Pretty Newbie question but don't want to mess up my new lenses

[shortpballer]

Wow, Just WOW

You know if you really just plunked down $5K+ don't you think you should know how to clean your lenses at this point.

there was no need to be an ass.

i have a method of cleaning my lenses right now, and i do it based on what i've read previously because the lenses were cheap and if my way does happen to harm the lens then it wont be the end of the world. you best believe if i just spent $5k for lenses i'd be on here asking the very same question as to minimize the chances of harm being done.

Thank you very much chammer,
And TheNikonGuy as well. You guys are always very helpful And for your information buddy... those lenses weren't 5 grand + so try again...

 

[chammer]

Thank you very much chammer,
And TheNikonGuy as well. You guys are always very helpful And for your information buddy... those lenses weren't 5 grand + so try again...

you're welcome. i try to be, but i dont have much experience myself though i do read everything i can find about the subject to learn as much as i can.

and no, i dont suspect they do cost that much...but to me they might as well. its hard to come up with that much money all at one go though. which is where im at now. saving for my telephoto replacement, and im looking at all of the 70-200mm's. so i'll be in the same boat as you soon enough i hope!

at any rate, enjoy your new stuff!

 

[manaheim]

Money buy's nice gear...not experience.

What is this? National TPF be unecessarily unpleasant day?

He had the presence of mind to come ask. Leave the guy alone.

 

[jbylake]

My threads always go off topic. Yes I have nice gear. However, those pictures on flickr are MY VERY FIRST PICTURES i've ever taken with a digital camera. So soon I will be posting new ones with better lighting equipment and more experience with my camera. And I do know how to clean my lenses. This wasn't a question about cleaning lenses. I know how to clean all my equipment including sensor cleaning. I don't know why people always have to attack on this forum. Its kind of upsetting and kind of pointless. Thanks to those of you guys who answered the question properly. The point of this was to see if I can clean my microfiber, but it seems to be that this was a stupid question lol. I should probably just buy a new microfiber considering 5 dollars isn't worth losing a thousand dollar lens.

Eric

Yep, I agree, even though I don't own any lenses which are that expensive. As an analogy, I have a vested interest in one part of a harley repair shop (not dealer) and internet commerce. I see people come in all the time with $50K - $100k custom choppers, then cringe at the price of that 1 & 1/2 foot wide rear tire, that costs $350 to replace, or replace a crucial bearing with a flimsy made chinese bearing, rather than spend the extra $25.00 for a quality bearing...I think you get the point. As for lens cleaning I used to buy T shirts from an outlet store, wash them once to remove any "fuzzy" stuff, cut them up in pieces and I would end up with a bunch of them. Recently I (nervously) tried one of the better quality lens pens, to see if they held up to the hype, and they sure did. I keep them with the blower and lens cleaner in a baggie in my bag. Just a thought...good luck..and spend what it takes to keep those nice lenses clean..

J.:mrgreen:

 

[shortpballer]

Thank you very much chammer,
And TheNikonGuy as well. You guys are always very helpful And for your information buddy... those lenses weren't 5 grand + so try again...

you're welcome. i try to be, but i dont have much experience myself though i do read everything i can find about the subject to learn as much as i can.

and no, i dont suspect they do cost that much...but to me they might as well. its hard to come up with that much money all at one go though. which is where im at now. saving for my telephoto replacement, and im looking at all of the 70-200mm's. so i'll be in the same boat as you soon enough i hope!

at any rate, enjoy your new stuff!

chammer, that comment about how much they cost wasn't aimed towards you. They were aimed at the guy that was being very unkind. Anyhow chammer, what I did was I looked for a few weeks on craigslist in my area and after a few weeks I found a great deal on a 2.8 non IS that came with a lowepro backpack (worth 150 new) for 900. I called and she happened to be a local photographer who used the lens for 2 photoshoots and decided she couldn't do without the Image stabilization, so she decided to sell. Her excuse for the backpack was that her doctor said she needed to use a rolling bag instead which I believed considering how old she was. So just look around man and you will find what you want for a fraction of the price. I got around 1400 worth of stuff for 900 in absolutely MINT condition. In my opinion the equipment I got is basically brand new. People seem to think craigslist is a whole bunch of people trying to rip you off but in a lot of cases its not. Good luck finding your lenses

 

[Phranquey]

What is this? National TPF be unecessarily unpleasant day?

It sure seems like it. I'd be willing to bet a few of these people are nothing like this face-to-face...they'd get popped in the mouth real quick.


To the OP....Yes, you can wash your microfiber, but be careful what you wash it with. If you toss it in the laundry with clothes, you run the risk of something bad coming off the clothes & embedding in the cloth, creating some potentially serious damage. Best bet is to just buy a new one every once in a while. And I highly recommend a lens pen as well....:thumbup:

 

[manaheim]

^^^ lens pens seriously kick ass. (and yes, most people acting this way would get popped or run over)

Another thing on lens cleaning for the OP- keep in mind even pretty severely horrible dust, smears (and even outright cracks) will not show up in your pictures. There was an amazing post some time back where somene posted pictures taken through an absolutely shattered lense... and you almost couldn't tell. Slight shadow only. It was amazing. Since any act of rubbing the glass risks scratches and such, the morale of the story here is to clean MINIMALLY and RARELY.

 

[shortpballer]

I think I am going to go ahead and pick up a lens pen. Any thoughts on the best one for the best price. And where to get it? Thanks again

 

[Phranquey]

Here's one for you.....

Amazon.com: Nikon 7072 Lens Pen Cleaning System: Electronics



Seriously....

Amazon.com: lens pen

 

[chammer]

chammer, that comment about how much they cost wasn't aimed towards you. They were aimed at the guy that was being very unkind. Anyhow chammer, what I did was I looked for a few weeks on craigslist in my area and after a few weeks I found a great deal on a 2.8 non IS that came with a lowepro backpack (worth 150 new) for 900. I called and she happened to be a local photographer who used the lens for 2 photoshoots and decided she couldn't do without the Image stabilization, so she decided to sell. Her excuse for the backpack was that her doctor said she needed to use a rolling bag instead which I believed considering how old she was. So just look around man and you will find what you want for a fraction of the price. I got around 1400 worth of stuff for 900 in absolutely MINT condition. In my opinion the equipment I got is basically brand new. People seem to think craigslist is a whole bunch of people trying to rip you off but in a lot of cases its not. Good luck finding your lenses

no worries, but i wasnt sure. im already there with ya, man. i keep the local photo/video page up at both home and work and refresh it constantly. the closest i've come so far was a 70-200 f4L for $600 (which is only $100 cheaper than new...it was the non-IS version). also saw a 24-105L pop up, but was turned off by the price he was asking and stating that it was a factory refurb....but yah...im trying! really want that 2.8 IS, but coming up with $1600 again anytime soon is going to be rough short of finding it on CL for a great price.

have to remember...i literally *just* bought the 50d + tamron 17-50 2.8 + some other goodies that came out to about $2k which im still paying off. so its more of a waiting game while checking out whats available on CL. if something comes along that i just cant pass up i can scrape together whatever i need, but it'll hurt lol.

 

[shortpballer]

There is a 70-200 here where I'm at selling for 360... F4 non is of course. However Great deal. The only problem is the guy said the manual focus is a tad notchy. Autofocus works fine. If you wanted I would be willing to pick it up for you if its still available. I dont know if you trust me or not, but I would need the money ahead of time including shipping... Just a thought.

Eric

 

[shortpballer]

Here's one for you.....

Amazon.com: Nikon 7072 Lens Pen Cleaning System: Electronics



Seriously....

Amazon.com: lens pen

Yea but about that lens pen... I dont do NIKON jk... is that the best one to get? and is it worth buying off amazon and paying shipping or should I just buy at the local store?

 

[JIP]

Well sorry but when someone who is an admitted beginner has gear that alot of hard working pros would kill to get their hands on you should expect to get a reaction. If you come on with a question that sounds like you are asking how to clean said gear expect to get a stronger reaction.

 

[chammer]

There is a 70-200 here where I'm at selling for 360... F4 non is of course. However Great deal. The only problem is the guy said the manual focus is a tad notchy. Autofocus works fine. If you wanted I would be willing to pick it up for you if its still available. I dont know if you trust me or not, but I would need the money ahead of time including shipping... Just a thought.

Eric

well...another reservation i had with the f4L...it being only f4. most of my outdoor puppy pics have been taken with my 75-300 4-5.6 and when light outside even starts to go a lil bit i start to run into trouble. with shows coming this month (next weekend/weekend after that) and a couple in october i just dont know if f4 is going to work for the indoor shows. is why i was leaning towards the 2.8. after shooting with both the 50 1.8 (at 2.8) and the 17-50 2.8 (also at 2.8) i know it wont have a problem with the lighting there.

its just things im researching and thinking about while i was waiting for one to pop up here locally.

 

[shortpballer]

There is a 70-200 here where I'm at selling for 360... F4 non is of course. However Great deal. The only problem is the guy said the manual focus is a tad notchy. Autofocus works fine. If you wanted I would be willing to pick it up for you if its still available. I dont know if you trust me or not, but I would need the money ahead of time including shipping... Just a thought.

Eric

well...another reservation i had with the f4L...it being only f4. most of my outdoor puppy pics have been taken with my 75-300 4-5.6 and when light outside even starts to go a lil bit i start to run into trouble. with shows coming this month (next weekend/weekend after that) and a couple in october i just dont know if f4 is going to work for the indoor shows. is why i was leaning towards the 2.8. after shooting with both the 50 1.8 (at 2.8) and the 17-50 2.8 (also at 2.8) i know it wont have a problem with the lighting there.

its just things im researching and thinking about while i was waiting for one to pop up here locally.

Absolutely why I went with the 2.8 I can't deal with slow lenses. I never realized how much of a difference it makes. From here on out its 2.8 and faster for me