Micro Fiber cloths and lens coatings

DS Williams · May 21, 2009

Hey guys, I have an HPX170, brand new, and yesterday I was shooting an interview and went to remove the camera from the tripiod and the camera slipped and unfortunately, my thumb landed smack dab on the lens.

I used a photoclear MicroFiber cloth and a large amount of the smudge is removed, but the lens looks a bit hazy now, not crystal clear. You have to look very closely though. But you can see, where the thumb print used to be, there's a bit of haze on the lens, and it looks different from the rest of the lens.

Did my micro fiber cloth wipe off the coating or something? Should you use micro fiber cloths by themselves, or only with lens cleaner?

p.s. there was NO dust on the lens when I cleaned it

Tom Jensen · May 21, 2009

Lighter fluid and a kemwipe wrapped around a q-tip. Acetone? Alcohol?

Eric H · May 21, 2009

Lighter fluid and a kemwipe wrapped around a q-tip. Acetone? Alcohol?

without asking some simple questions like.....is it a smudge or a scratch? then........(take a picture of the lens element and post it here.) do NOT use acetone or lighter fluid, unless you want to destroy your lens or start a new look.

if you just put a simple thumb print on your lens, some lens cleaning solution and lens cloth will remove it.

Eric

DJ Kast · May 21, 2009

You probably just spread the oils from your thumb around the lens. You need a few drops of lens cleaner on your microfiber cloth. You will probably see streaks in the lens after that, so use a dry portion of the cloth to get rid of those, and you should be back to good!

Hal Smith · May 21, 2009

How clean is your microfiber? I use them on my glasses and it doesn't take too long before they get pretty cruddy. I suppose they can be cleaned but fortunately a local hardware store clearanced their 3M microfiber lens cleaning cloths last year and I bought a box full of them for $20. I've got a bunch of used ones saved up and one of these days I'll email 3M and find out if there's an official method to wash them.

For my good lenses (Cooke Speed Panchro II/III's and Angenieux zooms) I use Kemwipes and Kodak lens cleaning fluid. I use the technique where you roll the Kemwipes into a cigarette size tube, tear it in two, wet it, and use it as a brush on the lens. I may use the left over half unrolled to polish the lens a bit but only if I'm absolutely certain the lens doesn't have any particulate matter left on it.

DS Williams · May 22, 2009

How clean is your microfiber? I use them on my glasses and it doesn't take too long before they get pretty cruddy. I suppose they can be cleaned but fortunately a local hardware store clearanced their 3M microfiber lens cleaning cloths last year and I bought a box full of them for $20. I've got a bunch of used ones saved up and one of these days I'll email 3M and find out if there's an official method to wash them.

For my good lenses (Cooke Speed Panchro II/III's and Angenieux zooms) I use Kemwipes and Kodak lens cleaning fluid. I use the technique where you roll the Kemwipes into a cigarette size tube, tear it in two, wet it, and use it as a brush on the lens. I may use the left over half unrolled to polish the lens a bit but only if I'm absolutely certain the lens doesn't have any particulate matter left on it.

Thanks a bunch guys.

Hal, you made a goodpoint. The microfibercloth certainly has been used many times this month.And perhaps on that brand new glass, it took most of th smudge off but left some residue.

Before I try lens cleaner (I've had many bad experiences with different lens cleaners) I am going to use a LensPen.

Do any of you have experience with the Lenspen? Is it sufficient for smudges, finger prints, ect, WITHOUT lens cleaner?

Thanks

D

Chris Keth · May 22, 2009

Thanks a bunch guys.

Hal, you made a goodpoint. The microfibercloth certainly has been used many times this month.And perhaps on that brand new glass, it took most of th smudge off but left some residue.

Before I try lens cleaner (I've had many bad experiences with different lens cleaners) I am going to use a LensPen.

Do any of you have experience with the Lenspen? Is it sufficient for smudges, finger prints, ect, WITHOUT lens cleaner?

Thanks

D

Ugh, don't use lens pens. They're just asking for you to drag a big dusty thing across your front element and scratch the hell out of it. Just use some pancro and lens tissues or kimwipes. I prefer the kimwipes. Here is a thread from a while back where we all plug our favorite lens cleaning methods and materials.

Tom Jensen · May 22, 2009

do NOT use acetone or lighter fluid, unless you want to destroy your lens or start a new look.

if you just put a simple thumb print on your lens, some lens cleaning solution and lens cloth will remove it.

Eric

I guess if it's a cheap plastic lens with cheap coating but I believe it's a Leica lens. Simple lens cleaner should do the trick but I've used lighter fluid, acetone, alcohol and various other chemicals on Cooke, Zeiss, Panavision, Leica, Angenieux, Hawkes and a few others and never had a problem. I've taken a torch to most of them and never had a problem. It's always good to test with pancro or something like that first. Sometimes, lens cleaner doesn't do the trick.

Edited May 22, 2009 by Tom Jensen

Satsuki Murashige · May 22, 2009

I agree with DJ, you're just spreading your fingerprint oils over the glass by not using lens cleaner. Panchro and Ultra Clarity are very good lens fluids that won't harm the coatings. Oh, BTW Chris, my old Panchro that I complained about many months ago works fine now. I think now it was the tissues I was using, before I switched to Kimwipes.

Edited May 22, 2009 by Satsuki Murashige

DS Williams · May 22, 2009

Thanks alot guys..

I'm just trying to plan my next course of action, as the last lens cleaner I used (bought at Best Buy) wiped the coating off my lens and smeared EVERYWHERE. The smears were impossible to get off. It was just a nightmare.

And now than I used that MF cloth to remove my thumbprint, without any liquid, I seemed to have removed most of it but some haze remains in that area.

So you're saying I should NOT use a lens pen, and actually use a lens cleaner, that contains rubbing alchohol?

Remember I have an HPX170, if that makes a difference (same outter lens element as HVX200)

In reality, do thumbprints, and fingerprints REALLY have a noticeable effect on footage? Do they lower the lens MTF in that region?

Francis Kuhn · May 24, 2009

Hi DS,

Not to disagree with the previous posts, but this is what you need: http://www.studiodepot.com/store/index.cgi...nt=&id=3181

I have tried a lot of cleaners and Panchro is the only one that I've found that leaves no streaks. I have used it on everything from Zeiss Super Speeds to large-format still camera lenses.

After dusting the lens, spray a small amount of Panchro on a regular (disposable) lens tissue and wipe. Use another tissue (dry) to finish the cleaning. It is expensive, but it really works and a bottle lasts forever. IMO forget the microfiber cloths, lens tissue is cheap and designed for the job of cleaning a lens safely.

-Fran

Chris Keth · May 25, 2009

Oh, BTW Chris, my old Panchro that I complained about many months ago works fine now. I think now it was the tissues I was using, before I switched to Kimwipes.

That could be. One reason I like the kimwipes is the box. Books of tissues sit in your kit or in your belt pouch and get dirty. I throw a lot of those away half used because they got too dirty to use.

Tom Jensen · May 25, 2009

That could be. One reason I like the kimwipes is the box. Books of tissues sit in your kit or in your belt pouch and get dirty. I throw a lot of those away half used because they got too dirty to use.

And it takes about four just to blow your nose.