Cleaning the Lens

AMcNeice · Apr 28, 2004

I went to snap some pictures today and noticed a god awful smudge through the view finder, upon closer inspection it appeared I got a fingerprint on the lens last time I was out.

What's the recommended method for getting rid of this?

Mucho Gracias!

cypilk · Apr 28, 2004

its pretty simple..i think. best bet is to get a lens cleaning kit. it has a dropper you put on the lens and special tissue paper you wipe the lens with.. the kit i bought had a lens brush too. after u do that..you should be fine and the lens should be crystal clear =)

ksmattfish · Apr 28, 2004

There are lots of fancy lens cloths you can get, but all the manufacturers also say that clean 100% cotton cloth is fine. It's what I use. Oil from a fingerprint can smear around, so it might be a good idea to try some lenscleaner. I usually find that a huff of breath provides enough moisture to clean the lens in most cases. I stopped using lens cleaner after a few times where it actually seemed to make the lens dirtier.

Mr.ReDEyE · Apr 28, 2004

cypilk-you should never apply the cleaning liquid directly to the lens....instead put a couple drops on a lens cleaning tissue and destroy that smudge!

cypilk · Apr 28, 2004

oh no!..i put it directly on the lens!

what happens...why don't you put it right on the lens?

Mr.ReDEyE · Apr 28, 2004

the liquid could get into the internal parts of the lense which isn't too good....

cypilk · Apr 28, 2004

but...i didn't leave it on that long... i should be fine?.. hopefully..

DocFrankenstein · Apr 29, 2004

I have this Optex (R) lens cleaning pen.

On one side you have a retractable brush for dust. On the other, there's a concave in cotton tissue...

You just breathe on the lens and make round circles with the tissue.

Seemed ok, the only thing is that the design is a bit retarded. The brush isn't covered with anything, so the dust can get in easily. I carru it around in a ziplock bag.

Anybody have any comments about the product?

BTW: What happens to the lens if you leave the fingerprints long enough:?:

Mitica100 · Apr 29, 2004

I use a great cleaning fluid made by Zeiss for their optics. I bought it sometime ago and it super cleans any occasional smudge found on a lens. The advice given in regards to putting a few drops on a photo cleaning tissue is the best advice one can give you (someone else mentioned it before). Also, do not super saturate the tissue so fluid can't go down and eventually affect the lens elements. If you've done it once it's ok, just don't do it in the future. Like someone else mentioned, carry a supply of lens cleaning tissues and lens cleaning fluid with you in a ziploc bag.

ksmattfish · Apr 29, 2004

DocFrankenstein said:
I have this Optex (R) lens cleaning pen.

Anybody have any comments about the product?

BTW: What happens to the lens if you leave the fingerprints long enough:?:

I know many folks who are happy with thier lens pens, but I have heard one bad story. A piece of sand or grit got into the cleaner side of the pen, and when they went to rub it on the lens, it scratched the multicolatings pretty good.

Fingerprints will etch into steel if left long enough, so i imagine they could do the same to the multicoatings.

drdan · May 1, 2004

I use a "puffer" to get the dust and debris off and then Formula MC from the Filter Connection. I was really disappointed in it at first as it seemed to leave a major residue. The instructions said to "polish" after cleaning though so I tried that using "Pec Pad" non abrasive wipes. After polishing a while, turning or replacing the wipe, you can feel the surface change and the residue disappears leaving the lens sparkling clean. It seems to work well although I am not that thrilled with rubbing so much on the lens of the filters. I do use a clear UV filter over the lens at all times as well as other filters so I'm not damaging the camera lens at least.

Harpper · May 1, 2004

The cleaning kit I got works pretty well. I actually don't have to clean my lense all too much. I try to be real good at not touching the glass and I use a non-aerosol blower for dust.

TheProf · May 1, 2004

A simple way to ensure your lens wont get scratched is to put a UV filter on it (That is assuming your camera takes filters) that way your not constantly cleaning the lens, but the filter. Also helps protect the lens when dropped or banged.