Jump to content

lens cleaning


Robert Glenn

Recommended Posts

  • Premium Member
there isnt' a solution that can dissolve it? I don't wnat to buff it

 

 

To clean a smudge, you have to buff it out. Why are you so afraid to touch your lens? I'm not asking you to steel wool it out or anything. Just use a good clean, soft lens cloth and gently buff it off. You'll only put marks in a lens if you mishandle it.

Edited by Christopher D. Keth
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
there isnt' a solution that can dissolve it? I don't wnat to buff it

 

There is "Kodak Lens cleaner" and the companion "Kodak Lens cleaning Paper"

 

Danger is that you get too much of the cleaner on the paper and it runs inside the lens. Normal use is to wad up a piece of the paper and add one dropof the cleaner. Wipe the lens, and then dry with the tron off and rolled up edge of another piece of paper. IN Japan they prefer to use a Chamois.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest matthew david burton

I would recomend using a very thin silky (normaly polyester) lens wipe like pentax make.

Rarther than using a thick soft cloth that might leave dust marks or worse.

The idea is that you want the cloth to absord the grease that has caused the smudge.

cheers

-matt

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Robert, there is a fairly standardized process for cleaning. First get a fine hair lens cleaning brush with a little air bulb on the back and very gently brush the front element while sqeezing the bulb (or just a fine hair bursh and a can of air duster). This will bursh or blow-away any particulate matter that might scratch the lens coating or glass, then gently wipe the lens with a clean lens cloth (I like chamois or polyester) or paper. This way you will not scratch the glass or coating.

 

In general most ACs I know and work with try to avoid cleaning liquids, as some can damage or weaken the optical coating. I follow their advice in mainatining my own lenses, and it has worked well for me. They use them mainly if something gets on the glass and will not come clean after following the process above. This seems to happen with beer a lot on music video shoots.

 

Never use anything like Glass Plus or Windex... this CAN weaken the coating in places and cause it to come off. Oddly, causing the kind of lens damage you are trying to avoid.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I work for an optical clinic. What I use is an optical micro fiber cleaning cloth for glasses (these can be picked up at any wal-mart vision center). Some would say not to spray it, but if you do not, better make sure your cloth and lens are dang clean and free of dust. Any amount of dust over time will scratch the lens. I recommend picking up some lens cleaner from there too. Do not, whatever you do, buff it with any kind of paper product. You might as well be rubbing bark all over it. Any paper product will eventually leave little scratches all over your lens.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You might as well be rubbing bark all over it. Any paper product will eventually leave little scratches all over your lens.

 

 

Good point. I never thought of it that way. I have never been a paper fan. BUT to be fair a lot of the papers are fiber but not wood fiber. I'm not sure what they are composed of, but none seem as soft and effective as microfiber (polyester) or chamois. I am always afraid that the deeper cloth of chamois can hold on to dust etc. better than microfiber. Thanks for the recommendation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
  • Premium Member
Thanks for the replies all. Has anybody used the zeiss pre moistened lens clothes? Here is an ebay listing of them http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...item=7564336239

They might be paper though

 

 

I have them and I use them to clean every optic around my cameras except actual taking lens. (eyepiece optics/filters/Video assist relay lenses/Meter cells)For taking optics I use Pancho lens cleaner, kodak or Rosco lens paper, a sable hair paintbrush from an art store and a Giotto

Rocket Air Blaster, never use canned air around the camera , mags or lenses. I subscribe to the theory that canned drives dust and grit where you cant get to

 

Best way to clean lenses is not at all, use a clear filter in your matte box, have front and rear caps all the basics. When I have back focus checked I have the tech do a element cleaning.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

(After air) Alcohol isopropyl mixed with a fluid lens cleaner is a perfect solution for remove spots of dirty or grease. It doesn't affect to the lens coated (only the acids affect it). For haze in interior elements a mix of H2O2 with amoniac is infallible.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
How about ROR Residual Oil Remover? I've read someo good things about it.. Pancho must be good for the 15 dollars that it costs at cinema supplies

 

 

ROR is effective but hard to get off a lens completely. It does give you increased trasmission -I've checked with some filters and a spot meter. I use it once a year on every lens as a "holiday treatment" as I am rarely shooting between Xmas and New Years and Panchro the rest of the year. Panchro does not streak

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ROR is effective but hard to get off a lens completely. It does give you increased trasmission -I've checked with some filters and a spot meter. I use it once a year on every lens as a "holiday treatment" as I am rarely shooting between Xmas and New Years and Panchro the rest of the year. Panchro does not streak

Thanks andy,

I guess i'll get ROR maybe for my filters and use pancro for my lenses

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...