microfiber cloths doing more harm than good

[jonathanyang]

hi guys, i'm not sure if any of you experience the same issues as i do, but i am sooo sick of microfiber cloths backfiring on me when trying to wipe my lenses every now and then.

sometimes, as do the rest of you i'm sure, i get some water spots or oil smudges on my lens. common wisdom suggests simply taking a microfiber cloth and wiping it off after a few jets of air from a blower or strokes of a soft brush. unfortunately, for a few times already, the cloths i've used end up leaving a nasty trail of lint, and lint that would not be blown off or around by a blower at that! it's like the lint was pasted onto the surface of the lens, which i'm guessing is the result of static. also, when wiping, no matter how gently, i get this feeling that the cloths are "gripping" onto the surface of the lenses. it doesn't glide smoothly across at all. from recent memory, i can pinpoint two such culprits; the cheap $3 brown colored microfiber cloth sold at cathay, and the yellow Selvyt cloth sold at TK Foto.

i'd just like to find out if any of you have suffered the same fate? i've been bamboozled so many times that it's come to the point that i'm afraid to wipe any of my lenses with any microfiber cloth lest i am forced to go through another painful episode of "Attack of the Lint."

 

[ricleo]

use a lens pen instead

 

[Diavonex]

I only use disposable lens cleaning paper. They come in packs of 100 sheets.

To remove finger prints, I moisten the paper with a drop of Lens Cleaner.

No problem with linting.

 

[jonathanyang]

bro Diavonex, are you talking about Eclipse and PEC*PADs? i just got those 2 items and have been learning how to work with them. it's not exactly very easy for some reason or other. the Eclipse solution tends to leave at least one small patch when it evaporates, and wiping with a fresh PEC*PAD after it has dried seems to do little more than spread it and swirl it all over. any tips or words of advice?

 

[geraldkhoo]

Try the 3M Lens Cleaner... won't leave any lint.

Nomally for cleaning, I'll use the 3M Lens Cleaner + Lens Pen + Blower. I normally won't use any cleaning solutions on the lens.

 

[night86mare]

get a better microfibre cloth.

for eclipse, this is to get rid of stubborn stain, after that, you still have to go through it with a microfibre cloth.

i have never had any trouble with what lint trails, not sure what you mean by that. btw, when you use cloth, you shouldn't rub hard, just gently, everything will come out.

 

[spheredome]

I stopped using those fury or velvet microfiber cloth for a long time ago as the fiber will drop out.

Just stick to spectacle lint-free cloth. No alcohol cleaner required, just brush, blower and a mouth breath and wipe. Wash it with soap and water when dirty.

Yes, lens pen is good for getting rid of stubbon stains.

 

[Diavonex]

bro Diavonex, are you talking about Eclipse and PEC*PADs? i just got those 2 items and have been learning how to work with them. it's not exactly very easy for some reason or other. the Eclipse solution tends to leave at least one small patch when it evaporates, and wiping with a fresh PEC*PAD after it has dried seems to do little more than spread it and swirl it all over. any tips or words of advice?

You must use at least 3 to 4 sheets loosely wadded together; only use one drop of Lens Cleaner solution when there's finger print.

 

[undergrd]

Same as spheredome, Im using those spectacle cloth which I find it good...

 

[Diavonex]

There are quite a few clips on how to clean lens on youtube.com

 

[jonathanyang]

thanks for the replies guys! most helpful! and yes, i was a victim of some of those "furry" microfiber cloths. what appalls me the most is that these lint-happy cloths were purchased at reputed photography stores, so you'd think that these people would sell you products which have been proven to work.

 

[Snoweagle]

hi guys, i'm not sure if any of you experience the same issues as i do, but i am sooo sick of microfiber cloths backfiring on me when trying to wipe my lenses every now and then.

sometimes, as do the rest of you i'm sure, i get some water spots or oil smudges on my lens. common wisdom suggests simply taking a microfiber cloth and wiping it off after a few jets of air from a blower or strokes of a soft brush. unfortunately, for a few times already, the cloths i've used end up leaving a nasty trail of lint, and lint that would not be blown off or around by a blower at that! it's like the lint was pasted onto the surface of the lens, which i'm guessing is the result of static. also, when wiping, no matter how gently, i get this feeling that the cloths are "gripping" onto the surface of the lenses. it doesn't glide smoothly across at all. from recent memory, i can pinpoint two such culprits; the cheap $3 brown colored microfiber cloth sold at cathay, and the yellow Selvyt cloth sold at TK Foto.

i'd just like to find out if any of you have suffered the same fate? i've been bamboozled so many times that it's come to the point that i'm afraid to wipe any of my lenses with any microfiber cloth lest i am forced to go through another painful episode of "Attack of the Lint."

Are u using Hoya filters?

 

[jonathanyang]

nope. i have experienced this issue on both B+W and Nikon filters, but most especially on the front elements of lenses.

 

[Snoweagle]

nope. i have experienced this issue on both B+W and Nikon filters, but most especially on the front elements of lenses.

I've no probs cleaning with my B+Ws, only Hoya is the problematic one. Try using lens paper/tissues instead.

 

[diver-hloc]

Lenspen works so far..... and I'm sticking with it :bsmilie:

 

[sjackal]

Panther anti static micro fibre cloth, leaves no lint, coz its anti static.

http://kinetronics.com/store/panther.html

Available at CP, $10 for a big piece, cut to smaller pieces for each camera bag.

Combined with lens pen and blower, dont bother with potentially lens harming liquids (despite being named lens cleaning solution - it could be expensive coating removal solution)

Don't bother with lens paper, the free ones they bundled in your camera kit sucks, can scratch your lens (they scratched my filters), they are not like the old reliable Kodak lens cleaning tissues.

 

[K3N]

Have a look at chamois cleaning cloth.
Chiif has some here, http://www.chiifcameras.com/site2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=62&Itemid=60


You can get them at some spectacle shops too.

 

[CS TAN]

The use of microfiber cloth, spectacle cloth, lenspen or disposable lens paper is a personal choice. The key to use them is to make sure you don't trap dirt in the cloth/lenspen and scratch the lens.

If you are going for microfiber cloth, get a good one and not those from the $1.99 shops. 3M is good and is available in most of the DYI stores. The disadvantage of using microfiber cloth is that after a few use, the cloth will trap dirt even after washing it and as a result will scratch your lens. Same goes with lenspen (of course, you can't wash it) so you need to replace them regularly.

 

[rokieto]

you need to wash away the oil & dirt accumulated on the cloth, i wash them in the washing machine.

 

[shaoken]

I've been using the 3M cloth sold at Orient Photo.
No prob with it, very good!

You can try it, if I remember correctly, it's $7 or $8.