint..and it just smeared. then i used a blower to get rid of the lint and the brissels started to fall off...guess that what happens when i buy cheap shit (didnt know it was cheap until now)..then i used one of those cloths for camera lens (looks like ones used for glasses) and that didnt work either...grrrr

[Senna4ever]

I hope you didn't scratch the coating on your lens!

[ALTypeS]

Originally posted by Senna4ever
I hope you didn't scratch the coating on your lens!

it actually isnt my lens...i bought this thing that goes over it...i dont know what its called..something that screws on

[k.dub]

I bought the visibledust brushes and they seem to work great!!

they are expensive, but if it cause $60-80 to bring your camera in for cleaning (plus the downtime) the brushes pay for themselves after a couple cleans.

www.visibledust.com

[dub.dub]

a filter?

[Bonjour43MA]

Originally posted by ALTypeS
it actually isnt my lens...i bought this thing that goes over it...i dont know what its called..something that screws on

a filter?

[ALTypeS]

Originally posted by dub.dub
a filter?

i guess, not sure if they call it that cause its only there to protect the lens...nothing else

[ALTypeS]

Originally posted by k.dub
I bought the visibledust brushes and they seem to work great!!

they are expensive, but if it cause $60-80 to bring your camera in for cleaning (plus the downtime) the brushes pay for themselves after a couple cleans.

www.visibledust.com

i dont think i want to try to clean my sensor on my own

only thing i saw on the site for cleaning lenses was that microfiber cloth

[Jomo]

I dont clean my lenses aside from using a blower. A little dust settling on the front element does nothing, and if you clean it improperly you're more likely to cause more harm to the lens than leaving it.

[k.dub]

You can buy the Optex cleaning cloth from London drugs for $12

http://www.gentec-intl.com/Default.asp?mode=prd&div_id=&prod_id=B200

[Nintensity]

I want to bump this because I didn't want to make another thread.

I recently bought iKlear for my Laptop and computer screens. its a special solution that helps remove any smudges/dirtspots/whatever to make your screen look spick-span new.. but that's ONLY for screens... but would that work for lens as well? i know its a dumb question, but the iKlear is made to get rid of smudges, dustspots, etc.

[Senna4ever]

I want to bump this because I didn't want to make another thread.

I recently bought iKlear for my Laptop and computer screens. its a special solution that helps remove any smudges/dirtspots/whatever to make your screen look spick-span new.. but that's ONLY for screens... but would that work for lens as well? i know its a dumb question, but the iKlear is made to get rid of smudges, dustspots, etc.

NO! Don't even think of using it unless it is specifically written that it is OK for lens coatings!

[keitaro]

I hear a lot people rave about using the "lens pen". they should sell it at most camera stores. If not I've seen them at London Drugs.

[Senna4ever]

I wouldn't dare use a lens pen either. There's a reason they're sold at London Drugs and not at proper camera stores. ;)

[77civic1200]

I bought a lens pen at Kerrisdale camera, is that not a "proper camera store"? is everything that London drugs sells junk? cause that would mean the 580EXII I was looking at the other day must have been junk, I find that surprising.

[Soundy]

http://www.briwaxwoodcare.com/images%20steel%20wool/SW%208pad--pack-a_thumb.gif

[Senna4ever]

I bought a lens pen at Kerrisdale camera, is that not a "proper camera store"? is everything that London drugs sells junk? cause that would mean the 580EXII I was looking at the other day must have been junk, I find that surprising.
Well, it is a canon... ;)

What I meant was, places like London Drugs tend to sell lower end accessories for the consumer/amateur market, such as Tiffen or non-coated Hoya filters...products that a professional would never use. Kerrisdale isn't much different, really. Save for 1 or 2 staff, none of the sales staff are very knowledgeable. They do have a good camera line-up in stock, but the other things like accessories tend to be geared more towards the consumer/amateur market.

I don't trust the Lens Pen/Arctic Butterfly type products because if used improperly, the potential to damage lens coatings is quite large. Single use cleaners like the PhotoSol/Visible Dust swabs for sensors and plain old dust free lens tissues are in theory safer to use.

[on]

i have a 80mm 35 year old carl zeiss with tons of visible dust and scratches on it, also a liquid like substance im guessing its the oil around the edges of the glass

the images it produces are sharper and cleaner than my 85 1.2 canon

i personally believe that minor scratches/dust etc only affect resell value. filters on lenses are like... cheese burgers still in its wrapping

[[HuCk DuCk]]

I don't trust the Lens Pen/Arctic Butterfly type products because if used improperly, the potential to damage lens coatings is quite large. Single use cleaners like the PhotoSol/Visible Dust swabs for sensors and plain old dust free lens tissues are in theory safer to use.

but the same can be said of any product. you could spend an arm and a leg on a high rated DIY cleaning and still screw up majorly.

[Senna4ever]

i have a 80mm 35 year old carl zeiss with tons of visible dust and scratches on it, also a liquid like substance im guessing its the oil around the edges of the glass

the images it produces are sharper and cleaner than my 85 1.2 canon

i personally believe that minor scratches/dust etc only affect resell value. filters on lenses are like... cheese burgers still in its wrapping
The images may be sharper, but I'm 100% sure you'll have more flaring & ghosting in the same lighting conditions.

[Senna4ever]

;6198178']but the same can be said of any product. you could spend an arm and a leg on a high rated DIY cleaning and still screw up majorly.
Not really. Arctic Butterfly/Lens Pen type products are reuseable, and the inherent problem with those problems are that any hard particles trapped in the bristles can potentially scratch the surface of the lens/sensor. Single use products do not have this problem.

[on]

The images may be sharper, but I'm 100% sure you'll have more flaring & ghosting in the same lighting conditions.

most of us on this forum are amateurs. i doubt everyone on here is making their living off photography. so with that said they're probably qualified to use lower end stuff as suggested lens pen etc.

i dont think the starter of the thread have very high end glass that requires lab quality cleaning tools. if the cleaning tools are more expensive than the lens then whats the point. i wouldn't worry about uv/sky filters and specialty cleaning tools until real lenses like the high-end nikon ones are used. even then if shooting in a controlled location/studio i would suggest taking the filter off before shooting.

oh, and i totally think flare is the new black

[Senna4ever]

The OP stated that whatever he bought didn't work. It doesn't matter if the lens is high end or not. Flare in an image can ruin an otherwise usable image...and in some cases can make the image - like in some backlit fashion shots a la Candace Meyer.

Taking any protective filter off in a studio setting is a given, BTW.

[syee]

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.

[Senna4ever]

^^^ 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.

[JLC]

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?

[on]

The OP stated that whatever he bought didn't work. It doesn't matter if the lens is high end or not. Flare in an image can ruin an otherwise usable image...and in some cases can make the image - like in some backlit fashion shots a la Candace Meyer.

Taking any protective filter off in a studio setting is a given, BTW.

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.

[Meowjin]

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

[Senna4ever]

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.

Your post makes no sense. :(

[MikesJo]

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

[ddr]

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?

[Senna4ever]

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.

[keitaro]

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.

To bring an old thread back,

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

[Senna4ever]

To bring an old thread back,

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

Tiffen, Zeiss & ROR all make good cleaning fluids.

[keitaro]

Tiffen, Zeiss & ROR all make good cleaning fluids.

are they all safe for multi-coated glass?

[Senna4ever]

yep.

[keitaro]

^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.

[wahyinghung]

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

[ddr]

is this really ok? Meguiars?

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

[keitaro]

^
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.

[Senna4ever]

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.

[haymura]

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?

[Kim Jong Un]

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 : )

[Senna4ever]

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?
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.

[keitaro]

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.

[Senna4ever]

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.

[XTC_604_DKNY]

*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

[Senna4ever]

Yup!

[keitaro]

Yerp.

gotta pick some up when my tiffen is out, whenever that is.

Is ROR generally the same price, or is it a more premium cleaner?

[ddr]

i'm happy with my little tiffen bottle

but has anyone tried the Amazon.com: Purosol Optical Cleaner: Camera & Photo@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31iHc4lTwbL.@@AMEPARAM@@31iHc4lTwbL before?

[!MiKrofT]

I just bought a big tub of Optico cleaning wipes from Costco. Around $10 for 150. They seem to work better than Zeiss for me. Made with DuPont Sontara hypoallergenic, non woven fabric. They're also pre-moistened and individually wrapped.