[SkinnyPupp]

My UV filter has some dirt on it, and I would like to clean it. But I don't want to mess up the coating. Is there a particular cleaner I should use? Would water + lint-free cloth be OK?

[Senna4ever]

Distilled water would be the best, but it won't get rid of any oils on the filter. You'll need to use a dedicated lens cleaner for that. Tiffen, ROR & Zeiss make really good lens cleaning solutions, and use a microfibre cloth or lens cleaning tissue. Some of the low-end brands like Hoya, Kenko, Tiffen, Marumi have coatings that are a pain in the ass to clean, so be prepared to take a little time.

Even just breathing on the glass and using a CLEAN cotton shirt is okay.

[LiquidTurbo]

Lens cloth + breath. Good enough.

[SkinnyPupp]

Yeah it looks like they are a bit oily. It is a cheap Hoya filter I keep on when lugging my camera around. I usually take it off, which probably explains why it got dirty :lol

Thanks, I'll go pick up a Tiffen, ROR, or Zeiss cleaning kit. Wing Shing here I come :)

[Senna4ever]

Lens cloth + breath. Good enough.

Ah, but re-using a lens cloth too many times results in scratches due to minuscule dirt & dust particles caught in the cloth grinding against the coatings and glass surface. I personally only use lens tissues.

[LiquidTurbo]

Ah, but re-using a lens cloth too many times results in scratches due to minuscule dirt & dust particles caught in the cloth grinding against the coatings and glass surface. I personally only use lens tissues.

Fair enough. When I clean mine I wear a latex glove to keep the cloth free from oils.

However. How many times could you clean a filter before you damaged it to the point of where it would affect the quality of the images? Probably not an issue, really. (for day to day amateurs). I don't worry at all about the filter. They are easy/cheap to replace. The lens itself is an entirely different story though.

[Senna4ever]

With a crappy filter with soft coatings, even a few cleaning cycles can damage the coatings severely enough to affect image quality, but if you use a cheap filter on your lens it is already potentially causing noticeable image degradation anyways.

Well, I guess it depends on how picky you are.

[LiquidTurbo]

Do multi-coated filters extend cleaning cycles?

[syee]

I use the Zeiss Lens cloths (Amazon.com: Zeiss-Pre-Moistened Lens Cloths, 180ct (2 Pack): Health & Personal Care@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5198P6s7ExL.@@AMEPARAM@@5198P6s7ExL). They're pretty much just alcohol moistened lint free wipes. It was like $5 for 50 of them at Walmart and as a bonus, their packaging look like condom packaging. :D

[J____]

how many times can you clean a camera lens before it damages the coating? i used to put uv filters on all my lenses but now im deciding to go without. Even if the image quality difference is in significant with a good B+W filter, you'll still get an extra set of lens flare with a UV filter =( But im deciding if that's worth the trade off from deteriorating the lens coating from cleaning rather than cleaning the UV. Any thoughts senna?

[m3thods]

I use the Zeiss Lens cloths (Amazon.com: Zeiss-Pre-Moistened Lens Cloths, 180ct (2 Pack): Health & Personal Care (http://www.amazon.com/Zeiss-Pre-Moistened-Lens-Cloths-180ct-Pack/dp/B000J46LZU)). They're pretty much just alcohol moistened lint free wipes. It was like $5 for 50 of them at Walmart and as a bonus, their packaging look like condom packaging. :D

Still at walmart? And I guess they're in the "photography" section if they still are?

[syee]

Still at walmart? And I guess they're in the "photography" section if they still are?

Actually, it was in the optical section (where they sell glasses) in the Walmart by Queensboro Bridge.

[m3thods]

Oh sweet thanks I'll stock up then!

[mocows]

Cleaning lenses and filters is generally the same for me: Blower, glasses cleaner liquid and then lenspen (brush then carbon tip). Basically takes anything off, the carbon tip is great for oil on glass and any lcd screen.

[ddr]

how long do those lens wipes last? i'm asking b/c some similar products dry up after a while

[syee]

Since they're alcohol based, they dry up pretty quickly$ I'd say they're dry within 5 mins.

how long do those lens wipes last? i'm asking b/c some similar products dry up after a while
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[IMASA]

You guys see the vids for the new Hoya HD filters? They're supposedly "shatter proof" and claim they're easier to clean. I bought one off maxsaver and yeah they seem more resistant to getting finger prints, but still you have to clean it if you have them.

[ddr]

i mean through their lifetime when they're still in wrapper and box

[Senna4ever]

Should be years if they're the sealed packages.