Keeping it clean....

[bill]

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I lick mine. Summicrons taste slightly nutty; almond, I think, with a hint of maple. Elmars taste of saddlesoap. Summiluxes - intense burst of blueberry, with a lingering vanilla drydown. Summarits - Carlsberg.

 

But it's true what they say - you can't lick a Noctilux...

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[masjah]

I lick mine. Summicrons taste slightly nutty; almond, I think, with a hint of maple. Elmars taste of saddlesoap. Summiluxes - intense burst of blueberry, with a lingering vanilla drydown. Summarits - Carlsberg.

 

But it's true what they say - you can't lick a Noctilux...

 

Regards,

 

Bill

 

So it's not true what they say - they don't make the lenses from milkbottles after all.

[wizard]

Don't get paranoid about keeping the front lens element clean. After all, you are not dragging the thing through mud or anything like it. In normal use and provided you use a lens cap, the front element will pick up a little dust after quite some time, but that will usually not show up in the results. Cleaning the front element about once a year should suffice.

 

Andy

[giordano]

Cleaning the front element about once a year should suffice.

 

The only sensible thing to do is to clean a lens when there's enough crud on the glass to affect the pictures (and that is different depending on whether the sun is falling on the front element or protective filter). In gentle cat-snapping this may be less often than annually, but in some places I go it can mean cleaning daily or more often.

 

If there's driving rain or spray getting past the lens hood, it's a matter of wiping the droplets off before every shot - and you don't wan't to be doing this if the lens had a nice coating of grit to start with!

[EJohnE]

I don't clean my lenses very often - perhaps touching 'em up with a microfiber cloth once every year or so.

 

I concentrate, instead, in not letting them get dirty in the first place. When I'm actively shooting, with camera in hand, I always use a lens shade. And when I'm done, when the camera goes back in its bag, the lens cap goes on.

 

Agree, I once "killed" a 9cm Elmar f4 by cleaning it too often.

 

John.

[menos I M6]

lenspen + breath

 

Never used a micro fibre cloth for cleaning glass - mine are only for cleaning gear after a sweaty/ muddy day.

 

Lenspens are a very safe and clean solution, also much better for cleaning Leica M rear elements.

Clothes or brushes tend to pick up grease from the helicoids and smear them all over the rear element (handy softening filter method).

[budrichard]

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My M's are always loaded with film, lenses mounted, shades mounted and ready to go.

When I get a new lens, a Leica UV filter made for that lens goes on and stays on. I simply don't worry about the equipment but concentrate on the job at hand. When the UV filter needs cleaning for whatever the reason, its denatured alcohol and Bounty paper towels.

Never had a single problem in 40 years of using Nikon and M equipment. Always keep rear cap on when not mounted and I can never recall having to clean a rear element.-Dick

[peter_n]

I also use UV filters, in my case B+W MRCs like Noah. Plus I have a hood on each lens. Then the lens is always ready in the bag. So far no problems.

[tobey bilek]

Blow of dust with Rocket blower

 

Brush off any remaining.

 

Water on microfiber cloth

 

Lens fluid on microfiber

 

Keep all tools clean and dust free.

 

STOP AFTER ANY POINT, USUALLY BLOW OFF IS SUFFICIENT. tHE LESS YOU DO THE BETTER.

 

Sensors are pretty much the same way. Blow, short blast with canned air held upright and a small preblast made to clear any propellent, static bruch, Eclipse fluid. I have gotten away with the Rocket blower on my Nikons for 3 years and they were still perfect.

 

I did the Eclipse thing just because I thought it was time.

 

Remember, don`t go overboard. A bit of dust on the front will not hurt a thing and most damage is from cleaning & improper cleaning, so do the blower thing and quit unless you have salt spray or the dog licked it or the baby sneezed on it and you have to go all the way. Still start at step one.

 

Damage comes from rubbing in dirt from a dirty cleaning cloth or cloth that picks up grit.

 

Dust is really abrasive.

[underground]

I put the lens that needs cleaning and put it on the camera body

them dip the whole thing in a bucket of soapy water.

 

I'll then package them both then send them to Solms for cleaning, and

when I get them back the body,and lens are like new.