Best way to clean lens?

What is the best way to clean a lens? I usually use canned air on mine but what

about smudges?

I don't think you'll get a single answer for the "best" way to clean a lens. Everybody has his own way of cleaning which he advocates. I've heard people recommend things from microfiber cloths to cotton balls to old t-shirts. There was an earlier thread which might help you get started:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=000Ziz

 

I personally have a couple bottles of lens cleaning fluid (Zeiss and ROR) and lens paper that I use to clean my lenses as well as microfiber cloths. If I'm really stuck, I'll just breathe on my lens and wipe it clean with a shirttail.

Thank you for the link. I have always used my shirt as well. I guess I will stick with that.

I love using Lens Pens with an anti static brush. My lenses have never been so clean...and so easily.

LensPens are the bee's knees. Best thing since sliced bread for cleaning lenses. Don't leave home without it.

I use ROR with pec pads, works great.

what is ROR ?

First off - NEVER EVER USED "CANNED AIR" around cameras. The stuff in those cans is NOT AIR. If you managed to get droplets of the liquid on certain parts of the camera, you can have permanent damage.

 

Here's the age-old method to clean lenses:

 

Quality lens tissue (such as that sold by Kodak), a good lens cleaning fluid, and PROPER TECHNIQUE is the way that I have cleaned my lenses for decades. What is "proper technique"?

 

First - the goal is to clean the lens (or filter - I would use the very same process) without grinding any dirt/debris into the lens. To me, this absolutely dictates single-use surfaces for anything that touches the lens. That's why I use lens tissues instead of a washable cloth or - particularly - something like a lens pen.

 

Here are the steps that I use to clean a lens:

 

1. Use a squeeze-bulb blower to blow any loose dust off the lens. 90% of the time, step #1 is all that is necessary.

 

2. Take a lens tissue out of the pack. Fold it once, holding only what was the ends of the tissue. You want to be extremely careful to NEVER TOUCH the areas of the lens tissue that will be touching the lens. This will avoid transferring oils from your fingers to the lens.

 

3. Moisten the folded portion of the lens tissue with a little lens cleaner. You don't want the tissue dripping wet, but it must be damp.

 

CAUTION: NEVER apply lens cleaner directly to the lens (though it won?t hurt a filter, you don?t want liquid leaking into the lens? innards).

 

4. Wipe LIGHTLY across the lens ONCE with the damp tissue. Then either turn it over or fold it so that you can wipe again, but with an unused surface. You can do this as often as needed, as long as you never wipe the lens twice with any surface of the tissue. This prevents scratches. Again, make sure you never touch an area of the tissue that will touch the lens.

 

5. Ensuring that the lens is actually clean, use a dry tissue, handled the same way as above, to wipe the lens dry. Since you have already removed the dirt, there's no risk of scratching the lens with the dry tissue.

 

6. Dispose of the used lens tissues in a proper trash receptacle.

 

That's it in a nutshell. Simple and effective. I've been cleaning my lenses this way for over 40 years, and all of them have pristine glass (and none have ever worn "protective" filters).

erick boileau, Mar 18, 2007; 05:21 a.m.<br><br>

 

what is ROR ?<br><br>

 

<a href="http://www.ror.net" target=_blank>Residual Oil Remover</a>

Thank you for the info on the canned air. I have used it for years printing so fortunately I never got the liquid on a lens. I will never use it again!

In the washing machine, 90 0C hot wash for 2 hours and a fast spin!

 

KM

What Doc Kevin says, except I think he was kidding. Seriously, put it in a delicates net bag, use gentle cycle, and add a dollop of Woolite. Hang dry, of course :-)

Rebecca,

 

In addition to the topic linked above, here is a useful lens cleaning tutorial:

 

http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/tutorials/lens_filter_cleaning.html

I think the Lens tissues are the best. You use them once then dispose them. They work fine on my glasses too. Anti-static cloths are OK if you plan to replace them once in a while, because they too can soak up greasy fingers like a sponge.

<i>If you managed to get droplets of the liquid on certain parts of the camera, you can have permanent damage.</i>

 

<p>Strange: these "canned air" products are used to clean electronics without any noticeable problem. Is your statement backed up with a plausible physical mechanism or actual evidence? Nevertheless, it is important to follow the directions on the can, which usually read "never shake or invert prior to use". It's also a good idea to allow a second or so of flow to clean out any residue before directing the jet into intended use.

>>>>by Walang PangalanL Strange: these "canned air" products are used to clean electronics without any noticeable problem. Is your statement backed up with a plausible physical mechanism or actual evidence? Nevertheless, it is important to follow the directions on the can, which usually read "never shake or invert prior to use". It's also a good idea to allow a second or so of flow to clean out any residue before directing the jet into intended use.<<<<

 

I have seen cans marked with messages that the fluid in "canned air" products can and will damage things like the mirror surfacing and other delicate items inside cameras if you get the liquid on those surfaces. The fact is that the stuff is not safe for delicate plastics and I would not trust it around lens coatings.

 

Rather than screwing around with the "canned air" products, it is much safer to just use a decent squeeze-bulb blower to clean cameras.

Note to Dr. Kevin Mills... your funny.... good thing I am not that dumb.... On the canned air topic. I had many a days in the dark room that I hit a negative at the wrong angle and covered it in a nice pile of goop. Definatly an art to using it for some folks. Fortunately I figured it out. Would not want to risk ruining a lens

Another note to Dr. Mills... Love your photography!