Careless filter mistake - Should I clean it?

[s._misra]

This message regards a careless filter mistake and necessity of now

cleaning the filter.

 

I was using a Canon 500D close-up filter (lens) do the macro work. I

had a spray bottle with me that I use to spray my subject before

photographing. To my horror, when I sprayed, a strong gust of wind

blew the water spray directly back at me, and more importantly at my

500D filter. As a result, my filter now has dozens (maybe a

hundred?) of little water "spots" covering its surface.

 

My question is: should I clean the lens or just leave it alone? I

cannot tell if image quality has been effected or not.

 

Thanks.

[link]

Clean it for sure!

 

Just don't use any of the google ad products to the right of the web page. Since you

put "clean" in the title, it shows ads for "Mr. Clean" products.

 

If the 500D is a simple diopter lens, I would consider using soap and warm water on

it.

[david_h._hartman]

Use methyl, ethyl or denatured alcohol (ethyl alcohol

denatured with methyl alcohol) or 98 proof vodka (ethyl alcohol

and distilled water). Dust the lens off with a HD blower bulb.

Apply the alcohol sparingly to a proper lens cleaning tissue.

Clean in a circular motion form the center to the edge. Do Not

reuse a tissue. Throw it in the trash at once. With Kodak Lens

Tissue I fold the corners in and make a small pillow. Finish with

a micro-fiber lens cleaning cloth. My favorite is the Pentax

cloth available from B&H Photo. Protect all cleaning

materials from abrasives. I keep mine in Ziploc Zipper bags. You

do not want abrasive materials on the lens during cleaning and

you dont want to introduce them with your cleaning

materials.<br>

<br>

Do not use soap based cleaners on multi-coated optics.<br>

<br>

Do not use methyl alcohol on vintage cameras.<br>

<br>

Absolute methyl alcohol is recommended for Nikkor view camera

lenses and absolute ethyl alcohol is recommended for AI and AIS

Nikkors 1977. Ive used methyl alcohol with Nikkor lenses as

old as 1965~67 without incident. Do not use methyl alcohol with

Schneider lenses from the early 70s.<br>

<br>

Hope this helps,<br>

<br>

Dave Hartman.

[alex_lofquist]

The 500D is an achromat (two element) lens. While I think that it is unlikely that a cleaning solution will migrate between the elements, it would still be wise not to apply the cleaner directly. I agree with Dave G. to use ethyl alcohol as a first choice. If that doesn't work, Kodak lens cleaner would be my next choice. I have used these to clean my achromats and no problems. If your subjects were flowers, consider using bottled (deionized) water to spray them.

 

Good Luck!

[ron c sunshine coast,qld,a]

Wow,everyone is going abit overboard.All filters or lenses need cleaning occasionally and there are easily available fluid and tissues/cloths made especially for the job.

<BR>It's all normal and safe.Just be gentle and you'll be fine.The coatings on lenses/filters is made to a certain hardness for this very reason.

[david_h._hartman]

<em>"Wow,everyone is going abit overboard.All filters or

lenses need cleaning occasionally and there are easily available

fluid and tissues/cloths made especially for the job." --Ron

Chappel<br>

</em><br>

Ron, Nikon recommends "absolute methyl alcohol" in the

manual for their view camera lenses, 210/5.6, 150/5.6,135/5.6

Nikkor-W, 300/9.0 Nikkor-M, 90/8.0 Nikkor-SW, etc. The Micro-Nikkor

55mm f/2.8 instuction manual recommends "pure ethyl alcohol."

98 proof Vodka is 49% grain alcohol (ethanol) and 51% distilled

water.<br>

<br>

---<br>

<br>

I warn of using methyl alcohol on vintage cameras and Schneider

lenses in particular as I accidentally removed the blacking on

the front of a vintage 1974, 135/5.6 Schneider Componon-S

enlarging lens. The blacking smeared all over the front element.

I was able to completely remove the blacking and clean the lens

so nothing was lost.<br>

<br>

---<br>

<br>

Many of the, made for lenses, cleaning solutions are relatively

expensive and some are soap based and leave streaks on multi-coated

optics, i.e. people who think Hoya HMC filter are difficult to

clean dont use methanol. I wont use any applicator

that is applied directly to the lens and reused. I once scratched

a vintage Leica lens this way.<br>

<br>

---<br>

<br>

Since September 1978 Ive used nothing except 99.5%

Anhydrous Methanol (Methyl Alcohol) for a lens cleaner unless you

consider condensed breath (distilled water). My source is TRI-ESS

Sciences, Inc., Burbank, CA 91506 <a

href="http://www.tri-esssciences.com" target="_new"><u>www.tri-esssciences.com</u></a>.

A 16 FL. OZ. bottle last me about a decade.<br>

<br>

Ive used anhydrous methanol on Nikkor lenses dating from

about 1965 to 2002, Hasselblad lenses dating from 1974 to 1980,

Pentax 6x7 lenses from 1978 to 1982 and Hoya HMC filters, all

without incident.<br>

<br>

---<br>

<br>

On further investigation:<br>

<br>

According to one MSDS of one brand of denatured alcohol it

contains 0.2% ethyl acetate and 0.5% MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) so

this might not be acceptable for some lenses. My can of denatured

alcohol does not mention the ethyl acetate or MEK. The brand,

Klean-Strip, does not have MSDS report online yet. YMMV!<br>

<br>

---<br>

<br>

Finally I cant go over-board: I live too near the Mojave

Desert, the nearest river is dry most of the year (especially now),

I do not own a swimming pool, etc. ;-)