Could ROR Fluid Damage B+W Multicoated Filters? Could Cooking Oil?

Certain Exposures · Nov 29, 2025

Do you use ROR fluid on your B+W MRC filters without any issues?

Some grease found its way onto my B+W MRC Yellow filter. I sprayed a liberal dose of ROR fluid onto it, gently rubbed it in a circular motion with a clean microfiber cloth, and watched in horror as the filter developed a greasy haze on its surface that would not go away. Also, some of the filter's coating looks spotty or less yellow now.

The grease could be cooking oil. I think a wayward or curious finger touched the filter's surface during the holidays. I am thankful the same grease is not on the lens.

This is difficult to show in photographs:

P.s. I've used B+W's contact page to ask a technical question a few times over the years. They've never replied. Have you ever heard back from them?

mshchem · Nov 30, 2025

I use a clean cotton undershirt, apply the ROR to the cloth. Then clean your optic. You have liberated assembly oil from the internal threads of the filter. Be careful to use least amount. You shouldn't have trouble cleaning up your filter, those are the best and most durable.

wiltw · Nov 30, 2025

ROR ingrediants:

ammonia
sodium chloride (essentially table salt)
Isopropyl alcohol
liquid soap
distilled water

in short, No

Dan Daniel · Nov 30, 2025

Depending on the oil type, you might use a specific solvent to dissolve it initially. Fat and skin oils, alcohol. Petroleum based oil, naphtha. After this, then do a final cleaning with something like ROR.

RalphLambrecht · Nov 30, 2025

filters can indeed bedamaged by cleaning fluids,especially those which are manufactured by sandwiching a coloredgelatin layerbetween two sheets of glas. The capillary action will allow the fluid to come into contact with the gelatin and harm it. the multicoated glas surfaces,on the other hand, are not sensitive to optical cleaning fluids. Having said that, your technique may need improvement. Never spray cleaning fluid directly on lenses or filters! Use a clean cotton rag andpray a little cleaning fluid on that and then clean the filter or lens with that!

loccdor · Nov 30, 2025

The Zeiss lens tissues work well for final touches on filters.

RalphLambrecht · Nov 30, 2025

I'm sure it does also.

Milpool · Nov 30, 2025

ROR won’t do damage - especially to the MRC coating.

Certain Exposures · Nov 30, 2025

Thanks everyone. Dan's response was the solution here:

Dan Daniel said:
Depending on the oil type, you might use a specific solvent to dissolve it initially. Fat and skin oils, alcohol. Petroleum based oil, naphtha. After this, then do a final cleaning with something like ROR.

I rubbed 70% isopropyl first aid antiseptic alcohol on the filter's surfaces with a Kimtech wipe. Then I rubbed ROR fluid on each surface with a fresh Kimtech wipe after that.

It looks much better. I do not see grease tracks anymore no matter what angle I view the lens filter from. I do not feel bold enough to try putting 70% alcohol on my lens' surface, though. The white/light patch you see is just a reflection of a lamp.

By the way, why are Kimtech wipes so messy? They litter my lenses and filters with their fibers every time I use them. Just curious.

RalphLambrecht · Nov 30, 2025

Certain Exposures said:
Thanks everyone. Dan's response was the solution here:

I rubbed 70% isopropyl first aid antiseptic alcohol on the filter's surfaces with a Kimtech wipe. Then I rubbed ROR fluid on each surface with a fresh Kimtech wipe after that.

It looks much better. I do not see grease tracks anymore no matter what angle I view the lens filter from. I do not feel bold enough to try putting 70% alcohol on my lens' surface, though. The white/light patch you see is just a reflection of a lamp.

View attachment 412485

By the way, why are Kimtech wipes so messy? They litter my lenses and filters with their fibers every time I use them. Just curious.

It will work on the lens surface too, but never spray it directly on the lenses. Spray it on the cleaning cloth but not on the lens, and what helps me is washing my hands first to prevent transferring skin oils to the fabric and then to the lens.

Certain Exposures · Nov 30, 2025

RalphLambrecht said:
It will work on the lens surface too, but never spray it directly on the lenses. Spray it on the cleaning cloth but not on the lens, and what helps me is washing my hands first to prevent transferring skin oils to the fabric and then to the lens.

Okay, thank you .

Taylor K Nankervis · Nov 30, 2025

What is ROR fluid??
And just how does cooking oil find its way onto a filter??

The only fluid I use on all of my B+W and Hoya MC filters is isopropyl alcohol in a pen-shaped micro-atomiser. This should also be used to remove whatever that smudge is on the lens. B+W filter coatings (even on their polarisers) are very durable and clean up with consummate ease — doesn't matter if it's a smudge, a fingerprint, a booger or bird poop — easy off!

Bare lens surfaces should rarely, if ever require cleaning, and certainly when they do, never aggressively. Again, IPA (100%), and in the case of cleaning the front or rear element, a microfibre cloth. The purpose of a filter on the front (other than colour correction, polarisation or ND etc.) is to provide some protection form sideways bumps; spray, dirt, dust and even the damaging effects of mottling caused by salt-spray in ocean environments.

B+W filters are made by Schneider-Kreuznach; they communicate fluently with distributors, but pretty much not at all with members of the photographic community.

Dan Daniel · Nov 30, 2025

Taylor Nankervis said:
What is ROR fluid??
And just how does cooking oil find its way onto a filter??

ROR stands for 'residual oil remover.' It's a commercial lens cleaner that has pretty much taken over the (rather small) market in the US. I think that the ammonia addition is the secret sauce to your isopropyl alcohol, the standard.

Screen Cleaner | Lens Cleaner | LCD Screen Cleaner

www.ror.net

As to how cooking oil gets somewhere, probably best to not ask. You might not want to know!

mshchem · Dec 1, 2025

My friends at the now shuttered University Camera in Iowa City IA introduced me to ROR about 10 years ago. It really does work nicely. It seems expensive, but it's my favorite for optics. And yep, never directly on the glass.

mshchem · Dec 1, 2025

I must have used 100,000 Kimwipes working in a chemistry laboratory. Cleaning cuvettes for spectrophotometer use etc. I got out of that game over 30 years ago, haven't used any since. My memory was these were great, but nothing is as it was, that's for certain.

Taylor K Nankervis · Dec 1, 2025

Dan Daniel said:
As to how cooking oil gets somewhere, probably best to not ask. You might not want to know!

Mm-hmm.
Could well be a slippery slope...

RalphLambrecht · Dec 1, 2025

Dan Daniel said:
ROR stands for 'residual oil remover.' It's a commercial lens cleaner that has pretty much taken over the (rather small) market in the US. I think that the ammonia addition is the secret sauce to your isopropyl alcohol, the standard.

Screen Cleaner | Lens Cleaner | LCD Screen Cleaner

www.ror.net

As to how cooking oil gets somewhere, probably best to not ask. You might not want to know!

I like to add my own recipe for a lens cleaner to the list. You'll find it in the attached file on page 15, and it will cost you only a tiny fraction of ROR or theZeiss lens cleaner but is just as good!

Certain Exposures · Dec 1, 2025

Taylor Nankervis said:
What is ROR fluid??
And just how does cooking oil find its way onto a filter??

The only fluid I use on all of my B+W and Hoya MC filters is isopropyl alcohol in a pen-shaped micro-atomiser.

Dan's got you covered on question #1. Unfortunately, I still can't say how for question #2...

This is an example of what you meant by 'micro-atomiser', right?

RalphLambrecht said:
I like to add my own recipe for a lens cleaner to the list. You'll find it in the attached file on page 15, and it will cost you only a tiny fraction of ROR or theZeiss lens cleaner but is just as good!

Thank you. I will give it a try sometime. There are quite a few extras in here. I've added it to my reading list.

mshchem · Dec 1, 2025

RalphLambrecht said:
I like to add my own recipe for a lens cleaner to the list. You'll find it in the attached file on page 15, and it will cost you only a tiny fraction of ROR or theZeiss lens cleaner but is just as good!

Thanks! I have both editions of your marvelous book.

Taylor K Nankervis · Dec 1, 2025

Certain Exposures said:
This is an example of what you meant by 'micro-atomiser', right?

Yes, but not as elegant! Mine is plastic and holds 20ml.
Only $1.00 for two at the $2.00 Shop (strange place: everything that used to be $2.00 is now $4 to $10...).

RalphLambrecht · Dec 1, 2025

mshchem said:
Thanks! I have both editions of your marvelous book.

thanks for your kind words.

Certain Exposures · Dec 2, 2025

I'll have to take a look at your books, Ralph.

Would 70% isopropyl alcohol be an acceptable replacement for 100% in most cases for lens cleaning? I assume the benefit of 100% is that it dries faster.

Taylor Nankervis said:
Yes, but not as elegant! Mine is plastic and holds 20ml.
Only $1.00 for two at the $2.00 Shop (strange place: everything that used to be $2.00 is now $4 to $10...).

Same thing here with our Dollar Store.

Taylor K Nankervis · Dec 2, 2025

Certain Exposures said:
Would 70% isopropyl alcohol be an acceptable replacement for 100% in most cases for lens cleaning? I assume the benefit of 100% is that it dries faster.

What is the 30% in the mix that is not IPA?
AFAIK, we can only get 100% IPA here in Australia, as some lower quality stuff at some time contained ammonia which has attracted the ire of regulators — all I know is that bleach + IPA = chloroform, and that can give you a decent knock!

wiltw · Dec 2, 2025

Taylor Nankervis said:
What is the 30% in the mix that is not IPA?

Water

Certain Exposures · Dec 2, 2025

Taylor Nankervis said:
What is the 30% in the mix that is not IPA?
AFAIK, we can only get 100% IPA here in Australia, as some lower quality stuff at some time contained ammonia which has attracted the ire of regulators — all I know is that bleach + IPA = chloroform, and that can give you a decent knock!

Neat, I'll give it a try!

(Kidding of course.)

wiltw said:
Water

Yep, confirmed.

Could ROR Fluid Damage B+W Multicoated Filters? Could Cooking Oil?

Certain Exposures

Attachments

mshchem

wiltw

Dan Daniel

RalphLambrecht

loccdor

RalphLambrecht

Milpool

Certain Exposures

RalphLambrecht

Certain Exposures

Taylor K Nankervis

Dan Daniel

Screen Cleaner | Lens Cleaner | LCD Screen Cleaner

mshchem

mshchem

Taylor K Nankervis

RalphLambrecht

Screen Cleaner | Lens Cleaner | LCD Screen Cleaner

Attachments

Certain Exposures

mshchem

Taylor K Nankervis

RalphLambrecht

Certain Exposures

Taylor K Nankervis

wiltw

Certain Exposures

Could ROR Fluid Damage B+W Multicoated Filters? Could Cooking Oil?

Attachments

Attachments

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency