Cleaning lenses

[dennykyser]

Ok, hoping I am not nuts and know this subject has been covered but I think I have a differant question.

Can you ever get a lens completely clean. I only use the micro cloths from B&H, lens cleaning solution and tissue, lens pen etc and when I hold it up to a good light (100 w) still can see little dust fibers on it. Am I trying too hard..

[Cadwell]

:shock: Lady Macbeth Syndrome :shock: you had best be careful, she came to a nasty end ;)

In all seriousness it is easy to get carried away with lens and sensor cleaning... The real test is this.

If you can see the dust in photos then you need to clean the lens, if you can't then you are being obsessive. Go and take some test shots and see.

[ron chappel]

Denny i repair lenses for a hobby and find getting them perfectly spotlessly clean to be by FAR the most difficult thing about the whole job :cry: :cry: :cry:

Of course it is not nessesary to get every last spec out as they simply do NOT effect the pictures at all...it is nice to get the lens looking new though if one can :) :)

[G3]

Denny,
These guys are right. There is no point in trying to keep the lenses absolutely perfectly spotless. Most of the little fibers, etc. have no affect on the photo and there is NO WAY to keep them perfectly clean anyway unless you do it in a Clean Room (one of those rooms where they build disk drives) and then hermetically seal the lens and never open it again.

I also think that too much cleaning has to be bad for the coatings. I use the same techniques you use, but I only clean them when there is easily visble dust on the lens. When you pick the lens up and immediately see an accumulation of dust without having to look for it, then clean it...gently. I shot an outdoor wedding yesterday in a rather dusty environment (actually more pollen than dust). I cleaned the lenses once just before I started shooting, then used my Rocket Blower immediately after the ceremony and before I had to start shooting the reception, and I was good for the whole job. There was a little dust on the front element sometimes, but it did not affect the images at all.

[dennykyser]

Thanks guys, I was about to go get a 500w spotlight to hold them up to and bring in my air compressor hose.. I always wondered about those little fibers and when you get down to 3-4 tiny fibers and try and get them...wow you put 20 back on..

[leony]

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[PhotosGuy]

I also think that too much cleaning has to be bad for the coatings.
Put on a good UV filter, never take it off, & forget that worry. When you've worn the coating off it, replace it.

[Motorsports Photo]

Thanks guys, I was about to go get a 500w spotlight to hold them up to and bring in my air compressor hose.. I always wondered about those little fibers and when you get down to 3-4 tiny fibers and try and get them...wow you put 20 back on..

Blowing compressed air just knocks all that dust back into the air. Get yourslf a small vacuum to suck particles and trap them.

-Pete

[defordphoto]

Another spin on this one is that unless you have a filtering system on your vacuum, you are also throwing (and stirring existing) dust in the air.

Minor dust on a lens will not effect your shots.

[RichYoung]

Thanks for all the advise. ...Rich