Lens cleaning

So, for years I have been cleaning my lenses with a microfiber cloth.

At a recent photo workshop I was in my instructor was insistent that it was bad to use microfiber clothes on lenses and that you should always used lens tissue.

Is there any truth to this argument?

Here's a replay of something I've posted just a couple of times....

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A squeeze-bulb blower such as a Rocket Blower by Giottos, quality lens tissue (such as that sold by Kodak and now Tiffen), 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).
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SkipD wrote in post #12532351
Here's a replay of something I've posted just a couple of times....

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A squeeze-bulb blower such as a Rocket Blower by Giottos, quality lens tissue (such as that sold by Kodak and now Tiffen), 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).
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You need a link to this in your signature!

How many (thousands ) of times have you answered this question?

Skip, very good post. Thanks

So the reason you guys don't use MF clothes is that residual dirt could scratch the optics?

1000arms wrote in post #12532390
You need a link to this in your signature!

WORD! Opened my eyes for sure, and makes perfect sense!

dalto wrote in post #12534919
So the reason you guys don't use MF clothes is that residual dirt could scratch the optics?

For me, that's a fact.

SkipD wrote in post #12532351
Here's a replay of something I've posted just a couple of times

Thanks!

What lens cleaning fluid would you recommend?

SGMD1 wrote in post #12537668
Thanks!

What lens cleaning fluid would you recommend?

Normally, any typical commercial lens cleaner does just fine. The two I have in my case now are ROR (Residual Oil Remover) and Formula MC.

dalto wrote in post #12532293
So, for years I have been cleaning my lenses with a microfiber cloth.

At a recent photo workshop I was in my instructor was insistent that it was bad to use microfiber clothes on lenses and that you should always used lens tissue.

Is there any truth to this argument?

Blow on it, wipe with microfiber if needed.

People are overly paranoid about their camera equipment.

shedberg wrote in post #12538367
People are overly paranoid about their camera equipment.

What is your idea of properly paranoid?

dalto wrote in post #12532293
So, for years I have been cleaning my lenses with a microfiber cloth.

At a recent photo workshop I was in my instructor was insistent that it was bad to use microfiber clothes on lenses and that you should always used lens tissue.

Is there any truth to this argument?

A couple of decades ago, before microfiber was commonly available in the USA, Modern Photography magazine did a test report on cleaning methods.
Original testing by Herb Keppler of Modern Photography magazine (he later became editor of Popular Photography ) was a microfiber cloth available in Japan and not yet exported to USA. Proven under microphotography to cause less microabrasion than even Kodak lens cleaning tissues!
It is important to regularly launder microfiber cloths, so that abrasive particles do not remain in the cloth, causing damage with the embedded grit from prior lens cleanings!

Wilt wrote in post #12540113
A couple of decades ago, before microfiber was commonly available in the USA, Modern Photography magazine did a test report on cleaning methods.
Original testing by Herb Keppler of Modern Photography magazine (he later became editor of Popular Photography ) was a microfiber cloth available in Japan and not yet exported to USA. Proven under microphotography to cause less microabrasion than even Kodak lens cleaning tissues!
It is important to regularly launder microfiber cloths, so that abrasive particles do not remain in the cloth, causing damage with the embedded grit from prior lens cleanings!

Basically, I agree. While I'm at home with time on my hands, using lens paper is a perfectly adequate way to clean lens glass. But in the field, it's microfiber. There are a bunch of soaps specifically for washing and cleaning microfiber cloths, which I use after any long shoot.

tvphotog wrote in post #12540440
Basically, I agree. While I'm at home with time on my hands, using lens paper is a perfectly adequate way to clean lens glass. But in the field, it's microfiber. There are a bunch of soaps specifically for washing and cleaning microfiber cloths, which I use after any long shoot.

This issue about 'Microfiber carries over grit, so use lens paper'...why the heck does no one point out that the carryover grit issue applies to Lens Pen like products, and you can't launder out the grit?!

Wilt wrote in post #12540468
This issue about 'Microfiber carries over grit, so use lens paper'...why the heck does no one point out that the carryover grit issue applies to Lens Pen like products, and you can't launder out the grit?!

I do believe I addressed that in my often-published lens cleaning procedure.