Stupid Question... Cleaning lense and view finder

[dab_20]

I've read your not supposed to clean your lense unless absolutely necessary... but I've never read HOW to. Can someone give me advice? My lense and view finder are kind of dirty and I've seen a few blurs in my photos from it.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

I use lens tissues and a cleaning solution. I don't like to use the fiber cloth because it tends to scratch if it's not wet. You can pick up cleaning kits from just about any camera store.

 

[dab_20]

Thank you!

 

[Big Mike]

It's actually very hard to scratch a modern lens (unless you use metal or sandpaper etc.). So I wouldn't be too worried about cleaning the lens. I use a soft lens cloth to just wipe dust off or I use my breath and a clean t-shirt.

Typically, dust on the front of the lens won't show up in your photos...and dust in the view finder or on the mirror won't show up in the photos at all.

If you have dust spots in your images, it's most likely that it's dust on the sensor. Cleaning the sensor is a bit more involved that cleaning the lens. Try a search for 'sensor cleaning'.