What do you clean your lens with?
Discussion
Question is in the title really.
At the weekend I bought a polarising filter so am just off to the beach to practise, but after last weeks attempts the lens is dirty, I've given it a clean with a soft duster but suspect thats not the done thing.
Now I have 2 lenses to keep clean I suppose I ought to do it properly!
Right
see you when I get back 
At the weekend I bought a polarising filter so am just off to the beach to practise, but after last weeks attempts the lens is dirty, I've given it a clean with a soft duster but suspect thats not the done thing.
Now I have 2 lenses to keep clean I suppose I ought to do it properly!
Right
see you when I get back Mad Dave said:
I use a lens cloth from the opticians! I think it cost about £1 and its really good, and anti static too.
Jessops do a lens cleaning kit, which contains a small squeezy airbrush thing, cloths and lens cleaning liquid. Normally I just use the brush, however I've also got a lens cleaning pen thing (which Jessops do as well), which someone I know recommended.
Firstly, I avoid cleaning the lens as far as possible by keeping a UV filter permanently attached to the lens to protect it. The UV filter only occasionally comes off if I want to put a different filter on. That way if the filter surface ever gets damaged, marked or filthy beyond cleaning (that's happened once) then it's a simple matter of replacing the filter.
When I do need to clean a lens or filter I sometimes lightly use a soft photographic cloth. The one I use is a bit like a very fine shammy cloth and works better than most I've tried in the past. I use this sparingly as over-rubbing of lenses can eventually damage the surface. It only takes a small piece of grit in a cloth to do this. For this reason I swear by a product called OptiClean which cleans without any rubbing. I've been using it for years. You simply apply a film of liquid to the lens with a soft brush. The film is left to harden and then peeled off leaving the lens clean. It's quite expensive (RRP about £15) but you can get it for about half the price at 7dayshop.
When I do need to clean a lens or filter I sometimes lightly use a soft photographic cloth. The one I use is a bit like a very fine shammy cloth and works better than most I've tried in the past. I use this sparingly as over-rubbing of lenses can eventually damage the surface. It only takes a small piece of grit in a cloth to do this. For this reason I swear by a product called OptiClean which cleans without any rubbing. I've been using it for years. You simply apply a film of liquid to the lens with a soft brush. The film is left to harden and then peeled off leaving the lens clean. It's quite expensive (RRP about £15) but you can get it for about half the price at 7dayshop.
I too never clean the lens... as it comes out of the box a UV filter goes on and never comes off. I clean that with wire wool and WD40 (I also lie a lot).
Actually, as mentioned above, I also use eyeglass cleaning cloths from optitians to clean the filter - buy 10 at a time every few years.
Actually, as mentioned above, I also use eyeglass cleaning cloths from optitians to clean the filter - buy 10 at a time every few years.
ehasler said:
I use a lens cloth from the opticians! I think it cost about £1 and its really good, and anti static too.
Jessops do a lens cleaning kit, which contains a small squeezy airbrush thing, cloths and lens cleaning liquid. Normally I just use the brush, however I've also got a lens cleaning pen thing (which Jessops do as well), which someone I know recommended.
I bought the same kit (But also bought a very good cloth from a different shop.
I found the bristles came out of my brush easily when I was cleaning inside the camera body. Thought I had got them all out till I developed the film.
(Had to clean body out. Was in an Australian desert, the dust was so fine it went into every little gap).
I also us UV filters. To protect lenses always.
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