Lens cleaning

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Bormental

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I know this topic has been brought up numerous times, but to this day I can't clean my lenses. I have 4 different cleaners and different type of cloth and I can always find an angle to look at the glass and see cleaning streaks. I clean again, they re-arrange or move around, but I can never get rid of them completely. Is it even possible?

Here's what I have:
And look at the results. At the first glance, the glass is pristine:
clean.jpg


Look closer and it's kind of OK:
almost-clean.jpg


But then find a certain angle for the lamp light and THIS:
shit.jpg


Am I hopeless? What am I doing wrong? As you can see in the first photo, I just succeeded at restoring the sticky shutter in this lens, I have to go back and nail down the cleaning now. The last photo is embarrassing. :smile:
 

BradS

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mmmm...reminds me of something that I was told as a young and idealistic engineer...it was something like,
perfection is the enemy of done
good enough is perfect
something like that...
I think it best to just let the little imperfections go and get out and make some photos.

oh, and do not ever shine a flashlight into a lens!
 

Donald Qualls

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Then don't show the last photo.

Remember the number one rule of cleaning optics: Don't.

If you really can't stand how dirty your lens is, Don't.

If it's causing flare or unsharpness, maybe...
 

Pentode

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One thing I was taught years ago, although I seldom actually follow this advice (because I'm lazy) is to use a swab only in one direction and only for one stroke. Stroke in a straight line, flip over and stroke in a parallel line, new swab, repeat, etc... it eliminates the possibility of the swab smearing dirt over where it has already passed. When I bother with the process it works, although it's a little wasteful.

I recently read that MEK mixed with distilled water is the "perfect" cleaner. Acetone works extremely well for cleaning optical glass but I don't know if all coatings are resistant to it and I'm quite sure many plastic lens parts would dissolve if exposed to acetone.
 

Grim Tuesday

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I think your problem is that your cloths are full of grease (from cleaning the lenses). The cleaners emulsify grease, you need something clean to soak it up and wipe it away. Try kim-wipes (pretty cheap on Amazon, used in labs for cleaning lenses). Using ROR I am able to get very clean glass at all angles. 91% isopropyl is difficult because it dries off so quickly that it is hard to sop up the emulsified grease.
 
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Bormental

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I keep a UV filter on all my Nikkor manual focus lenses. I'd rather mess up a filter than the front element of a lens.

I agree that keeping your lenses clean is better than cleaning them, but in my case I'm dealing with old/used lenses from eBay. The sellers did not lie, the optics is good, but dirty.

I think your problem is that your cloths are full of grease (from cleaning the lenses). The cleaners emulsify grease, you need something clean to soak it up and wipe it away. Try kim-wipes (pretty cheap on Amazon, used in labs for cleaning lenses). Using ROR I am able to get very clean glass at all angles. 91% isopropyl is difficult because it dries off so quickly that it is hard to sop up the emulsified grease.

@Grim Tuesday is the winner! Those wipes were amazing. They feel like soft paper in your hand, but they soak up the liquified dirt. I used them with ROR, followed by a rocket blower, and now all surfaces are PRISTINE. Microfiber cloth is a thing of the past for me now.
 
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Bormental

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Those thin microfiber cloths are garbage while heavyweight work well. I've yet to see a lens I couldn't clean with a heavyweight microfiber cloth.

BTW I have also ordered your recommendation, but Adorama was slow to ship so I haven't received it yet.
 

eli griggs

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PEC cleaning pads, Eclipse Lens Cleaning Fluid, Hydrogen Peroxide, Acetone based fingernail polish remover.

Naptha, preferred, is the old Naptha Ronson lighter fluid, but the VM&P stuff the hardware shops carry will work too.


PEC Pads plus Eclipse will give you a streak free result, but you should take some youtube instructions on how to use them, as well as how no to, and I recommend Mikeno62 videos, in which he offers some very good repair instruction.

Add some Harbor Freight black nitrile gloves, more tools and consumables depending on how far into a lens you wish to delve.

A brief rundown is, the Eclipse fluid is touted as the one lens fluid recommended by all lens (glass?) makers and PEC Pads are the perfect wipe, do no use other cleaning cloths, papers.

In the example photos, your technique shows very clearly and the major issue, besides wearing clean, nylon, silicone, or nitrile gloves, both hands, is how you end your wipe, simply lifting off the lens, when what you need to do is use the corner of the PEC cloth to PULL the pad away, straight off the edge of the lens, taking the last of the damp fluid and freed dirt/grime with it.

Practice cleaning with a PEC cloth, on say a plastic jar lid, and as you reach the outer side of your circling cleaning action,pull your finger away from the side or bottom in a 90° line with a lifting action to help carry the dirt away, in a slight downward action (if the lens is free of the barrel/ring, or upward over the metal lip.

If your Eclipse fluid does no clear away fungus, try the Hydrogen Peroxide; I use it by putting a PEC Pad in the bottom of a plastic jar lid, and adding a shallow depth of H2O2, so the lens surface is in complete contact with the one side of the lens, then do the other side as needed, letting the lens soak for a few minutes, as needed.

Allow the lens, both sides, to dry, and then use the PEC Pads and Eclipse to clean first one surface, then the other, pulling off the glass as I (really Mikeno62) suggest.

In using the PEC Pads, with Eclipse, only a wet an unused corner of the pad each time, and the edges between the corners, and center.

I have been flipping the cloth over, say the corner used to remove the first layer of grime, reweting the reverse, corner and gentle wiping away the last of the dirt, in the doing.

So far so good, but I want to get the best use out of these pads, and the gloves keep oils, debris, away from the lens(s).

Naptha can be used to clean dirt away, but be gentle, and do no forget how to draw away your fingers/cloth.

Acetone, polish remover, IN TINY AMOUNTS can be used, on threads (only) to help remove old lube, or glue, to free the lens when it's stuck after all other screws, rings, etc, are moved out of the way.

I am concerned Acetone cleaner will strip away coatings, so keep it off your lens's surface glass, and especially the black paint on most lens sides.

I don't think this should be allowed to clean the lens and should be wiped away from the black painted Len's edges, gently to avoid stripping the paint away.

This is no such a brief description, but these things work.

By-the-way, I have used Eclipse on B&W, Hoya, Hasselblad, Tiffen and Helios coloured filters with no sign of marking or surface damage to the colourent or rings, but do keep the possibility in mind when cleaning other filters.

Watch Miken62's videos on cleaning lenses to see the correct way to approach lens cleaning, and never worry about doing a bad job of it again.

IMO.
 
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flavio81

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I use wondow cleaner (ammonia based) and lens tissue (btw some kinds of toilet paper are useful as well), and don't have cleaning streaks. I just repeat the process -with a new paper- until streaks are gone. I wash my hands before proceeding, and i only use fresh (new) sections of the paper everytime.

What can be remaining is coating damage made by fungus, haze, etc. Those can't be cleaned without removing the coating as well.
 

flavio81

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I am concerned Acetone cleaner will strip away coatings, so keep it off your lens's surface glass, and especially the black paint on most lens sides.

Exterior coatings are usually things like magnesium fluoride (MgF) - very resilient against many substances and acetone won't do harm, except really strong and dangerous substances such as hydrofluoric acid...

On the other hand, INSIDE a lens there is a slight chance one of the coatings isn't as resilient.

In any case i don't think acetone has any particular advantage for lens cleaning, so better not use it. And it will destroy many plastics.
 
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I use the Zeiss cleaner with a lens cloth. I spray a couple of shots on the cloth then wipe in circular motions. If the lens is greasy, I use the ROR, also with a lens cloth in circular motions. Use one drop, no more. Blowing off the dust first is good.

When I'm in a hurry, I huff on the lens and use the lens cloth. Don't forget the back of the lens. Dirt on the back lens shows up quicker from there since it's closest to the film or sensor. If you still can't get the lens clean, send it to me and I'll dispose of it for you. :smile:
 

flavio81

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What am I doing wrong?

What you're doing wrong is being obsessive. The mamiya lens is already perfect enough for shooting, those streaks won't do ANY effect on the picture. ANY.

ANY.

ANY.

Plus you might scratch the lens coatings if you're trying to clean it too much. Leave that 180/4.5 Super alone!!

But since you don't want streaks, i'll tell you where you are failing:

1. Cloth. Don't use cloth for cleaning lenses! Use lens tissue. Even smooth toilet paper will work better than cloth!
2. Cleaning fluid -- i get best success with glass cleaner. It is specifically designed not to leave any streaks, you know...
 
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What you're doing wrong is being obsessive. The mamiya lens is already perfect enough for shooting, those streaks won't do ANY effect on the picture. ANY.

ANY.

ANY.

Plus you might scratch the lens coatings if you're trying to clean it too much. Leave that 180/4.5 Super alone!!

But since you don't want streaks, i'll tell you where you are failing:

1. Cloth. Don't use cloth for cleaning lenses! Use lens tissue. Even smooth toilet paper will work better than cloth!
2. Cleaning fluid -- i get best success with glass cleaner. It is specifically designed not to leave any streaks, you know...
I've read that many papers will scratch lenses like toilet paper. The fibers left from woods are no good. You're better off using a clean soft cotton T shirt or handkerchief. Of course the best I've found is lens microfiber cleaner cloths. They work great on camera lens and eyeglasses. Combined with a good lens cleaner like from Zeiss, they really sparkle. Check the back of the lens if you haven't in a long time. Dirt there is actually worse than in the front because it's so close to the film or sensor. Marks on the front of the lens tend to get washed away due to the properties of lens as the light passes through them.
 

benjiboy

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I use Zeiss lens cleaning spray and lens cleaning tissues, I don't use microfibre cloths, because you don't know if they are absolutely clean. I spray one spray onto a tissue and apply it gently to the lens surface in horizontal strokes then disregard the tissue, get a second new tissue and gently wipe the lens surface with it to remove the spray then subsequently breathing on the lens surface using new tissues until the lens is clean
 
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I use Zeiss lens cleaning spray and lens cleaning tissues, I don't use microfibre cloths, because you don't know if they are absolutely clean. I spray one spray onto a tissue and apply it gently to the lens surface in horizontal strokes then disregard the tissue, get a second new tissue and gently wipe the lens surface with it to remove the spray then subsequently breathing on the lens surface using new tissues until the lens is clean
I spray on the microfiber cloth and shake it beforehand. I wash them occasionally by hand. Why do you need to breathe on the lens after cleaning it? Doesn;t the tissue and cleaner get them clean for you? It seems like an extra unnecessary step. I use the breath and handkerchief as last last minute cleanups right before shooting if I notice some dirt and don't have the lens cleaner and cloth handy..
 

Sirius Glass

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Use soft cloth or lens tissues with lens cleaners. All paper even tissue paper scratches lenses, the exception is lens tissues.
 

flavio81

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I've read that many papers will scratch lenses like toilet paper.

Boy, my toilet paper is really premium quality! I haven't scratched any lens yet (due to the paper). In any case I always have the paper wet, never completely dry. But it can leave paper residues that not always will blow off easily.

Lens tissues are better of course.
 

dpurdy

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Cheap Vodka does not leave a residue. And scotch tape takes off most stuff and in my experience does not harm the lens coating.... try it on a cheap lens if you must.
 

Sirius Glass

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Use soft cloth or lens tissues with lens cleaners. All paper even tissue paper scratches lenses, the exception is lens tissues.

Boy, my toilet paper is really premium quality! I haven't scratched any lens yet (due to the paper). In any case I always have the paper wet, never completely dry. But it can leave paper residues that not always will blow off easily.

Lens tissues are better of course.

I was told that at the camera stores where I had worked, later by my optometrist and eventually at Kodak.
 

Nodda Duma

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If you work in an optical shop, you use canned air, warm soap and water, Kimwipes, Ethanol (or Isopropyl, ACS grade), Acetone, or Windex. Oh and single-sided 6" cotton swaps from Edmund Optics.

Anybody tells you to use something different doesn't know how to clean optics properly. Unless I find something that works better.

Don't clean optics unless it affects image quality or you are shipping out newly made lenses to a well-paying customer.
 
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