# Proper lens cleaning technique



## Harpua (Jan 27, 2006)

So I shelled out lots of $ on my D70s and I want to make sure I treat it will the respect it deserves. When it comes to my toys, I am very careful and like to take very good care to make sure everything remains in optimum working condition.

What I need to know is what is the best way to clean my lens. I have a little blower brush, a lens cloth, and some lens cleaning fluid (which I think I understand is basically water with just a little rubbing alcohol?).

What I have been doing is first using the brush to get rid on any dust or anything else on the surface. I think put a drop of fluid in the center of the lens and use the cloth to wipe it around in a circular pattern. I then take a dry part of the cloth and wipe it dry in a circular pattern as well. Is this the best way to do it or should I be doing something different?


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## Rob (Jan 27, 2006)

I personally use my t-shirt. Call me old fashioned, but I don't believe in cleaning products.

When I'm servicing my camera, I use Henry with his bottom pointed at an open window and a paintbrush.







Lens cloths have a habit of getting grit in them, so I hate them. T-shirts are not the most scientific thing in the world, but they work. If there's any smears, I use a moist j-cloth to gently solve the stain and then the trusty t-shirt to buff gently.

Avoid working dirt into the corners of the lens.

Rob


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## jwkwd (Jan 27, 2006)

I don't know if there is a "best way" to clean a lens. Myself I generally use a pre-moistened wipe made by Zeiss, if the lens is that dirty. I also keep a blower brush/ lens pen with me, that has a little cloth kind of thing on one end. When I used a separate tissue cleaner combo. I, moistened the tissue first, instead of putting a drop of fluid right on the lens.


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## Harpua (Jan 27, 2006)

Rob said:
			
		

> I use a moist j-cloth t


What is a j-cloth?


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## PachelbelsCanon350D (Jan 27, 2006)

Harpua said:
			
		

> What is a j-cloth?



I thought I was the only one scratching my head 

I am happy with my disposable lens tissues. When they run out, I will probably use t-shirts or, I have heard some people use cigarette-rolling papers?? Because apparently they are a lot cheaper but are similar texture or something?


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## Rob (Jan 27, 2006)

Come on now... everyone has J-Cloths don't they?

http://www.jcloth.com/


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## Rob (Jan 27, 2006)

They're a cross between a cotton cloth and a paper towel, a disposable dish cloth. They are good for cleaning up things like cat poo as you can throw them away after one use (they're cheap).

Rob


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## Harpua (Jan 27, 2006)

Very cool. Thanks for the info. And you can use them for cat poop, bonus


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## markc (Jan 27, 2006)

Clean the lens???

Wow. Is that why I'm having problems?


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## Hertz van Rental (Jan 27, 2006)

Don't get your lens dirty to begin with.
Dust will accumulate on a lens whatever you do and it is best to blow it off with compressed air each time you use the camera. But if you are treating your lens with the respect it deserves you shouldn't get anything else on it.
Each time you clean a lens - even using lens wipes or lens tissues -  you are wearing away the lens coating and putting micro- abrasions on it. This will eventually degrade the performance of the lens so the more you do it the quicker it happens.


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## Harpua (Jan 27, 2006)

Oh wow I did not realize that each time I touch it I am essentially shortening its life. Good to know.

I have been trying to be extremely careful, but so far I have twice touched the surface (of my filters, not my actual lens) and left some oils behind. Now that it has happened two times I am going to be even that much more careful.


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## JTHphoto (Jan 27, 2006)

markc said:
			
		

> Clean the lens???
> 
> Wow. Is that why I'm having problems?


 
:lmao:   that looks like my windshield, is that a bugsplat on your lens??? 

i'm with Hertz, just try your best to avoid getting it dirty... i'm a clutzy kinda person so i am always accidentally smudging it for whatever reason, so i like to use a UV filter.  camera stores sell little micro-fiber cloths, i have a couple and they seem to work pretty good when compressed air isn't enough to do the trick...  i have heard the chemicals are bad, so I haven't used them in years...


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## PachelbelsCanon350D (Jan 27, 2006)

Hertz van Rental said:
			
		

> Don't get your lens dirty to begin with.
> Dust will accumulate on a lens whatever you do and it is best to blow it off with compressed air each time you use the camera. But if you are treating your lens with the respect it deserves you shouldn't get anything else on it.
> Each time you clean a lens - even using lens wipes or lens tissues -  you are wearing away the lens coating and putting micro- abrasions on it. This will eventually degrade the performance of the lens so the more you do it the quicker it happens.



 Also good to know. Gosh. I ought to wear rubber gloves and a respirator when operating my camera!  With my recent step up from point-and-shoot to dSLR, I need to step up my care and maintenance of these nice things too. I don't want to rub off my lens' coating! Yikes!


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## Big Mike (Jan 27, 2006)

Just use common sense and you will be OK.

The coatings on modern lenses are extremely tough.  Very hard to actually scratch them...but it only makes sense that the more you clean it...the faster it will start to wear.

I think the biggest thing you have to be concerned about with a DSLR...is not to get a lot of dirt inside the camera and onto the sensor.  Basically this means being careful when you change lenses.  Don't change lenses out in the wind if you can help it.  Don't leave the camera face up, without a lens on....etc.  Just use common sense.  I've had my DSLR for almost a year and I've only had to blow dust off the sensor once.


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## DocFrankenstein (Jan 27, 2006)

T-shirt here too. I also breath on it before wiping.


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## Hertz van Rental (Jan 27, 2006)

Actually a well-washed cotton (NOT synthetic) T-shirt is the best thing for cleaning lenses - if you have to.
Compressed air and a soft brush for loosening any stubborn dust is best. Use a natural fibre brush like squirrel or sable.
If you are sensible and take care with your equipment it will last. I have cameras that I have had for over 30 years and were used professionally that are still in near mint condition.


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## Iron Flatline (Jan 27, 2006)

I like the little shmatte that comes in a case for new sunglasses or reading glasses. 

Dust is pretty irrelevant anyway, it usually shouldn't affect a typical image. If you're doing long exposures, or shooting with a high ISO, you're going to get some smudging that looks like digital noise. 

Believe me, the guys shooting in Iraq or other combat zones aren't obsessive about Dust on the lens either. In the body is a whole different song though.


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## DocFrankenstein (Jan 27, 2006)

Iron Flatline said:
			
		

> Believe me, the guys shooting in Iraq or other combat zones aren't obsessive about Dust on the lens either. In the body is a whole different song though.


I'm sure flying shrapnel around puts the values of camera gear in perspective. :thumbup:


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## bobaab (Jan 27, 2006)

how about that special cloth you wipe glasses with? im sure that would be a pretty good thing to get the dust off too..

i also hear that, if you can, use a vaccum.  compressed air will lodge dust into the corners of the lense, best thing is to suck it up than to press air into the corners (not that you are wanting to).  I think I read this in Popular Photography magazine a year or so back.


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## Big Mike (Jan 27, 2006)

bobaab said:
			
		

> how about that special cloth you wipe glasses with? im sure that would be a pretty good thing to get the dust off too..



The problem is that those cloths can get dirty...and then all you are doing is grinding that dirt around on the glass.  I don't know how well they would stand up to washing...but a cotton t-shirt is pretty simple and straight forward.


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## JTHphoto (Jan 27, 2006)

so, i should stop using hydrochloric acid and 80 grit sandpaper to clean my gear?


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## JTHphoto (Jan 27, 2006)

Big Mike said:
			
		

> The problem is that those cloths can get dirty...and then all you are doing is grinding that dirt around on the glass. I don't know how well they would stand up to washing...but a cotton t-shirt is pretty simple and straight forward.


 
those little microfiber cloths i use can be sent through the wash, they are probably cleaner than my t-shirts when i'm out hiking and 4x4'n... but my t-shirt has been used plenty of times too...


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## PachelbelsCanon350D (Jan 28, 2006)

JTHphoto said:
			
		

> so, i should stop using hydrochloric acid and 80 grit sandpaper to clean my gear?


:lmao: That might be smart....and I'll stop jamming my step-up rings into my lenses and ruining the threads :lmao: 

Oh wait.....I actually did that. Nuts.


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## bobaab (Jan 29, 2006)

Big Mike said:
			
		

> The problem is that those cloths can get dirty...and then all you are doing is grinding that dirt around on the glass.  I don't know how well they would stand up to washing...but a cotton t-shirt is pretty simple and straight forward.



but isn't the t-shirt you are wearing more prone to dust, dirt, whatever is around you etc??


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## Hertz van Rental (Jan 29, 2006)

bobaab said:
			
		

> but isn't the t-shirt you are wearing more prone to dust, dirt, whatever is around you etc??


I don't know about you, but I put a clean one on every day.
The problem with small cloths/lens tissues is that if you use them to clean something like a fingerprint off a lens surface, as soon as you do the first wipe the fibres get saturated with oil and grease (fingerprints are usually made by the oils that your skin produces) and all you do after that is smear the oil around. The size of the wipe doesn't allow you to find too many clean areas.
Glasses cloths are particularly bad because most people don't bother to wash them - and a lot of them are made from synthetic materials that have very low absorbency - and you can put more crap on to a lens with one than you take off.
Cotton is highly absorbent (that's why you use it for toweling) and a t-shirt gives you a choice of a very large area.
I spent several years working as an assistant to some of the UK's top Ad Photographers. A good proportion of my working day went on cleaning cameras and lenses - first thing and last thing every day and often on the fly under all kinds of conditions. Some of the lenses cost over £3,000 and if I didn't get it right I could damage one - or ruin a £20,000 shoot. Believe me, I know about cleaning lenses.


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## duelinthedeep (Jan 29, 2006)

so basically, using a(clean)cotton t-shirt should clean the lens?

wow...i thought i had to find some secret potion from a wizard and then wipe the lens with some angel wing feathers.


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## PachelbelsCanon350D (Jan 29, 2006)

LOL....angel wing feathers work best of course, but sometimes it's hard to catch those flying buggers.  

Sometimes....I confess....if there is just one annoying little crumb sitting on my lens looking at me, I will make sure my lips are really dry and then Poof! it off with a little burst of air. I've heard that is a NO-NO in case you spit a little


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## Hertz van Rental (Jan 29, 2006)

PachelbelsCanon350D said:
			
		

> LOL....angel wing feathers work best of course, but sometimes it's hard to catch those flying buggers.


f4.5 @ 1/500th is usually sufficient.


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## duelinthedeep (Jan 30, 2006)

no matter what it is, Hertz has been there done that.


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## Jen (Jan 30, 2006)

I know that it has been said that there is no such thing as a dumb question, but I am pretty sure I have heard lots of them in my life.  With that said, I am going to ask one.  Compressed air - this is the same can of air I use to clean my computer keyboard?  I am always so afraid of messing up when I clean my camera or lens that most of the time I just don't bother.  My photographs are starting to look like Markc's though...


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## Rob (Jan 30, 2006)

Jen said:
			
		

> I know that it has been said that there is no such thing as a dumb question, but I am pretty sure I have heard lots of them in my life. With that said, I am going to ask one. Compressed air - this is the same can of air I use to clean my computer keyboard? I am always so afraid of messing up when I clean my camera or lens that most of the time I just don't bother. My photographs are starting to look like Markc's though...


The trouble with compressed air is that it isn't just compressed air. They are normally pressurised CO2 or another gas. When they're compressed, a good proportion of them will be liquid, some of that propellant and some just gunk. Some of that liquid can come off and evaporate on the target surface, leaving a nasty, sometimes abrasive stain. This is especially true of things like CCD sensors, as you can't just wash them in distilled water afterwards!

Air blowers like little puffers are better as they only blow air and don't risk getting nasty liquids on the surface. However, I find that most dirt is too stubborn for them.

There isn't much in this world (that you're likely to get on a camera lens) that can't be removed with distilled water and a t-shirt!

Rob


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## Rob (Jan 30, 2006)

Also, it's really important to keep your camera bag clean. Cameras should be in one of two places - in your hand/tripod, or covered in your bag/storage. I recommend turning your bag inside out and wiping with a damp cloth then leaving it on the radiator overnight. If you're fastidious like me, just stick it in the dry cleaners for £2.50!

Rob


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## Jen (Jan 30, 2006)

Rob said:
			
		

> The trouble with compressed air is that it isn't just compressed air. They are normally pressurised CO2 or another gas. When they're compressed, a good proportion of them will be liquid, some of that propellant and some just gunk.
> Rob



That's what I thought...


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## Jen (Jan 30, 2006)

Wow... such disipline!  Not loosing lenscaps, putting cameras away when not in use, I am not sure I can keep up with this group!  Next your gonna say you keep your offices clean!


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## duelinthedeep (Jan 30, 2006)

lol...i thought everyone cleaned their camera bag?!?.....i also thought
cameras went into the camera bag when not in use?!?

hmm.....maybe i'm just picky.


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## zedin (Jan 30, 2006)

There are actually some differences in canned air.  The ones you get at the computer store have a different chemical propellent then the ones you find at the photo stores.  I like my small can since it can often blow stuff off that is being stubborn with a blower.


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## duelinthedeep (Jan 30, 2006)

i tried the ol' t-shirt trick today and its working juuuuuuust fine:thumbup:


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## PachelbelsCanon350D (Jan 30, 2006)

duelinthedeep said:
			
		

> lol...i thought everyone cleaned their camera bag?!?.....i also thought
> cameras went into the camera bag when not in use?!?
> 
> hmm.....maybe i'm just picky.



Mine's brand new so it hasn't needed cleaning yet, but considering I always clean out my purse and backpack I'm sure the habit will transcend into camera bags for me too.  It's also VERY easy to just slip the camera  back into the bag when not in use, so why not do it....it is simple 2-second insurance against something awful happening. I can just see one of those slow-motion nightmares where the dog or the toddler comes in and sees a dangling camera strap hanging off the edge of your desk and gets curious and.....oh my. That's reason enough to keep the camera put away.


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## Fate (Jan 30, 2006)

lol i had this compressed air thing for my computer (cleaning the keyboard) im so glad that i didnt use it on my lens... its like a freaking water pistol.... i think there must be some condensing or something going on inside it........ basically, it sucks!


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## Hertz van Rental (Jan 30, 2006)

Proper photo compressed air is OK - just make sure you hold the can upright and don't shake it when you use it.
It is also a good idea to give the first spray away from the camera to clear anything out of the nozzle.


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## Hertz van Rental (Jan 30, 2006)

duelinthedeep said:
			
		

> no matter what it is, Hertz has been there done that.


Experience is one of the few consolations about getting old.


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## ChopstickHero (Jan 30, 2006)

compressed air... at a good distance and at a steep angle to blow away all that bad dust.  for the body sensor, use those little puffers.


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## Jen (Jan 30, 2006)

confession... one of my camera's is sitting on my kitchen counter, one is burried under papers on my desk, one is put away in a drawer and one is actually in a camera bag!  guess i should work on this...


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## duelinthedeep (Jan 30, 2006)

PachelbelsCanon350D said:
			
		

> Mine's brand new so it hasn't needed cleaning yet, but considering I always clean out my purse and backpack I'm sure the habit will transcend into camera bags for me too.  It's also VERY easy to just slip the camera back into the bag when not in use, so why not do it....it is simple 2-second insurance against something awful happening. I can just see one of those slow-motion nightmares where the dog or the toddler comes in and sees a dangling camera strap hanging off the edge of your desk and gets curious and.....oh my. That's reason enough to keep the camera put away.


 

oh lord!....my sisters' kids are always home and they always find a way to get to or around my camera 

i would much rather have dogs 
snooping around than those four devils.

btw:gnarly website you got there:thumbup:


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## PachelbelsCanon350D (Jan 30, 2006)

duelinthedeep said:
			
		

> btw:gnarly website you got there:thumbup:



thanks :hug:: someday I'll get a photo-specific one up and running, but this one's the one I use to get design jobs!


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## duelinthedeep (Jan 30, 2006)

if i was a design employer you would be my employee.
was it hard to make? i've been trying to do my own site but html kills.


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