how to clean len

excentrique · 30th November 2002

well, decided to share my tips with you guys after seeing people having problem with cleaning lens all the time.

Please do not, I say again, DO NOT use any tissue, liquid,your breath, or any other weird stuff on your len. There is a coating which you may destroy. My advise to use a good blower(fotoguide), or airbrush, or air spray(from cathy) to clear off any dust and sandy particles before wipping.

For wipping, go buy some good quality silk cloth. Traditional craftmen use silk to polish precious stones and to remove statics on metals. Since they can be used on PRECIOUS GEMS, they can be used fo your lens too. Infact this is the only thing I ever use. Till now still no problem with that. Infact my len is always in tiptop condition.

Apart from learning how to clean your len, you must also learn how to take good care of them. Use a UV or skylight filter to protect your len. And do not peek at your len so close that your breath actually come into contact with it. control your breath when you need to inspect them. This should do the trick.

Ian · 1st December 2002

A nice tip, however it's somewhat flawed and here's why

1) A modern microfibre cloth has fibres that are between 10 and 100x finer than those found in the best silks, thus they will cause less damage.

2) Breathing on lenses puts condensation ONLY on the lens (ie: water). This will NOT damage the coatings of the lens.

3) UV and Skylight filters are fine as lens protectors, however they really aren't required as most modern lens coatings include UV blocking layers.

*note: Most professional photographers don't use UV/Skylight filters unless shooting in extremly hazardous conditions. The reason: The filters can change the tonal rendition slightly.

Finally, scratches in the lens coating (fine cleaning scratches/marks) will not effect the operation of the lens, even chips out of the front element if small won't effect the image with short ish lenses and the chips/gouges can be quite large with long telephotos eg: 5-8mm x 1mm scratch/gouge in a 600mm lens front element has zero effect on the image.

Ian's cleaning method:

1) Blow over lens, either with blower brush bulb or canned air.

2) Breathe on front element and get a good coating of condensation, wipe gently in circular fashion using microfibre cloth. (use almost no pressure)

3) Polish using no pressure.

For really filthy lenses use pure Isopropyl Alcohol, and a cotton bud (Q-tip) to remove the offending stains/muck and then follow steps 1-3.

For really filthy salt encrusted filters .. soak in distilled water for a few minutes, rinse with distilled water and if necessary spray with Windex or similar first but don't let it sit on the filter for more than a few seconds. (last resort). Then follow steps 1-3.

Polarizing filters ..

Don't soak them unless you can let them dry or have a hair dryer to dry the filter .. the dual rings tend to trap water between the two layers.

agws1970 · 1st December 2002

Hear Hear,

By the way, I have found that many good opticians will sell Small squares of Microfibre that I find indispensible for travel or storage in camera bags. Smaller and cheaper than our normal huge ones that really take a bite out of our hearts if we lose them.

Regards
YMMV

Derrick · 1st December 2002

I've been using a microfibre cloth to clean my lenses for some time now. Bought from optician. Just wondering if these cloths get dirty/old after some time and require replacing or can it be washed and it would be almost as good as new?

denizenx · 1st December 2002

wash liao the microfibre become macrofibre...

I use contact lens solution... too many bottles..

chey I thought this was a thread teaching u how to unscrew the barrel and clean the elements... anyone?

Ian · 1st December 2002

Quote:

Originally posted by Derrick
I've been using a microfibre cloth to clean my lenses for some time now. Bought from optician. Just wondering if these cloths get dirty/old after some time and require replacing or can it be washed and it would be almost as good as new?

Most of them can be hand washed in lukewarm water with a bit of detergent (eg washing up liquid). then rinse throughly and squeeze out, let dry in a non dusty location!

ninelives · 1st December 2002

Quote:

Originally posted by denizenx

chey I thought this was a thread teaching u how to unscrew the barrel and clean the elements... anyone?

unscrew the barrel of the lens ?? yeah, you are sure smart.

agws1970 · 2nd December 2002

Quote:

Originally posted by ninelives

unscrew the barrel of the lens ?? yeah, you are sure smart.

Yes, lens barrels are unscrewed to do cleaning of internal Elements. How did you think they were asembled? Magically?

denizenx · 2nd December 2002

Quote:

Originally posted by ninelives

unscrew the barrel of the lens ?? yeah, you are sure smart.

how else to take it apart? I watched the lady at TCW clean a MF nikon... like that lor, she poked tweezers into some holes near the top element, and managed to take the rings and stuff out...

obviously I am not going to do it to my IS lens... but the 50mm is cheap and I am not going to pay its price in CLA each time dirt gets into its barrel...

maybe minolta lenses are sealed with indian glue and need a hairdryer like the Palm V...

30th November 2002	#1
excentrique Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: east Posts: 339	how to clean len well, decided to share my tips with you guys after seeing people having problem with cleaning lens all the time. Please do not, I say again, DO NOT use any tissue, liquid,your breath, or any other weird stuff on your len. There is a coating which you may destroy. My advise to use a good blower(fotoguide), or airbrush, or air spray(from cathy) to clear off any dust and sandy particles before wipping. For wipping, go buy some good quality silk cloth. Traditional craftmen use silk to polish precious stones and to remove statics on metals. Since they can be used on PRECIOUS GEMS, they can be used fo your lens too. Infact this is the only thing I ever use. Till now still no problem with that. Infact my len is always in tiptop condition. Apart from learning how to clean your len, you must also learn how to take good care of them. Use a UV or skylight filter to protect your len. And do not peek at your len so close that your breath actually come into contact with it. control your breath when you need to inspect them. This should do the trick.

1st December 2002	#2
Ian Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Perth Australia Posts: 2,483	A nice tip, however it's somewhat flawed and here's why 1) A modern microfibre cloth has fibres that are between 10 and 100x finer than those found in the best silks, thus they will cause less damage. 2) Breathing on lenses puts condensation ONLY on the lens (ie: water). This will NOT damage the coatings of the lens. 3) UV and Skylight filters are fine as lens protectors, however they really aren't required as most modern lens coatings include UV blocking layers. note: Most professional photographers don't use UV/Skylight filters unless shooting in extremly hazardous conditions. The reason: The filters can change the tonal rendition slightly. Finally, scratches in the lens coating (fine cleaning scratches/marks) will not effect the operation of the lens, even chips out of the front element if small won't effect the image with short ish lenses and the chips/gouges can be quite large with long telephotos eg: 5-8mm x 1mm scratch/gouge in a 600mm lens front element has zero effect on the image. Ian's cleaning method: 1) Blow over lens, either with blower brush bulb or canned air. 2) Breathe on front element and get a good coating of condensation, wipe gently in circular fashion using microfibre cloth. (use almost no pressure) 3) Polish using no pressure. For really filthy lenses use pure Isopropyl Alcohol, and a cotton bud (Q-tip) to remove the offending stains/muck and then follow steps 1-3. For really filthy salt encrusted filters .. soak in distilled water for a few minutes, rinse with distilled water and if necessary spray with Windex or similar first but don't let it sit on the filter for more than a few seconds. (last resort). Then follow steps 1-3. Polarizing filters .. Don't soak them unless you can let them dry or have a hair dryer to dry the filter .. the dual rings tend to trap water between the two layers. __________________ The Ang Moh from Hell* Professional Photography - many are called, few are chosen!

1st December 2002	#5
denizenx Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: L2TPYSG Posts: 4,518	wash liao the microfibre become macrofibre... I use contact lens solution... too many bottles.. chey I thought this was a thread teaching u how to unscrew the barrel and clean the elements... anyone? __________________ "I'm... dreaming... of a wide... angle~ Just like the ones I used to know~"

1st December 2002	#3
agws1970 Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: North East Singapore Posts: 218	Hear Hear, By the way, I have found that many good opticians will sell Small squares of Microfibre that I find indispensible for travel or storage in camera bags. Smaller and cheaper than our normal huge ones that really take a bite out of our hearts if we lose them. Regards YMMV

1st December 2002	#4
Derrick Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Singapore Posts: 680	I've been using a microfibre cloth to clean my lenses for some time now. Bought from optician. Just wondering if these cloths get dirty/old after some time and require replacing or can it be washed and it would be almost as good as new?