How to clean kids finger marks off UV filter??

[I Simonius]

I kid I was shooting ( :lol: ) plonked its mitt on the new Hoya SMC UV 77mm filter on my 17-40L

How can i Get the greasy marks off without affecting the multicoating AT ALL? :cry:

It seems to me that the more expensive the filter the harder to clean it is!
How come filter manufacturers give no advice on cleaning their filters?
It MUST be because they know they are impossible to clean!

I am angry because I feel I have fallen for the claims and hype from Hoya about their SMC range and that unlike EVERY other product there is no after sales support for their filters at all.

(At least Cokin, if I remember rightly, used to replace free of charge any filter that even got damaged. I had forgotten that- perhaps if they still do it I will buy them in future!)

It seems to me that once an expensive filter is marked or smudged you might as well throw it away. Nothing gets them back to pristine state.

So better to use cheapo filters in the first place and just replace them as needs be. :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

[foxbat]

This looks like as pragmatic method as any I've seen:

http://194.100.88.243/petteri/pont/How_to/a_Brush_Your_Sensor/a_Brush_Your_Sensor.html?page=5

[Cadwell]

I've used a couple of drops of eclipse fluid on a pec-pad in the past to clean my Hoya Super HMC Pro 1s when they got greased up. One pad plus eclipse to clean the gunk off and then the another pad plus the old "breathe on it" technique to polish it up afterwards.

[DavidEB]

be thankful for small things -- better on the filter than the lens.

[Gary Petersen]

Don't laugh. Just huff on it a bit and wipe it off with your T-shirt.

[Mitcon]

Use a blower first and then use an Optical glass cleaning fluid, these are made to be safe with coatings. Check on the bottle first but all the brands I have used state they are safe for use with optical coatings. be sure if you do to use a microfibe cloth and spray the fluid onto the cloth, never the lens.

[pierrot]

For an "in-depth" (!) washing, I use the plain method described by Petteri Sulonen:
"I use dishwasher fluid, work it with my fingers, then rinse it under running water, using the water stream to "wipe" the filter clean; then I dry with a fresh linen towel (one that's been washed without fabric softener)."

But for daily care, I just use Gary Petersen's one "Just huff on it a bit and wipe it off with your T-shirt."

Don't be too shy! :mrgreen:

[Florida Cracker]

Huff ? T-Shirt ?..........YUK !....Go to walmart, in the vision center they have these neat little Lens cleaning cloths used for Eyeglasses...They come in individual envelopes that snap whic they can be folded and stored when not in use and they come in neat colors......Much better on your glass than HUFF and a t-shirt they may have sand........:(

[Darter]

Okay, if the huff/t-shirt method is too uncouth for you, get the disposable lens tissues from your local camera shop. Much better than any cloth, since you never re-use them and never risk rubbing trapped dirt into your glass.

So now we have a huff/tissue option as well. ;)

[Florida Cracker]

Much better than any cloth,

How would you know if you have never used them ?

They are excellent.They are made for "LENSES"

[Darter]

You know that I haven't used them? Hmmm...I don't recall saying that...

Trust me, I've tried just about everything. Oh, and the cloth you describe...between my wife and I, we have about 10 various brands of them laying around the house. Our optomitrist gives us a new one with every visit and my oakleys came in a bag made for the same purpose. The problem is that it doesn't solve the t-shirt issue...the cloth is still getting reused, and chances are, never washed properly. To boot, a pack of lens paper is much cheaper, unless you have access to free cloths.

[I Simonius]

Huff ? T-Shirt ?..........YUK !....Go to walmart, in the vision center they have these neat little Lens cleaning cloths used for Eyeglasses...They come in individual envelopes that snap whic they can be folded and stored when not in use and they come in neat colors......Much better on your glass than HUFF and a t-shirt they may have sand........:(


forsooth I have tried ye aforementioned lens tissues and blow me if they didn't give what looked like fine scrathes on the filter. I sent em off to Davey Jones's locker!

[TimB]

I've used a couple of drops of eclipse fluid on a pec-pad in the past to clean my Hoya Super HMC Pro 1s when they got greased up. One pad plus eclipse to clean the gunk off and then the another pad plus the old "breathe on it" technique to polish it up afterwards.

CopperHill says "DO NOT use Eclipse fluid to clean your lens because it will leave a residue. Likewise, DO NOT use a lens cleaner on your sensor because it will definitely leave sreaks."

I just got the copperhill sensor cleaning kit and wanted to know if its ok to clean my lens with it also. Now Im not sure if I should. :confused:

[SkipD]

Plain old Kodak lens tissue and a common lens cleaning fluid have worked extremely well for over 40 years. Same product, same cleaning requirements, same good results over the whole time.

[lostdoggy]

Have you try putting it in the dishwasher???

Having put many of my own greasy digits on my filter, I use pre-package optical wipes design for cleaning laser lenses. They seem to work very well. Make sure of coarse to clean your own dirty digits with antibacterial soap since the soap contain alcohol your digits will be squeeky clean. Any good quality ispropanol alcohol will do as long as they don't leave any residue. Forget about rubbing alcohol they are very poor quality. Usully they ones use for production work are better quality. Use mico fiber cloth to clean or high quality lens tissues.

[Florida Cracker]

LOL !.....This is too Much....Package states : "No Glare, Micro -Fiber Cleaning Cloth" A high tech micro-fiber cleaning clothfor all lens types. "lifts off" dirt and absorbs oil - reusable and machine washable- use with liquid cleaner... Shop Walmart.com ! it is plain we all have different opinions and use different products....An Excellent and Popular High School Rodeo Photography here in Florida got me started on these . Taken care of and not huffed on , they seem to just go on , and on.....

[Grampaw]

My 2 cents worth:
I use Bausch and Lomb Sight Savers. Made for Optical Glass, one-time use and no residue.
Have been using them for many years on my glasses and lenses. Will not damage coatings.

[foxbat]

CopperHill says "DO NOT use Eclipse fluid to clean your lens because it will leave a residue. Likewise, DO NOT use a lens cleaner on your sensor because it will definitely leave sreaks."

I just got the copperhill sensor cleaning kit and wanted to know if its ok to clean my lens with it also. Now Im not sure if I should. :confused:I used Eclipse fluid on a filter and yes, it left streaks. I went over it again with the unbranded stuff you get in Jessops (Isopropyl alcohol based) and it came up clean after lots and lots of rubbing. Multicoated filters are a serious PITA to clean.

[AndreyD]

Sorry to put that topic again, but I just recently was struggling also trying to clean my UV filter, having bought cleaning kit with cleaning cloth, lens tissue paper (it looks like very thin paper isn't it?) and, lens cleaning solution (sorry do not remember the manufacture of that kit, remember that it's made in China) and I am still struggling to get crystal clear filter, it still has some streaks on it if you look carefully. It drives me nuts....
the filter still looks like this (second picture):
http://194.100.88.243/petteri/pont/How_to/a_Brush_Your_Sensor/a_Brush_Your_Sensor.html?page=5

Maybe I should try dishwasher fluid as was mentioned above?

And, I have a question, why in that Cleaning Kit I have Lens Tissue Paper and also some kind of cloth (soft, looks like a cloth you could find in glasses cases), do I need both? Which one is actually for cleaning with Lens Cleaner solution?

[SkipD]

I would suggest that you DON'T use dishwasher detergent. It can be damaging to the filter. Some of those dishwasher detergents will etch fine glass after a while.

However, an ordinary liquid diswashing soap such as Dawn or even liquid shampoo (plain - without the added softeners) would probably work just fine. Clean your hands really well first, then rub the soap with a little water all over the filter. Then rinse it very thoroughly.

If you must use a filter as "protection", it would be very wise to protect the filter with a good quality lens hood. A lens hood will keep straying fingers off the glass most of the time, unless you try to touch it.

In fact, you can forget the filter and use just a lens hood. That's the way I have treated all my camera lenses for four decades. I still have all the cameras, and every lens (the glass, that is) is in pristine condition.

[lostdoggy]

Sorry to put that topic again, but I just recently was struggling also trying to clean my UV filter, having bought cleaning kit with cleaning cloth, lens tissue paper (it looks like very thin paper isn't it?) and, lens cleaning solution (sorry do not remember the manufacture of that kit, remember that it's made in China) and I am still struggling to get crystal clear filter, it still has some streaks on it if you look carefully. It drives me nuts....
the filter still looks like this (second picture):
http://194.100.88.243/petteri/pont/How_to/a_Brush_Your_Sensor/a_Brush_Your_Sensor.html?page=5

Maybe I should try dishwasher fluid as was mentioned above?

And, I have a question, why in that Cleaning Kit I have Lens Tissue Paper and also some kind of cloth (soft, looks like a cloth you could find in glasses cases), do I need both? Which one is actually for cleaning with Lens Cleaner solution?

If you got the Disher Detergent from my post please disregard. I meant it as a joke, but not to be taken for real. I personally use dishwasher and it has scratch up all my glasses. They weren't expensive, but rather the cheapy glasses. When I do my crystal stemwares I use a gentler cycle with special detergent. Just to clarified any miss understanding.

[johnlo]

just use your t-shirt. i do that all the time. i found that the more careful you try to be.. the worst always happen.

[I Simonius]

If you got the Disher Detergent from my post please disregard. I meant it as a joke, but not to be taken for real. I personally use dishwasher and it has scratch up all my glasses. They weren't expensive, but rather the cheapy glasses. When I do my crystal stemwares I use a gentler cycle with special detergent. Just to clarified any miss understanding.

Surely the only cameras you can safely put in the dishwasher are the 1D *waterproof* ones?

The idea of putting a lens in the dishwasher when not attached to a waterproof camera fills me with horror!
;)

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Wilt]

1. Many, many years ago a test report was published about tissues and cloths sold for cleaning lenses. Even the fabled Kodak brand lens tissues left microabrsions to coatings which could be seen under very high power. The cheaper non-Kodak tissues were worse for microabrasions. The BEST was the microfiber cloth which could only be purchased (at the time)in Japan. Now photographic microfiber cloths can be found readily in the U.S. You can even find microfiber cloths to polish cars in the auto supply stores, but I hesistate to use that on a lens! Breath on the filter, then wipe with microfiber cloth...you don't have to have special lens cleaners. Good stuff, microfiber.

2. You can buy ROR Lens Cleaner from many photographic sources. From the Adorama site: "Revolutionary lens cleaner safely removes oil residue to significantly increase light entry, for brighter, sharper images. Safe for all multi-coated lenses - glass or plastic." I have some of this, too, which I obtained in the days before microfiber cloths were available. Good stuff, ROR