Lens cleaning

[britonk]

Hi,

Can anyone give me any advice on cleaning my lens? I have noticed some small particles on there which I have tried to remove by facing the lens towards the floor and blowing on it but they appear more stuck then that.

I am reluctant to touch the lens with anything as I don't know what I am doing and don't want to make matters worse.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,

 

[fmw]

At this point you need to introduce some liquid. Get a lens cleaning solution and apply it to the lens. Then you can use a microfiber cloth to clean it up. Rubbing the lens when it is dry could potentially scratch it.

 

[britonk]

Thought I might need to get some specialist stuff. Have ordered a kit.

Thanks

 

[benhasajeep]

Don't put too much liquid on the lens! I start in the center and work around in circles until I reach the outside. I also have a dry cloth standing by to do a light follow up. Have to be carefull about cleaning too much / rubbing too hard. There are coatings on lenses and you can rub through them. Also if the spot doesn't seem to come off, it may be a dust spec inside the lens.

You might get a small to medium blower like a Giottos Rocket or similar. They are very handy and blow quite a bit better then a person can. And its fairly dry air (compared to humid exhaled breath). They are not that much.

 

[GSDMan]

I've made my own fluid for many years and never had a problem.

I use a 16 oz. squeeze bottle (old dish soap bottle) and add 4 oz. of rubbing alcohol, 1 drop of Dawn dish soap, and fill with distilled water. People think I'm nuts till they try it. I also use sterile cotton to gently wipe my lenses. I only use a wad once on each side and then grab another. For deep glass, like older telephoto lenses, I use those long Q-tips they sell for first aid.

Usually, for a bit that's really stuck, just wiping and keeping it wet is enough to soften it up. One tip though, NEVER rub harder to remove something. If the offending particle doesn't come off the first time, keep at it or use something else. For me, if I can feel the glass through the cotton, I'm pressing too hard.

Early on, I scratched the "you know what" out of the front glass on a nice old lens. I got the speck that was hurting no one off, but the lens was ruined! And that was with that gee-whiz lens cleaning kit I bought at the camera store, too. That's when I stopped and re-evaluated what I was doing and I came up with my own fluid and the cotton.

I won't recommend you do what I do; you do what you think best. More knowledgable, more experienced photographers than I usually don't have a good reaction when I tell them what I'm doing. They tell me I'll ruin my lenses or I'll void my warranty or something. They don't appreciate it very much when I point out they have no idea what's in that cleaning fluid they're using and that, at least, I know what I'm putting on my glass.

Peace!

 

[britonk]

Cool - thanks for the advice guys - don't worry I am going to take it verrrrry gently and only clean it when is absolutely necessary.

The kit I have ordered comes with a blower so I am going to try that before resorting to touching the lens.

Many thanks,

Brian