Lens Cleaning

[vonDrehle]

I ordered a Canon Lens cleaning kit the other day and got it in the mail today. I was hoping it would have atleast some simple instructions but it doesn't have anything. Not wanting the mess up either of my lenses I was hoping you could help.
This is the kit
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...554&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

It cam with everything shown.

Basically want to know where I can use what and how. One of the how questions being how much solution would be best. Also I was wondering if this could be used to clean my mirrors too or if I should just take that to the camera shop.

 

[gravespinner]

This was a subject that I was going to raise tonight as well. I still have a couple of the soft brush/blowers from my AE1 and some lens cleaner solution although I have used all the lens cleaning papers.

Both Bausch and Lombe and Optico put out individually packaged lens cleaning wipes. The Optico shows pictures of a camera but do not actually say that they are good/safe for camera lenses and will not leave a film on the lens. They do a great job on glasses and LCD display screens.

Anyone have experience or know if they are safe or useful.

 

[Mitica100]

I usually clean my lenses with a few drops of cleaning fluid droppped onto the cleaning cloth (never ever drop the cleaning solution on the lens itself) and then starting from the center of the lens, very gently going in circles towards the edges of the lens. Use another clean cloth to wipe out excess liquid.

My favorite cleaning cloth is a lintless microfiber cloth.

 

[Wade D]

The method I use is simple and will give you a clean streak free lens.
1. Use the bulb to blow off loose dust.
2. Gently brush the surface to dislodge any stubborn particles.
3. Repeat step 1.
4. Put a drop or two of cleaning solution on the tissue/cloth.
5. Starting at the center of the lens work your way to the edge in a circular motion. USE LIGHT PRESSURE.
6. The surface should dry quickly on it's own.
7. Check for streaks and repeat only if necessary.

 

[©AnderGraph]

i just use a lens pen

 

[vonDrehle]

The Lens tissue canon gave me seems a little rough. Should I still use that to try the lens? I'm not sure what to do with the yellow one so maybe that is for drying.

 

[Don Simon]

This is probably so obvious I'll look silly for mentioning it, but after cleaning try shining a bright flashlight (being English I'd say 'torch', but I know better now after an incident at Washington Dulles. They asked if I had anything electric in the bag. Apparently they thought I meant a stick soaked in petrol - sorry, gas!) Er anyway, shine one of them things onto the lens from a couple of angles. You'll see dirt and marks you'd never normally notice. OK so they might not affect the image quality, but it's just nice to have a super-clean lens

As for the cloth, if the yellow one is anything like the one I picked up recently then it's probably useless and fibres will come off and stick in the worst possible parts of the lens. Go for a microfibre cloth, you'll soon notice the difference.