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03-24-2010, 07:36 PM
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#1 | | Hacked RS to become a mod
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| Cleaning a UV filter
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?
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03-24-2010, 08:30 PM
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#2 | | VLS Moderator
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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.
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03-24-2010, 08:37 PM
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#3 | | resident Oil Guru
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Lens cloth + breath. Good enough.
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03-24-2010, 08:40 PM
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#4 | | Hacked RS to become a mod
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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 
Thanks, I'll go pick up a Tiffen, ROR, or Zeiss cleaning kit. Wing Shing here I come  | |
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03-24-2010, 08:41 PM
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#5 | | VLS Moderator
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Originally Posted by LiquidTurbo  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.
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03-24-2010, 08:47 PM
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#6 | | resident Oil Guru
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Originally Posted by Senna4ever 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.
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03-24-2010, 08:58 PM
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#7 | | VLS Moderator
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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.
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03-25-2010, 12:12 PM
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#8 | | resident Oil Guru
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Do multi-coated filters extend cleaning cycles?
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03-26-2010, 09:49 AM
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#9 | | I subscribe to the Revscene NWS thread(s)
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I use the Zeiss Lens cloths (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.  | |
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03-26-2010, 10:53 AM
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#10 | | I *heart* Revscene.net very Muchie
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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?
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03-26-2010, 12:36 PM
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#11 | | Rs has made me the man i am today!
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Originally Posted by syee | Still at walmart? And I guess they're in the "photography" section if they still are?
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03-26-2010, 12:42 PM
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#12 | | I subscribe to the Revscene NWS thread(s)
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Originally Posted by m3thods 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.
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03-26-2010, 04:45 PM
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#13 | | Rs has made me the man i am today!
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Oh sweet thanks I'll stock up then!
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03-27-2010, 01:46 PM
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#14 | | Captain Happy Bubble is my Homeboy
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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.
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03-27-2010, 06:36 PM
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#15 | | Snapping away
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how long do those lens wipes last? i'm asking b/c some similar products dry up after a while
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03-27-2010, 07:00 PM
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#16 | | I subscribe to the Revscene NWS thread(s)
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Since they're alcohol based, they dry up pretty quickly$ I'd say they're dry within 5 mins. Quote:
Originally Posted by dragonone how long do those lens wipes last? i'm asking b/c some similar products dry up after a while | Posted via RS Mobile | |
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03-29-2010, 05:40 AM
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#17 | | Rs has made me the woman i am today!
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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.
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03-29-2010, 03:29 PM
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#18 | | Snapping away
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i mean through their lifetime when they're still in wrapper and box
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03-29-2010, 07:47 PM
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#19 | | VLS Moderator
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Should be years if they're the sealed packages.
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