Cleaning a lens?

[BobNewYork]

Jeff K - Sandblasting and Boudoir - great combination

 

[eddym]

I was in a Walmart once and picked up a box of Zeiss branded optics cleaners for around $3 for a pack of something like 50. Basically, similar to the hand wipe pads. Some sort of alcohol on them and a soft "cloth". That being said, I won't use them on my lenses. I use them on the "cheap" filters that protect my lenses (already contributed my thoughts to the poll).

I've gotten some really ugly vintage lenses on ebay (optars, steinheils, tessars) and Windex and a soft cloth has done wonders.

Dan

I was standing in the checkout line at Walmart with my dog food, cat food, and toilet paper when I did a double take; there on the endcap were the Zeiss lens wipes you mention! I couldn't believe it! At Walmart??? I bought a package and tried them on my lenses, and they are wonderful! I now carry a few of the little pouches in every camera bag.
Of course, Walmart being Walmart, I never saw them again. But I did some searching, and B&H carries them, too.

 

[mhcfires]

[
Any suggestions on what to get from the chemist to shift those stuborn stains? I geuss pure alcohol will be in there somewhere??
*******
Canned air; camel's hair brush. Look at surface obliquely to make sure all grit is off. Breathe on lens; use a brand new cotton swab. If this does not work. a drop of Vodka on another brand new cotton swab. Drink remainder of vodka AFTER cleaning lens.

I have IA-type filters on almost all of my lenses. And I remove them whenever I intend to take pictures.

I like your cleaning idea best. Grey Goose Vodka it is!

 

[Slixtiesix]

I bought the mentioned cleaning set from Carl Zeiss some weeks ago, but unfortunately (or fortunately ;-) ) there had been no reason to clean my lenses so far. I will respond as soon as I have used it. I may also try the cleaning solution. I think Zeiss made extensive tests with their own T*-coating, so I hope it will do no harm :rolleyes:
Greetz, Benjamin

 

[Anthony Lewis]

"Never rub dry dirt or dust off the surface, because they may contain miniscule quartz particles that are much harder than glass and that can scratch the latter nearly as badly as diamonds can. First gently whisk the dust off with a very soft brush before breathing on the surface and then using a soft cloth, preferably the B+W “Photoclear” microfiber cleaning cloth and extremely gentle pressure to wipe the surface clean. When the dirt is very hard to remove, a bit of saliva is the best solution – always available, guaranteed free of abrasive materials, oil and aggressive chemical substances. Never use a paper tissue for cleaning because it leaves too much lint, and paper fibers cling to glass because of electrostatic charges." This is a quote lifted straight from the Schneider Filter Manuel.

So spit is perfectly OK to use a lens cleaning fluid.

However I strongly disagree with what this Manuel, and others say, about the use of lens cleaning tissues. I have been using nothing but lens cleaning tissues for 30 years. The great advantage of tissues is that they are disposable. The fear of any cloth is that they will collect dirt particles which you will unknowingly rub into your lens. Schneider only complaint with tissues is that they will leave lint on your lens. I can assure anybody that this is just not true - I have never had lint left from a tissue, and that's cleaning lenses several times a day for 30 years. It is more likely to happen with any cloth. All the great lens and camera manufacturers make lens tissues, Kodak, Lee, Tiffen, Rossco. Most professionals that I work with use tissues. Our local pro fujinon repairer uses tissues. Tissues are just as soft as any cloth on the glass as well - that's my opinion.

Using a UV filter for protection. Remember every bit of extra glass on your lens - no matter how good it is - will add to flare, kicks of light etc. For my 35mm work I leave the UV filter on, as it is impracticle to take it off for every shot. It is important to me to protect the front element. However for my LF work I unscrew the protective UV filter just before I take the shot (unless I am using other filters - so I have removed it before hand.)

 

[Curt]

Ever see a person use their t-shirt, after trying to find a clean area, to clean their lens?

 

[eddym]

I don't know about that "spit not being abrasive" part. They probably haven't met my mother-in-law...

 

[Philippe-Georges]

The enzymes in spit are good to 'dissolve' Algae (= biological sells) and skin grease on lens elements. I have 'saved' an enlarging lens from algae by keeping the element in my mouth for a wile, then cleaned it wit the Zeiss kit and assembling. I learned the trick from a former, retired, Oude Delft engineer who, a long time ago, ran a camera repairing shop in Leiden.

Santé,

Philippe

 

[Anthony Lewis]

Now I have advocated the use of lens cleaning tissues, I must add the following caveat after reading of a post that advocates the use of facial tissues. Facial or any form of hand tissues from your supermarket are a big no-no. Believe me I have used them in an emergency. They do leave lint all over your lens just as Schneider says - and goodness knows what chemicals are in them that are not good for the lens coatings.
I advocate lens tissues - but only those made for the purpose. I always use lens cleaning fluid - Tiffen for example - 2 or 3 drops on a lens. I recently bought a lot of bottles with a spray top, I think Leica, but they spray far too much fluid. Just buy ordinary bottles and use a few drops of fluid. Remember when you have no lens fluid, just spit on your lens - it will not hurt it. Before using any of the above, blow and/or lightly brush off, any obvious particles. Good luck and in the end everyone has their own method. I've used the tee shirt method on many occasions, but it ain't good for the lens - there is no way I would do that to my LF lenses.

 

[dpurdy]

Most important... always blow the lens as clean as possible with clean air first before wiping

Next important... never scrub a dirty spot off, always use very light wiping.

Next important... never try to wipe off a dry lens, always at least have breath vapor if not good lens cleaner and always use just a little lens cleaner, don't just squirt a bunch on.

And my secret cleaner that isn't really a secret, after blowing the lens off, stick a piece of Scotch Magic transparent tape to the lens. You can get a lens sparkling clean with scotch tape. I have done it to many lenses with no damage ever.

 

[Phillip P. Dimor]

Definitely make sure there's no dust/grit on it before wiping.
If you take a lens cleaning cloth (I like plain unlotioned unscented kleenex personally, actual 'lens cleaning tissues' usually suck) and fold it so that you have a folded edge that you can grasp between thumb and forefinger.. use that to gently wipe the lens. Not smash/press it down with the force of your thumb, just let the tissue paper gently pass over the lens with the force of the folded tissue. I guess i'm not so good at explaining this but it's good advice nonetheless.

Also, Rexton Optyl-9 is a product that I will forever be in love with. From cleaning CRT's, DVDs, scanners, my face (seriously), plastic and glass of all kinds.. it is absolutely the only cleaning solution I will use unless I need to break out the ammonia and drop of photo flo for things with mold, etc.

NASA apparently uses it. It's really good stuff, no harsh alcohols or anything. Leaves no apparent residue. It's awesome. A light spray or a few drops is all you need, a tall spray bottle lasts a long time.

Their negative cleaning solution is pretty good too but the optyl-9 is w here it's at.

 

[Phillip P. Dimor]

*shrug* I guess i'm getting some good plain tissues over here. I do shake them to free any dust or otherwise but they come fine (no dust or lint).
Though i've never used zeiss tissues or the like.. I've used paper towels to clean condensers, etc. Works for me. No scratches.

 

[DaveOttawa]

Turned out the damn filter -which had fingerprints on it- was stuck on there. I had to dremel it off,

There are special tools to help install or remove parts like this which are essentially a rubber band that grips all the way around the filter, just a rubber band can work wonders though in getting filters like this off without any damage.

 

[DaveOttawa]

Dave, he might have used this : https://photo-shop.zeiss.com/epages/cz.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/CZ/Categories/Zubehoer/Cleaning

Philippe

Weirdly, looking for something else entirely but remembering this thread, I happened to notice this:

"we've introduced a new top grade lens cleaning solution- 'Ultra Clarity'. Zeiss Optics likes it so well, they private label it."

http://www.filmtools.com/lentiscleanf.html

 

[DaveOttawa]

Agreed.

The debate (if any) should be: why do you do what you do. Generally, those people who are attempting to be helpful to newcomers will offer clear explanations.

There is so much truth in this comment, at least in my view, and it could be applied to many, many threads here - not to mention discussions anytime, anywhere that two or more photographers are gathered together!

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

1. Blow lens — 3F (triple filtered~) compressed air or blower brush;
2. A drop of specified lens cleaning solution; Kodak's is fine (a small bottle has lasted this studio 4+ years so far);
3. Microfibre cloth: we use one made by Nikon for their eyeglasses;
4. Another blow to finish and it's done.

In the UK once (1998) I came across a bottle of fancy lens cleaning stuff that one brushes onto the lens. Then attach a small sticky label and pull it off, seemingly lifting finger prints, smudges, dust etc with it. The most infuriating, fiddly and mostly ineffective job compared to the simplicity of the "4 Point Cleanup" above! The name of this goo is Optii-Clean.

Nowadays the front and rear lens elements are routinely inspected when changing filters/attaching lens; most often it is the filter than requires a clean with just a blow or two and MF cloth. Things get decidedly very wet and misty working in rainforests, though and this can test one's patience!

Don't use any sort of lens cleaners on multi-coated filters (HOYA (SMC, Ultra), B+W/Schneider).

I second the comment re using a rubber band on a filter to remove it. It works a treat, especially with polarisers.

 

[elekm]

Plain, white unscented facial tissues are fine for cleaning lenses. Camera repair author Thomas Tommassey recommends them, and I've used them to clean maybe 200 lenses.

The procedure is simple:

1) Remove any debris

2) Spray lens cleaning fluid on the tissue (never the lens unless it's a bare element) and wipe the lens. Turn the tissue and wipe dry. If there's any lint, blow it off with a blower.

Simple. To the point. You don't need to make a federal case of it. Just clean the lens and begin shooting again.

Same goes for SLR mirrors. The amount of hand-wringing and warnings that go on about an object that has 0% role in the formation of the image is unnecessary. In fact, use the same procedure to clean the mirror with this exception:

Often with Japanese SLRs, you'll find that the foam has adhered to the mirror. Removing the foam is simple. Get a facial tissue, wet it with some lighter fluid and wipe it off. Repeat if needed. Then clean the mirror as you would a lens.

Again, clean the mirror, replace the lens, resume shooting. There is no need to complicate what's a very simple procedure.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Modern lenses will tolerate being cleaned with many materials if you are careful with your technique
But I take issue with this: "Same goes for SLR mirrors!? A tissue!!!?
Traditional wisdom — and the well-founded advice of repair technicians — holds that cleaning SLR mirrors is not a DIY job; my own technician uses an surfectant foam with micro-flow air dry: no physical contact of the mirror, no residue and definitely no tissues. I'll be asking him tomorrow about this "tissue to the mirror" stuff. I am very surprised this suggestion has been made here where somebody might be tempted to follow the procedure on what essentially should be left well alone.

 

[John Koehrer]

Tissue is good for the mirror IF you like scratches.
It's a front surface mirror and very delicate.

 

[DaveOttawa]

Tissue is good for the mirror IF you like scratches.
It's a front surface mirror and very delicate.

FWIW I've cleaned a few reflex mirrors and never actually produced visible scratches, even using tissue once (which I would try and avoid given the choice - it was an old Yashica TLR where the silvering was coming off anyway). Would I recommend it? No, but I suspect a lot of these mirrors actually have a transparent thin film coating on top of the reflective coating that offers some protection against abrasion, humidity & atmospheric pollutants.

 

[Ian David]

I certainly seem to have started a debate on the virtues of 'lens care' in the form of lens caps, filters and lens hoods BUT what I was more interested in how to remove smudges on a second hand lens that already has marks on it.

Hi Dave
You will see that there are as many opinions on this as there are members of APUG. No doubt many of the suggested approaches above work perfectly well without damaging lenses. My own simple personal regime, which overlaps with a lot of what has been said above and which works well for me, is:

1. Use a soft lens brush to remove any visible dust, debris from the lens surface. If the lens then needs no further cleaning, do nothing further. If it is still dirty, go to 2:
2. Breathe gently on the lens surface and very gently wipe the surface in a circular motion with a microfibre cloth (Pentax makes nice cheap little cloths. I don't use lens cleaning tissues because, in my experience, they are not as soft as microfibre.) If the lens then needs no further cleaning, do nothing further. If it is still dirty, go to 3:
3. Use a drop of Kodak lens cleaning fluid on a microfibre cloth and then very gently wipe the surface in a circular motion.

If the above does not work, your lens may just have marks that you will have to live with. Or depending on how much you value the lens, you could try harsher techniques. I have never needed to go further than step 3 above with any lens that I really value.

One other thing I have learned - and this should not be read as an attack on anyone in this forum - is that just because advice comes from someone who sounds like they should know what they are talking about (eg a retired Hasselblad mechanic, professional Rodenstock lens inspector, Zeiss tissue marketing man, etc) doesn't necessarily mean that it is good advice, although it often may be. There are lots of useless lawyers, doctors, and engineers out there, so there are no doubt plenty of incompetents and shortcutters making a living in the camera industry too.

Ian

 

[Dave Dawson]

Having read most of your suggestions and tried a few of them.....Let me give you *MY* findings....With all your suggestions from all over the world I phoned a photographic friend who lives about 5 miles from me and asked what he uses to clean lenses...Nilglass he said.

I got some...It's in a spray bottle like you would use cleaning your cars windshield...Spray a little on a lens tissue, lightly wipe the lens surface, leave about 5 seconds and wipe lightly with a dry lens tissue.

RESULT: A sparkling clean lens with no damage to the coating.

So try Nilglass. Cheers Dave Dawson

 

[Mike Kennedy]

The rubber band idea for removing stubborn filters is a good one.I've used a pair of rubber kitchen gloves with palm flat on the filer the other gripping the lens barrel.The pressure on the filter must be applied equally.

 

[Phormula]

Tissue is good for the mirror IF you like scratches. It's a front surface mirror and very delicate.

I had to clean a SRL camera mirror once. My friend changed the lens under heavy rain and water drops went into the camera. After some thought I went for a lens detergent that I knew leaves no traces (can't remember the name) and I used a couple of those cotton sticks people uses to clean their ears. Veeeery carefully I "attacked" each spot and removed it. Then I gently blew some compressed air. I don't know if it was luck in its purest form and I won't do it again unless absolutely necessary, but it worked.

 

[Anscojohn]

One thing I do not recall being mentioned is that when using lens tissue, the way advised is to take a sheet, fold it like a bellows into a column; fold it over in half; tear off the ends of the halves to make a brush which is then used with a drop of cleaning fluid upon it.