Your Old Dog Posted March 7, 2011 Share #1 Posted March 7, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Just for the sake of discussion, I've heard that more lenses are ruined by over cleaning then not cleaning them enough (finger prints & oils excluded). I've had my M9 for about 3 months and haven't found the need to clean the first lens yet. How many clean their lens everytime they get ready to go out and shoot? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 Hi Your Old Dog, Take a look here Lens cleaning...or over cleaning.. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
k-hawinkler Posted March 7, 2011 Share #2 Posted March 7, 2011 Hi Ray, Not me. Occasionally a short whiff of air with the blower. Best, K-H. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdtaylor Posted March 7, 2011 Share #3 Posted March 7, 2011 Are you in Africa or a studio? Depending where i am, it differs dramatically. I am often in dirty old buildings (Architect), and yes, I have to clean my lenses/sensor fairly regularly (at which times I have a filter). Otherwise, rarely. It depends..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdtaylor Posted March 7, 2011 Share #4 Posted March 7, 2011 Hi Ray, Not me. Occasionally a short whiff of air with the blower. Best, K-H. Like K-H, a whiff with the blower is usually adequate 2/3rds of the time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidbaddley Posted March 7, 2011 Share #5 Posted March 7, 2011 I never clean my lenses, but that's because I always keep a filter over them. I know that some purists say that one shouldn't be shooting through a filter, but I've never seen harm done to any of my pictures by them, and I'd rather be regularly wiping down a $30. piece of glass than a $3,000. piece. - David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
theno23 Posted March 7, 2011 Share #6 Posted March 7, 2011 I never clean my lenses, but that's because I always keep a filter over them. I know that some purists say that one shouldn't be shooting through a filter, but I've never seen harm done to any of my pictures by them, and I'd rather be regularly wiping down a $30. piece of glass than a $3,000. piece. Hi David, Have you experimented? I tried it on my Nikons, there was a significant difference at wide angles (24 and wider maybe), but nothing significant at longer lengths. I'm guessing it was more to do with veiling flare, and reflections, by the look of the difference it made. Consequently I took filters off my wide lenses, and got a bit more paranoid, so you might not want to try it I haven't repeated the experiment with my Leica lenses, but I don't use filters on them. They're either, old and cheap enough that I can afford not to, or I'm very careful. Thom Hogan claims that modern lens coatings are very tough, but that's not an experiment I want to do. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sblutter Posted March 7, 2011 Share #7 Posted March 7, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) For the occasional thumb print: a bit of breath vapor and a swirl with an old but clean piece of cotton, which is less abrasive than lens tissue Like a corner of the t-shirt you may be wearing! For prevention, change lenses with front cap on. That said, I can't recall really needing to clean a lens - just air Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Washington Posted March 7, 2011 Share #8 Posted March 7, 2011 Out in the field I have to occasionally clean the filter of dust. For this I keep a covered retractable soft bristle lens-brush which always works unless the glass got smeared with something. Anything used for cleaning has to be kept very very clean. Even the lens brush should be blown out occasionally and washed! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sblutter Posted March 7, 2011 Share #9 Posted March 7, 2011 and never let the brush touch your fingers, you'll transfer oils Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Valdemar Posted March 7, 2011 Share #10 Posted March 7, 2011 Lens tissue and alcohol. For stubborn oily stains, acetone and lens tissue. Non-scented toilet tissue in an emergency. I have hundreds of lenses and have never damaged one by cleaning them whenever they need it. No need for fetishism or fear of cleaning lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thighslapper Posted March 7, 2011 Share #11 Posted March 7, 2011 Dust is an airborne abrasive. Any form of cleaning that involves rubbing it about on the lens surface can potentially cause problems ..... although you would have to be pretty habitual and rough to result in actual scratches that would degrade performance to any extent. I'm not sure about the integrity of any coatings. I stripped off the coating on the lens of one of my older Nikon Coolpixes by inadvertently using butanol.... but there again a full glass of champagne had been poured into it which completely gummed up the works. (an everyday occurrence in our household ) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 8, 2011 Share #12 Posted March 8, 2011 Lens tissue and alcohol. For stubborn oily stains, acetone and lens tissue. Non-scented toilet tissue in an emergency. I have hundreds of lenses and have never damaged one by cleaning them whenever they need it. No need for fetishism or fear of cleaning lenses. Acetone? better be careful and sparing. It will dissolve lens cement causing separation of the front element if it gets between the barrel and the glass.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Washington Posted March 8, 2011 Share #13 Posted March 8, 2011 Do not use acetone for anything around lenses, please? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
menos I M6 Posted March 8, 2011 Share #14 Posted March 8, 2011 I clean my lenses, when they show a necessity, to clean. After a day of shooting, I use a blower bulb, to remove any dust from camera and lenses and have a short look at rear and front element. I cannot remember, when I last time had to clean a rear element. The last time, I cleaned a lens from the front must be a few weeks ago after using the lens in a drizzle. Cleaning a lens every time after using sounds completely insane. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xmas Posted March 8, 2011 Share #15 Posted March 8, 2011 If you use a fiter you dont need to clean the front surface, last time I cleaned my lux was in '80. Noel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caterman Posted March 8, 2011 Share #16 Posted March 8, 2011 I try to touch the front element as little as possible. What I do is clean the inside of the lens cap before I replace it back on the lens. The amount of lint/dust/crud the lens cap picks up when you just have it in your pocket! I try and avoid blowing the dust out of the lens cap with my mouth as this would introduce moisture. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted March 8, 2011 Share #17 Posted March 8, 2011 Air from Gillotos and perhaps a clean brush does it 95% of the time and I do it when I see dust build up. Sometimes I tear/fold a lens tissue and use it as a brush in the field. More aggressive cleaning only when I see something. All lens cleaners leave something to be desired, so I use water on special cloth and resort to cleaner, then water again if necessary. Realize a little dust will not degrade the picture, a fingerprint needs to be cleaned ASAP as the oil can degrade coatings. Lens shades and caps are your friends. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted March 8, 2011 Share #18 Posted March 8, 2011 When my lenses get dirty I just throw them away. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkP Posted March 8, 2011 Share #19 Posted March 8, 2011 When my lenses get dirty I just throw them away. A terrible waste...soak them overnight in lens cleaning solution, or better still clean them in the dishwasher. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 8, 2011 Share #20 Posted March 8, 2011 Do not use acetone for anything around lenses, please?It will remove white lettering too... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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