Correct way to clean lenses?

[Sulis]

I will be buying the 400D and a couple of lenses soon and would like to know the correct way to clean the lenses. What equipment will I need and how should I use it?

[Mr. Clean]

SkipD's advice...


Quality lens tissue (such as that sold by Kodak), a good lens cleaning fluid, and PROPER TECHNIQUE is the way that I have cleaned my lenses for decades. What is "proper technique"?

First - the goal is to clean the lens (or filter - I would use the very same process) without grinding any dirt/debris into the lens. To me, this absolutely dictates single-use surfaces for anything that touches the lens. That's why I use lens tissues instead of a washable cloth or - particularly - something like a lens pen.

Here are the steps that I use to clean a lens:

1. Use a squeeze-bulb blower to blow any loose dust off the lens. 90% of the time, step #1 is all that is necessary.

2. Take a lens tissue out of the pack. Fold it once, holding only what was the ends of the tissue. You want to be extremely careful to NEVER TOUCH the areas of the lens tissue that will be touching the lens. This will avoid transferring oils from your fingers to the lens.

3. Moisten the folded portion of the lens tissue with a little lens cleaner. You don't want the tissue dripping wet, but it must be damp.

CAUTION: NEVER apply lens cleaner directly to the lens (though it won’t hurt a filter, you don’t want liquid leaking into the lens’ innards).

4. Wipe LIGHTLY across the lens ONCE with the damp tissue. Then either turn it over or fold it so that you can wipe again, but with an unused surface. You can do this as often as needed, as long as you never wipe the lens twice with any surface of the tissue. This prevents scratches. Again, make sure you never touch an area of the tissue that will touch the lens.

5. Ensuring that the lens is actually clean, use a dry tissue, handled the same way as above, to wipe the lens dry. Since you have already removed the dirt, there's no risk of scratching the lens with the dry tissue.

6. Dispose of the used lens tissues in a proper trash receptacle.

That's it in a nutshell. Simple and effective. I've been cleaning my lenses this way for over 40 years, and all of them have pristine glass (and none have ever worn "protective" filters).

[papucla10]

Great info

[canonloader]

I use a copper colored micro-fiber cloth. It seems to have some silicone in it. It's the softest thing you've ever felt. First blow with a puffer, then a brush if it looks like there is light dust. Fingerprints do appear by magic now and then, and they have to be wiped off. Paper, even lens tissue is hard stuff. Use the microfiber cloth, it's soft and it cleans.

Good glass is harder than anything in the cloth and I've never scratched a lens with it. I have never used fluids, because of the coatings. Fluids are pretty much generic and lens manufacturers use specialty coatings that as secret as any other industrial secret and no fluid manufacturer can guarantee is liquid won't harm all finishs.

After years, glass gets a coating of cigarette smoke, car exhaust fumes and other gunky junk in our air, and it has to be cleaned. I use a circular motion starting in the center, small circles within bigger circles working out in a spiral, towards the edge. A little of that and they'll sparkle again.

[Tee Why]

What? I've been using rubbing compound with a steel wool pad!!!

Actually, don't freak out, modern coating for lenses are pretty tough. You can follow the sound advice given above.

[gkuenning]

My most common reason for cleaning is because I accidentally touched the front element, leaving a fingerprint. Any additional advice, or should I just follow Mr. Clean's instructions?

[Lotto]

Use the corner of my cotton T-shirt for the front element most of the time. May not be the correct way, but works for me.

[SkipD]

My most common reason for cleaning is because I accidentally touched the front element, leaving a fingerprint. Any additional advice, or should I just follow Mr. Clean's instructions?First of all, Mr. Clean - thanks for copying my writeup.

Use my method to clean the lens if you have any fingerprints now.

To PREVENT fingerprints from getting on the front element of your lens in the future, merely use a lens hood any time a lens is out of the case.

A properly designed rigid lens hood helps you in two ways. The first, obviously, is to prevent stray light from affecting your images. The second is the mechanical protection. As I mentioned, it will keep your fingers off the lens. In addition, it will act as a "bumper" and ward off problems from day-to-day contact with things around you.

I've even had a lens hood save a lens and camera from a very nasty fall from about four feet to a concrete sidewalk. the hood collapsed relatively slowly and slowed the impact. That was almost 40 years ago, and the camera and lens work fine today without any repair needed (except for replacing the lens hood for aesthetic reasons).

[SuzyView]

I use the blower whenever possible to get the dust you can see off first. I do like the cloth I got at Costco. It's soft and has a case. I never use it except for my glasses or lenses, so it's not an all purpose cloth. I use the fluid provided because I have special non-glare glasses and it seems to be fine. If I can't reach or am the least bit nervous, I do use my lens pen. I have a good filter on always when I am on a hike or where dirt flies (windy conditions). Otherwise, I don't need to clean them that often. Just keep all caps in your bag and use them. I use the big can of air to clean those.

[Nick_C]

Put a UV filter on the lens & you will find you wont have to clean the lens much at all, I still havent cleaned my Sigma 17-70 as ive kept the UV on all the time, I had a peek in there the other day & no dust at all.

Nick :-)

[SkipD]

Adding a filter to the lens does not solve fingerprint and dust problems. You'd just have to clean the filter instead of the lens. The same cleaning techniques apply to avoid damaging the surfaces.

Even if someone chooses to use a filter for "protection" (something I have never done for 40+ years), a lens hood will protect the filter as well as the lens itself.

[Mr. Clean]

Skip is on da money. For simple fingerprints which I do from time to time, I use my blower/brush, then the Giotto's blower, then a micro fiber cloth. Works well for me. Some how my clumsy fingers find the front element every now and again :D

[Nick_C]

Adding a filter to the lens does not solve fingerprint and dust problems. You'd just have to clean the filter instead of the lens. The same cleaning techniques apply to avoid damaging the surfaces.

Even if someone chooses to use a filter for "protection" (something I have never done for 40+ years), a lens hood will protect the filter as well as the lens itself.

Your right, I was just meaning that if you put a filter on the lens then cleaning a filter is a lot easier as they are flatter & lets face it you dont need to be as careful, a filter can be replaced if you happened to have a bit of grit scratch the front while cleaning, unlikely to happen if you use a nice cloth but possible.

I use a UV + the hood, the hood is there solely for lens flare, the UV for protection against sea spray when at the beach which is quite greasy to get off.

Nick :-)