guy Posted August 19, 2007 Share #1 Posted August 19, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) What are you using to clean the viewfinder window, rangefinder window, and eyepiece? Despite my best efforts, all three are getting regularly gunked up (I don't seem to be able to even be in the same room as my M8 without fingerprints appearing all over the VF window in particular). Do I have to use micropore optical cloth to clean these (and carry it with me wherever I go), or will the corner of my T-shirt do? At the moment I'm "on location" and have hence been T-shirting it quite a bit, but I don't want gradually to reduce these bits of the camera to frosted glass. How tough are they? How do M cameras that have seen action for a couple of decades hold up in this respect? What do YOU do? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 19, 2007 Posted August 19, 2007 Hi guy, Take a look here Fingerprints, eyelash gunk, T-shirt corners.... I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Shootist Posted August 19, 2007 Share #2 Posted August 19, 2007 I use whatever is handy and is soft and is made of cotton or the microfiber, and let me add CLEAN. Whether it be my shirt or a cloth But the trick is to keep your fingers off the viewfinder window or rangefinder patch window. This is something everyone that owns a M camera should learn. As for the rear eye piece I just check it from time to time and clean the upper section of it when I see that there is eyelash gunk on it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Flatline Posted August 19, 2007 Share #3 Posted August 19, 2007 t-shirt edge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
guy Posted August 19, 2007 Author Share #4 Posted August 19, 2007 But the trick is to keep your fingers off the viewfinder window or rangefinder patch window.This is something everyone that owns a M camera should learn. But that's exactly the point I'm having trouble with. Is there a teach-yourself book or maybe a course I could go on? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted August 19, 2007 Share #5 Posted August 19, 2007 If at home, I use one of those "Magic Mirror" cloths that seem to work just as well as the microfibre ones and are available at all supermarkets for about £3 for a large cloth. In the field I use a Carl Zeiss silky looking blue lens cloth, which works better than any similar cloth I have tried. Nose grease on the LCD is my main problem rather than dirt on the VF window. I launder the cloths regularly by hand, using dish washing detergent and rinsing very thoroughly. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocker Posted August 19, 2007 Share #6 Posted August 19, 2007 But that's exactly the point I'm having trouble with. Is there a teach-yourself book or maybe a course I could go on? Practice!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted August 19, 2007 Share #7 Posted August 19, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Eylelash gunk? I found it helpful to cut down on the mascara and the lippie while I was at it as well. A lip print on the LCD screen is tough to remove. LOL. I find a single pec-pad, made damp - not wet - with Eclipse fluid is enough to clean all three - and that LCD screen as well. Most of what gets deposited will be oils from your skin, so an organic solvent is good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootist Posted August 19, 2007 Share #8 Posted August 19, 2007 But that's exactly the point I'm having trouble with. Is there a teach-yourself book or maybe a course I could go on? It's all in how you pick up and handle the camera. I learned back in the early 70's when I got my first M3. When using a SLR it really didn't matter how and where you grabbed the camera, as long as it was not on the front element of the lens or putting your thumb in the eye piece. But when I first handled a M I had finger prints, and oils, all over the viewfinder windows and sometimes the eye piece. I learned to pick up and handel the camera from it's sides and IF I grab it over the top I make sure it is on the shutter release side and far out to the right hand side. Getting the grip base has helped with the handling. It give you a point to actually grab and hold the camera with one hand. Without the grip base I always use both hands to pick it up. Get use to cradling the camera in the palm of your left hand with your left thumb and index or middle fingers on the lens focus ring, unless the lens you are using has one of the finger slots on the focusing ring. Even when using that type of lens I keep my other 3 fingers under the bottom of the camera. That will keep the fingers of your left hand way from the VF window. I use to do the same with SLR cameras unlesss they had a motor drive. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericperlberg Posted August 19, 2007 Share #9 Posted August 19, 2007 I carry a pack of lens cleaning tissues in my camera bag at all times for just such issues. They're extremely light (almost weightless) and also useful for getting off the sun creme that gets smeared onto the lcd screen as it smashes against my nose when I focus on those few days that the sun shines here in London. OTOH I find them good for wiping rain drops off the IR filters when I'm shooting in the rain as I'm about to do in a few minutes. I'd be reluctant to do the same with the corner of my t shirt though I would if I had to if the picture seemed worth it. I'm not sure why these photography forums are always dominated by males but I can imagine that women who wear makeup must also have issues with mascara, foundation, etc. on the viewfinder and LCD. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted August 19, 2007 Share #10 Posted August 19, 2007 I use the Leica lens cloth although any lens cloth will do . The Leica cloth for some reason i really like and you can wash it but I have about 6 of them in diffrent bags and such. Honestly one should come with every M8 sold , your gonna need it. LOL Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
guy Posted August 19, 2007 Author Share #11 Posted August 19, 2007 Eylelash gunk? I found it helpful to cut down on the mascara and the lippie while I was at it as well. Is it my fault that I have remarkably lustrous eyelashes? Practice!! Easy to say that, but what if my technique is all wrong? The least I would've expected from a company like Leica is a section in the manual headed something like, "How to pick up your camera, dumbass – a step-by-step guide for the hard of thinking". Or a pair of lint-free cotton gloves in the box. It's all in how you pick up and handle the camera. [...] Get use to cradling the camera in the palm of your left hand with your left thumb and index or middle fingers on the lens focus ring, unless the lens you are using has one of the finger slots on the focusing ring. Even when using that type of lens I keep my other 3 fingers under the bottom of the camera. That will keep the fingers of your left hand way from the VF window. [...] Now that's more like it! Not entirely incidentally, when one is attempting humour on the forum – as in, eg, But that's exactly the point I'm having trouble with. Is there a teach-yourself book or maybe a course I could go on? – is there some kind of recognised humour alert flag one should employ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted August 19, 2007 Share #12 Posted August 19, 2007 My issue is left eye shooter sticks nose and check into camera, No options here at all but a cleaning cloth or something. Greasy Italian does not help the cause nor does 110 degree heat, it gets ugly. LOL Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordfanjpn Posted August 19, 2007 Share #13 Posted August 19, 2007 Greasy Italian does not help the cause nor does 110 degree heat, it gets ugly. LOL So does that mean I should stop eating pizza while using the M8? Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted August 19, 2007 Share #14 Posted August 19, 2007 Just keep it off your face Bill, than all is well. LOL Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
masjah Posted August 20, 2007 Share #15 Posted August 20, 2007 Two points (which you may already know - sorry if so) are that, after washing microfibre cloths, don't use fabric conditioner, and don't iron. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted August 20, 2007 Share #16 Posted August 20, 2007 Good heavens, man, I use my tie, of course, like any gentleman... Seriously, I have trained myself over the years to grab away from the windows. I tend to pick up either using the right hand, or by the lens if left-handed. When handling I tend to hold using my left hand on the top and bottom plates only. When working with the camera I have also got into the habit of giving the windows a quick wipe on a regular basis. As to how to hold it, the old Leica Way Focal Press/Hove guides were quite comprehensive on the subject - see if you can get hold of one from eBay or similar. The Gunter Osterloh book also has a section on handling, IIRC. Regards, Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted August 20, 2007 Share #17 Posted August 20, 2007 Two points (which you may already know - sorry if so) are that, after washing microfibre cloths, don't use fabric conditioner, and don't iron. I have found many ordinary clothes washing powders/liquids also leave residue if you machine wash these cloths. I tried the liquid for hand washing woolens and that was very difficult to rinse out. In the end, I found that ordinary dish washing detergent works perfectly. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy Sanchez Posted August 20, 2007 Share #18 Posted August 20, 2007 I wear swimming goggles, cotton gloves and a ski mask. all stays pristine and there's a side benefit: people don't notice the camera at all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
guy Posted August 20, 2007 Author Share #19 Posted August 20, 2007 I wear swimming goggles, cotton gloves and a ski mask. all stays pristine and there's a side benefit: people don't notice the camera at all. You must cut quite a dashing figure. Didn't Michael Jackson favour something along those lines back in the 80s? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eoin Posted August 20, 2007 Share #20 Posted August 20, 2007 A little bottle of isopropyl (iso-propanol) alcohol and a tissue in the bag for those moments, other than that a quick wipe in what ever cotton clothing I'm wearing and I'm good to go. I have yet (even with the grip) to find a way that is 100% sure not to smudge the view finder windows throughout the day. As for nose & cheek grease, it's just a fact of life for left eye shooters like me I'm afraid to say. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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