Cleaning your lens

<p>The other day I got caught in a sudden thunder storm,what I like to know is what to use to remove the dry water spots on the front glass and filters on the lens.I do not want use some thing that my streak the coating on the glass so I need to get a good lens cleaning kit.If it makes a differents the lens is nikon,the filter is a Tiffen polarizer.</p>

<p>95% of the time, I just breath hard on the lens (to fog it up) and wipe it with a soft cloth. Now, I know I should use lens cloths, but I use those soft cloths designed for wiping and waxing cars (not to be confused with oil rags). I figure, if the cloth is soft enough not to harm a car's finish, it's soft enough for a camera lens. So for, I've had great results this way and haven't noticed any cleaning marks or scratches on my lenses. Now, if a simple wiping is not sufficient to clean the lens (or filter), it's time for some lens cleaning solvent.</p>

<p>Hi Peter, if you have no cleaning tools at all yet, then try out a lens cleaning kit from places like your local pharmacy, radio shack or electronics store. They go for about $8-10 and should include some lens paper, one or two soft cloth wipes, a brush and a small bottle of cleaning solution. The packaging usually explains how to use them.</p>

<p>Or if you have a box of good clean tissue paper that positively doesn't shed any little fibers when you wipe them across reading glasses or other glassware, then you can use that with rubbing alcohol (50-70% isopropanol and/or ethanol) from the pharmacy. Wet the tissue with the alcohol, wipe the glass and then wipe again with dry tissue. Don't apply any liquid directly to the glass. Try the filter first and see whether you can get it really clean, before the lens itself.</p>

<p>thanks ,I have mircofiber soft cloth that did not leave any fibers on my glasses so it worked with just fogging up the filter and gently wiping it clean.I just wanted to be safe and not ruin my lens.I have monitor wipes for my laptop but don't want to use them on my lens not sure if they are safe to use.</p>

<p>What is not safe are sands and other harder then lens coating micro particle that may have blow onto the lens surface or trap on the lens cleaning cloth or tissue. I would first use a blower to get rid of micro particles as much as you can first. Then use a soft brush to rid of the reminder. Then use a made for lens cleaning cloth or tissue (using lens cleaner when needed) to wipe it clean. Proper lens cleaner are so cheap, why risk using something else.</p>

<p>As Tommy Lee said... I first blow, brush and then use a microfiber lens cloth. If more is needed I then use Zeiss premoistened lens cloths (from Walmart). They are individually packaged and you can stick a few in your camera bag.</p>

<p>The lazy man's (that's me of course) way is to buy the pre-moistened Zeiss lens tissues. EZ. As others have said - blow/brush first.</p>

<p>I follow Ray's approach to the letter (including Zeiss wipes) Walmart also sells a large microfiber cloth that approximates 18% gray so it multitasks as a gray card or neutral item in the first photo in a series to bulk white balance. Can find both in the optical dept. </p>

<p>After spending the money on a lens I wouldn't trust even a tissue. Microfibre cloths are cheap and re-useable. They have tiny fibre hooks designed specially to pick up the oils etc which cause streaking on your glass (I agree with using the blower first in case of any small sand particles etc).<br>

If you wipe it with the cloth and it's still streaky - give the cloth a wash by itself, let it dry and try again.</p>