# How to clean lenses ?



## Salah Yousef (Aug 22, 2013)

When I bought my 600D/T3i camera with 18-55mm lens, the seller used alcohol wipe and glasses microfiber cleaning cloth to clean both the LCD screen and camera lens. Is that safe ? Or should he have used something else ? Also, I didn't clean my lenses ever since I bought my camera, how often should I clean it and with what ?


----------



## jdramirez (Aug 22, 2013)

I use the stuff you clean tv's with and a lint free micro fiber cloth. usually I will spritz, then Dab, then re sspritz, then write clean.


----------



## arcanej (Aug 22, 2013)

Rocket Blower + Lenspen are an awesome combo. I use the blower to remove dust, the brush on the pen to get anything else off and the pens' carbon dust to clean the lens.


----------



## sunnyVan (Aug 22, 2013)

I use Zeiss disposable wipes. It's packaged like alcohol pads. With each wipe I'd wipe the lens and my glasses while I'm at it. Each wipe probably costs around 10 cents. Worth it or not is your personal decision. It makes things easier for me.


----------



## curtisnull (Aug 22, 2013)

Purosol


----------



## lastcoyote (Aug 22, 2013)

arcanej said:


> Rocket Blower + Lenspen are an awesome combo. I use the blower to remove dust, the brush on the pen to get anything else off and the pens' carbon dust to clean the lens.



exactly what i do. it's the best solution in my mind.
i have the kit of three lenspens. normal lens one, filter one and small viewfinder one.
vital to use rocket blower first to avoid rubbing small damaging particles of stuff around with the lens pen. as long as you make sure you do this the lenspens are perfect.


----------



## crasher8 (Aug 22, 2013)

I use Purosol as well with Pecpads. I follow up with an Ilford antistatic cloth. I had a 135 f/2 front element which had horrible goo specks and I couldn't get them off and was worried about the coating but I just kept doing light applications 4 or 5 times and finally cleaned up nicely. For dust I use a Rocket Blower and gravity.


----------



## Mr Bean (Aug 22, 2013)

+1 for the Rocket blower.

Then I use B&W lens cleaner fluid with Mikros microfibre cleaning cloth. A squirt of the fluid on the cloth, and a gentle wipe. Takes less than a minute.


----------



## duydaniel (Aug 23, 2013)

Flash light, blower, lens pen


----------



## dr croubie (Aug 23, 2013)

arcanej said:


> Rocket Blower + Lenspen are an awesome combo. I use the blower to remove dust, the brush on the pen to get anything else off and the pens' carbon dust to clean the lens.



+1
Blower then Lenspen is the only way to go


----------



## schill (Aug 23, 2013)

The best thing to do is to avoid needing to clean them. Make sure you never touch the glass on either end of the lens. Use a lens hood to prevent contact on the front element.

Use a blower to remove dust. Don't wipe the lens with any cloths or fluids unless you have to.

I don't baby my lenses, but it's extremely rare that I need to do anything other that blow dust off.

And avoid shooting in places with lots of cigarette smoke or similar stuff if you can help it.


----------



## WhoIreland (Aug 23, 2013)

Pop it in the dishwasher. 

Not too much soap powder.


----------



## serendipidy (Aug 23, 2013)

WhoIreland said:


> Pop it in the dishwasher.
> 
> Not too much soap powder.



Does that only work with weather sealed lenses? ;D


----------



## Forceflow (Aug 23, 2013)

I strongly suggest checking out this:

http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/05/the-lensrentals-lens-cleaning-methods

Those guys know what they are doing and also put the whole thing into perspective.


----------



## Salah Yousef (Aug 23, 2013)

Still no one answered my question lol. Is it safe to clean the lens and LCD screen with alcohol wipe ?


----------



## duydaniel (Aug 23, 2013)

Salah Yousef said:


> Still no one answered my question lol. Is it safe to clean the lens and LCD screen with alcohol wipe ?



You can use these. 
I found them at walmart for a very low price
http://www.amazon.com/Zeiss-Pre-Moistened-Lens-Cloths-Wipes/dp/B0030HG054/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1377253377&sr=8-2&keywords=zeiss+lens+cleaning+wipes


----------



## Salah Yousef (Aug 23, 2013)

http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Cleaning-Cameras-Canon-Pentax/dp/B0080JH3YE/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1377199207&sr=1-5&keywords=lens+pen

Great price


----------



## adhocphotographer (Aug 23, 2013)

Salah Yousef said:


> Still no one answered my question lol. Is it safe to clean the lens and LCD screen with alcohol wipe ?



Yes it is, though i would avoid stronger solvents without checking. Ethanol is fine....


----------



## Eimajm (Aug 23, 2013)

Normally I end up cleaning my lenses in the field and I have found the best and most cost effective solution is as follows.

First of all blow fiercly on the glass to remove larger particles, then take a deep breath and breath on the glass, make sure it looks nice and foggy. Shake your t-shirt to ensure it is free from sand and dirt, think about using a sleeve if too dirty. Make small circular motions over the glass; repeat for persistant marks.


----------



## photonius (Aug 23, 2013)

Salah Yousef said:


> Still no one answered my question lol. Is it safe to clean the lens and LCD screen with alcohol wipe ?



alcohol should be used sparingly. On glass it should be fine, although I am not sure how the coatings react over long term use. On plastic, alcohol can leach things or alter the plastic, depending on the plastic. Perspex becomes turbid after long term use. Given that one does not know how the plastic of the lens or the body reacts, it's probably better to avoid it. Also, the LCD screen, I am not sure if that is actually glass or plastic.
I have a screen protector on my LCD, so just wipe it with a cloth (and some breath) if necessary.
For the lens elements, first rocket blower to remove dust as much as possible. You don't want to wipe the lens when scratchy dust particles are on it. A brush can help release particles. Only then I use microfiber cloth or clean cotton cloth to wipe, again with some breath if necessary. If there are some persistent grease spots, only then some lens cleaning fluid.


----------



## bjd (Aug 23, 2013)

photonius said:


> Salah Yousef said:
> 
> 
> > Still no one answered my question lol. Is it safe to clean the lens and LCD screen with alcohol wipe ?
> ...



+1. 
Taught to do it this way on a Short Digital Photography Course by a Professional.
Not needed Alcohol yet. Well not for the Lenses anyway.

Beware. A guy I knew in the military was told to clean his tape heads with Alcohol,
he tried it with Beer! Go figure.........

Cheers


----------



## SwissBear (Aug 23, 2013)

not long ago, over at thephoblographer.com, they asked the industry experts this question:

http://www.thephoblographer.com/2013/07/25/industry-experts-weigh-in-can-you-clean-a-lens-with-vodka/

Summary: Better drink your vodka and use isopropyl


----------



## Zv (Aug 23, 2013)

Oh I just put them in the dishwasher and they come out clean and sparkly!



But seriously - blow, brush, wipe repeat. And then spit on it.


----------



## AlanF (Aug 23, 2013)

SwissBear said:


> not long ago, over at thephoblographer.com, they asked the industry experts this question:
> 
> http://www.thephoblographer.com/2013/07/25/industry-experts-weigh-in-can-you-clean-a-lens-with-vodka/
> 
> Summary: Better drink your vodka and use isopropyl



From that report: "Good cleaners like Eclipse from Photographic Solutions is almost 100% methanol (which is anhydrous Ethel-alcohol) we have found work the best."

Ethel Alcohol? never met her. Ethyl alcohol = C2H5OH. Methanol = CH3OH, and drinking it will poison you.


----------



## neuroanatomist (Aug 23, 2013)

AlanF said:


> From that report: "Good cleaners like Eclipse from Photographic Solutions is almost 100% methanol (which is anhydrous Ethel-alcohol) we have found work the best."
> 
> Ethel Alcohol? never met her. Ethyl alcohol = C2H5OH. Methanol = CH3OH, and drinking it will poison you.



Drink a little too much ethyl alcohol, and you might see Ethel. But drink too much methyl alcohol, and you won't see much of anything. The liver enzyme that converts ethanol to a 2-carbon aldehyde (acetaldehyde, which is one of the contributing factors for a hangover) also converts methanol to it's corresponding 1-carbon aldehyde - formaldehyde. Among other effects, the formaldehyde crosslinks the visual pigments in the retina, resulting in blindness. 

Chemistry and biochemistry lessons, all in one day.


----------



## crasher8 (Aug 23, 2013)

A nice coating of vaseline works as well and then you'll be all artsy fartsy too.

Problem is, you'll then need to buy a fixie, a Holga, some Deschutes beer, tight pants, grow a 'stache, start claiming you shot with Primes before it was cool and have an androgynous girlfriend.


----------



## SwissBear (Aug 23, 2013)

i'm much more shocked what the tamron woman tells - any beverage with 50% methanol in it is an insta-blind


----------



## dgatwood (Aug 24, 2013)

adhocphotographer said:


> Salah Yousef said:
> 
> 
> > Still no one answered my question lol. Is it safe to clean the lens and LCD screen with alcohol wipe ?
> ...



Most cleaning products are isopropanol.

Yes, it should be safe for the lenses.

For the display? Probably. If this were a thin-skinned LCD panel like you'd see on a laptop, I would try to avoid using alcohol too often, and possibly even dilute it 50/50 with water, but for the hard plastic cover on a camera, I wouldn't expect it to hurt anything at all. That said, unless you're shooting in a dusty environment, you're probably better off just wiping the back of the camera on your jeans. It's not like you have to perfectly remove every last trace of fingerprint smudge on the panel.


----------



## Dick (Aug 24, 2013)

dgatwood said:


> Most cleaning products are isopropanol.
> 
> Yes, it should be safe for the lenses.



The downside is that it doesn't clean the lens. It can be used to remove certain things, but for me it has never cleaned anything that doesn't come of with a plain microfiber cloth. After cleaning a lens I tend to wipe it with isopropanol as the last step.


----------



## LetTheRightLensIn (Aug 24, 2013)

Salah Yousef said:


> When I bought my 600D/T3i camera with 18-55mm lens, the seller used alcohol wipe and glasses microfiber cleaning cloth to clean both the LCD screen and camera lens. Is that safe ? Or should he have used something else ? Also, I didn't clean my lenses ever since I bought my camera, how often should I clean it and with what ?



spit and sandpaper is the best

but barring that, a chamois or micro-fiber cloth works great and a few drops of FormulaMC or the like if needed. Oh and first use one of those manual puff blower bulbs to try to blow off any sand or grit before rubbing that all over the lens surface


----------



## LetTheRightLensIn (Aug 24, 2013)

serendipidy said:


> WhoIreland said:
> 
> 
> > Pop it in the dishwasher.
> ...



Not at all, it actually works better for non-sealed lenses since the water and shape cleans all of the internal elements too of those ones. ;D


----------



## dgatwood (Aug 24, 2013)

LetTheRightLensIn said:


> serendipidy said:
> 
> 
> > WhoIreland said:
> ...



Be careful about joking like that. Some folks have actually cleaned computer keyboards in the dishwasher. You can't really do that with lenses because you'd end up with water spots on the internal elements, but somebody might not realize you're kidding and might actually try it. That would translate to one really expensive cleaning, particularly given that Canon would no doubt disclaim any warranty coverage because of "water damage".


----------



## jdramirez (Aug 24, 2013)

dgatwood said:


> LetTheRightLensIn said:
> 
> 
> > serendipidy said:
> ...



I don't think we should ever sensor ourselves in consideration of the incredibly stupid.


----------



## 7enderbender (Aug 25, 2013)

Salah Yousef said:


> Still no one answered my question lol. Is it safe to clean the lens and LCD screen with alcohol wipe ?



Well, here's the thing. I'm am completely neurotic with my gear and baby everything. Even my lenses from the 80s that I bought new look like new. Same with my music gear. My guitars look pretty much like they just came from the store even though they've been around the world and used quite a bit. I don't get how some people end up with dinged up stuff and others think that makes them more "professional" looking.

Anyway. Some of these precautions are probably unnecessary. The glass and the coatings are very sturdy. I compare it to my eyeglasses that I need to wear every day. Those are high quality (real) glass with coatings similar to what's on our lenses. I wash them under water with dish washing soap. They last for years.

Now, alcohol is a different issue. It's probably safe for the glass but I'd be worried about some of the plastics and rubber materials. They may dry out or react with alcohol. So I'd stay away from that.


----------



## brad-man (Aug 25, 2013)

I have a rather large box of Zeiss wipes, a bottle of Eclipse w/Pec Pads and a spray bottle of Purosol, but 98% of the time a lenspen is sufficient. As for the LCD, I have a glass protector on all of mine, so that job usually goes to my shirt


----------



## Grumbaki (Aug 26, 2013)

ankorwatt said:


> 96% alcohol and 5 % Ether



Now that sounds like a party.

Seriously, I drying clean. Blower and lens pen.


----------



## sandymandy (Aug 26, 2013)

dgatwood said:


> Be careful about joking like that. Some folks have actually cleaned computer keyboards in the dishwasher. You can't really do that with lenses because you'd end up with water spots on the internal elements, but somebody might not realize you're kidding and might actually try it. That would translate to one really expensive cleaning, particularly given that Canon would no doubt disclaim any warranty coverage because of "water damage".



good that i dont live in the USA  heard microwaves there even say to not dry ur pets inside?! lold

Im using my t-shirt to clean the lenses  srsly its the most less sensitive part of ur camera system  sensor...totally different story.


----------



## bycostello (Aug 31, 2013)

i use corner of my t shirt... they are tougher than u think....


----------



## RGF (Sep 1, 2013)

sunnyVan said:


> I use Zeiss disposable wipes. It's packaged like alcohol pads. With each wipe I'd wipe the lens and my glasses while I'm at it. Each wipe probably costs around 10 cents. Worth it or not is your personal decision. It makes things easier for me.



Thanks. I'll try them. Nice to individual packages when traveling


----------



## The Mad Kiwi (Sep 9, 2013)

bycostello said:


> i use corner of my t shirt... they are tougher than u think....



Commonly referred to as the profession photographer cleaning method.


----------



## wayno (Sep 9, 2013)

bycostello said:


> i use corner of my t shirt... they are tougher than u think....



I found my old 85 1.8 in my bag once, cap off, front element covered in all sorts of crap. After the initial freak out, I gave it a clean only to find it came up pristine. I would endorse the fact that front elements are tough. Or maybe I was lucky...


----------



## serendipidy (Sep 9, 2013)

bycostello said:


> i use corner of my t shirt... they are tougher than u think....



The shirt or the lens? ;D


----------

