How do you clean your lens?

[my_photography]

I usually only use a blower to blow the dust but recently I got a lens (from another forum, not from anyone here), and I see cleaning marks and other marks (maybe oil mark from finger) on the front and back of the lens.

How do you clean your lens? With lens cleaner? With distilled water? With own remedies? With ...?

Also, why is it there cleaning marks left after cleaning? Is this very common? Is this due to certain chemical from some of the lens cleaner? Is there any way to remove the cleaning marks?

[poilu]

I don't clean often my lenses but if needed I use microfiber tissue who doesn't let marks
when lens is very dirty (coming from the bay), I use Eclipse

[hexi]

Microfiber, pencil, but its rather rare. The lens is cleaned once for good when bought ( i had to use 70° alcool and swab to remove some marks on a CZJ Sonnar worked fine ) but once in use i try to maintain the lens covered when not shooting.

[Attila]

[fatdeeman]

I normally blow the dust off, clean with a lint free cloth and Isopropyl Alcohol and then dry with another lint free cloth.

Sometimes if I need a bit more friction for stubborn marks I use a cotton bud and Isopropyl Alcohol but be careful not to get dust from the cotton into the lens, then you just have to remember to blow the dust off after you have cleaned too.

That's usually only done right after buying a lens or right before selling it.

For normal use It's usually just the good old breath on it and buff it routine!

[darosk]

Yeah I agree with Atilla. I used to keep some microfiber cloth but then I realize all dirt is accumulating in one cloth I kept, so I bought bulk of many cloths/

Oh yah, just blower and if have anythng left wipe down with the microfiber cloth.

[Attila]

[Anu]

[dakoo]

a while back ORIO suggested ziess cleaning tissues. If that be any help...

[Attila]

[kds315*]

If I remember correctly, we had the same thread about three times now. Maybe a sticky would help

So here again:
- clean only when it cannot be avoided (teh less the better)
- blow off loose dust with a rubber ball blower (be careful using compressed air since it might cool the lens surface drastically which might lead to cracks - stay far away if using such a blow can)
- gently brush away dust with a very soft and clean brush
- use your breath and a clean micro fiber cloth, always from the center of the lens to the outside, don't do it circular and don't rub. Change the spot of the cloth while doing so.
- if that does not remove enough, put a drop of lens cleaning liquid (or Isopropyl alcohol) to the cloth and NEVER to the lens surface and clean as described above.
- make sure to wash the microfiber cloth from time to time and also teh brush in use.

Sorry, but lens cleaning paper (not even the one by Zeiss) can NOT be recommended since it leads to scratches.

This is from my personal experience of many years, paid with $$$ after having used many other methods.

[alex]

I've never encountered any dust that could withstand fifteen seconds with a blowtorch, though for stubborn stains, I'd consider an oxy-acetylene welding torch. Fungus is amenable to an overnight soak in concentrated nitric acid, though a kitchen scouring pad may be needed for any residue. When cleaned, such a lens makes an excellent portrait lens for ladies of a certain age.

The best lens cleaner I've ever used, however, is a product called Opticlean, though it may be known under other names in other countries. I think it was developed for cleaning astronomical telescope mirrors, which are surface-silvered (or aluminised) and very delicate. It looks, and indeed smells, like clear nail varnish. You paint it on the lens, and let it dry or 'cure', then add a small sticky tab to the edge of the lens, and when that too has cured, you peel the coating off, which looks for all the world like clingfilm.

When I first used it, I was distinctly nervous, but when I peeled off the coating, to reveal a crystal clear and pristine surface below, I was converted, and I never use anything else on my lenses now. Because you paint it on and peel it off, there is no rubbing, and no abrasion of any kind. It is just uncanny, but it is superb. It seems to be getting harder to get it in small quantities now, and it's rather expensive, but it's all I'll let near my Zeiss lenses now.

[patrickh]

Alex

I cannot find any supplier now for Opticlean. I once did all my lenses at one session with it because the results were so good. Do you know anyone who sells it now - the place in Cambridge is defunct.


patrickh

[my_photography]

This Opticlean is making me very curious. Do you have a picture of the tin? I doubt that I will be able to find it here though.

Alex, are you not afraid to peel the coating of the lens out? Maybe Zeiss coating are high class coating, how about those older type of coating from other glasses.

[my_photography]

[alex]

I don't have a picture of my bottles handy, but here's a link that shows it in action rather effectively :-
http://www.yorkastro.org.uk/yas_articles/opticlean_review.htm

I used to get mine from Jessops, but they no longer stock it. It may no longer be being made, at least under that name, and as an aside, there's another product called Opticlean which I've seen on eBay and the like, but I don't think it's the same, so be wary. It was very cheap and seemed to be a simple liquid lens cleaner, whereas Opticlean polymer cleaner is very expensive.

There's another product that looks very similar, called 'First Contact'. It's not cheap, at around US$100 for the kit, but the kit is almost 30ml, and the bottles I used to get from Jessops cost around GBP 9 at the time for 5ml, so the costs are in the same order of magnitude. Here's a link to the page on the Photonic Cleaning web site.

http://www.photoniccleaning.com/wp_photos/Cleaningaphasemask.pdf

I've not tried this product, but it's on my list to try.

This is a link for those in the UK :-

http://www.photoniccleaning.co.uk/page3.html

[alex]

[Anu]

I wonder if this is the same/similar product - price seems reasonable:

Click here to see on Ebay.de

[alex]

I'm not sure that's the same stuff, it looks like one of those of the same name that I suggested being cautious over (cautious only from the point of view of the product identity, not its efficacy as a cleaner). This looks like a spray on cleaner that you wipe off, and not a lacquer that dries to peel off.

[patrickh]

I can confirm what Alex says. I cleaned about 40+ lenses with the product and every single one was a major improvement. Some of those lenses were more than 30 years old and had a thin film of grime on them from pollutants (cigarette smoke?).

Alex
The non-smudge scotchtape (sellotape) makes a very good tab.

This product was originally invented to clean mmicrochips and was definitely non-destructive.


patrickh

[patrickh]

Alex

You are correct about the alternate and thank you for the contact. The other Opticlean is mainly for eyeglasses!


patrickh

[Farside]

[patrickh]

Dave:

Rats! Now I have really spoilt that valuable blur on all my shots. The yellow cast from nicotine on those pics could be labeled "sepia" and sold on the Antiques Road Show.


patrickh

[panos]

Goodmorning
What about using contact lenses liquid ?
I cant think of anything `purer` and i suppose that if it is appropriate for the human eye it is appropiate for lenses too .

Thanks ,

Panos .

[LucisPictor]

Blow - brush (gently) - wipe (very gently!)