Curious what kind of kits you guys use to clean your lenses/filters?

[benny420]

I need to pick up a quality cleaning kit asap and wanna know what you guys recommend? Got a bunch of smudges all over my filter after only having it the past 2 weeks and figure my lenses could use a really good cleaning as well.


Also wondering what you do while out in a lot of snow?? Planning on taking my 7D out on a few ski days (hopefully pow days) and know its only a matter of time before it gets sprayed with snow.....gonna be difficult to use anything other than a microfiber cloth while on the chairlift.

 

[Overread]

Provided you watch out for the seals your 7D should be perfectly fine in the cold:
7D #1 Weather Sealing

The lens you use however might be the limiting factor (esp if its not a weathersealed L lens). A cheap raincover such as an OPtech Rain sleeve is both cheap, light and easy to use and gives you a good level of protection against rain and snow.

As for the cleaning kit I just got one of amazon; most contain similar products - micro fibre cloth, lens cleaning fluid etc.. That combined with a Giottos Rocket blower shifts pretty much everything on the lens front. Note some people use the lenspens for lens cleaning, but be aware that you have to use blower and brush before the lenspen to ensure that there is no debris that the pen will push into the glass (can could thus cause a scratch)

 

[KmH]

This is what is in my lens cleaning kit:

Giottos Q Ball Air Blower CL2810 B&H Photo Video

Tiffen Lens Cleaning Paper (50 Single Sheets) EK1546027T-1 B&H

Nikon Spray Bottle Lens Cleaner 8174 B&H Photo Video

Delta 1" Camel Hair Brush 15310 B&H Photo Video

Micro fiber cloths can trap and hold dirt particles that can scratch your lens, even after being washed. That's why I use disposable lens tissue.

A 4oz bottle of lens cleaner will last me more than 5 years. A huff of breath is often all it takes.

How to clean a lens objective:

1. Blow as much dust and dirt from the lens with the blower, as possible. Be sure and blow dust and dirt out of the filter screw threads.
2. Lightly brush the lens surface and filter screw threads. Most of the time, you will be done at this point.
3. If any more cleaning is necessary first use a huff of breath on the lens to moisten it and gently wipe with a lens tissue from the center of the lens to the edge. Be sure and get the outer perimeter of the lens objective.
4. If there is anything oily, like a finger print, on the glass you will need to use the lens cleaner. Dampen a lens tissue with lens cleaning solution. (DO NOT SPRAY LENS CLEANER DIRECTLY ONTO THE GLASS, unless you don't mind the chance that some of it finds it's way inside the lens.) Gently wipe the lens with the damp lens tissue. repeat only if necessary.
5. Gently wipe the lens with a dry lens tissue to absorb any residual lens cleaning solution.

Many photographer over do lens cleaning. Unless you are doing Macro work, are shooting directly into a main light source, or the rear element of a lens is dirty, you don't need the lens to be spotless.

 

[Derrel]

I have a blower-bulb, a soft brush, the huffed breath from my lungs, and some good clean microfiber cloths. That will take care of 95% of lens cleaning chores. Occasionally, a lens will get something really greasy on it, and in such cases, I break out some lens cleaning fluid and some of the old-school Kodak Lens Cleaning Tissue.

Nothing really high-tech. I have never scratched a lens with anything...

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

I use Soft Scrub.

 

[Ron Evers]

I use Soft Scrub.

Is that the synthetic steel wool?

 

[KmH]

I use Soft Scrub.

Squeeky clean! :lmao:

 

[benny420]

Thanks for the responses Overread - KmH & Derrell, got a good idea what to have in mine now.

Off-topic: BJ, thanks for yet another worthless post!! Hope somewhere in your 4,000 posts there is something of value.

 

[KmH]

Bitter Jewler is one of the more helpful, and insightful regular members of TPF.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Thanks for the responses Overread - KmH & Derrell, got a good idea what to have in mine now.

Off-topic: BJ, thanks for yet another worthless post!! Hope somewhere in your 4,000 posts there is something of value.

Go smoke some weed and get over it.

 

[bluetibby1]

I think bitter is very helpful plus he cracks me up. I loom forward to responses made by the artistic man!
Blue

 

[benny420]

Thanks for the responses Overread - KmH & Derrell, got a good idea what to have in mine now.

Off-topic: BJ, thanks for yet another worthless post!! Hope somewhere in your 4,000 posts there is something of value.

Go smoke some weed and get over it.

Sounds good!! Vaporizing is where its at tho.....smoking is for n00bs

 

[Robin Usagani]

dont worry benny.. Bitter likes to give people from Colorado a hard time for some reason. Maybe because of the Broncos #7? I am not really sure.

 

[benny420]

dont worry benny.. Bitter likes to give people from Colorado a hard time for some reason. Maybe because of the Broncos #7? I am not really sure.

No worries SL, just seems like he goes out of his way to spam all my posts where I'm asking serious questions and trying to improve my photography......guess if I lived in Ohio I'd be bitter as well!! It's the definition of a fly-over state!! lol lol

 

[bigboi3]

I clean me lenses with my spit and a t-shirt.