For SERIOUS L Collectors' Eyes Only !

calicokat wrote in post #2119605
Yes, because people who abuse their gear and have nothing expensive are "real" photographers, not us gear fetish types

Oooops.........someone close the windows quick.......otherwise we gonna lose it.

Petkal wrote in post #2119623
Oooops.........someone close the windows quick.......otherwise we gonna lose it.

Its all good Petkal, I will be nice

calicokat wrote in post #2119644
Its all good Petkal, I will be nice

Good man, that's the sporting spirit !

First of all, Your supposed to clean them?? Then how do you get the special effects? Why pay for filters when a little acid rain or fingerprint oil might give your shot that special glow.

I can't believe I MISSED THIS!

PEACHMAN wrote in post #2119056
I take 3 parts acetone, 1part bleach, 1/2 part paint remover,a dab of axel grease to counter the effects of water, add this to a two quart cast iron pot and bring to a rolling boil...then add a cup of vinigar and just plop in the lens (or lenses if small)...boil for an hour and a half and air dry on the porch (dont forget to remove the end caps...) or tumble dry at permrnant press setting in a maytag dryer (don't forget to put them in a pillow case for the dryer)...there , now you tell me if you L snobs have a better style than this..and these ingredients are available in all foreign countries so transportation is not a problem!:p

Remind me to NEVER buy your used lenses Peachman!

condyk wrote in post #2119102
Dropping the lens into a bucket of maggots has always worked for me. Just leave the end cap on to prevent them entering the innards.

Does this explain the white spots on the photos? (this was as serious an EWWW, as I've EVER experienced on POTN)

Col_M wrote in post #2119237
I've heard panda urine is the wonder optical cleaner, the urine of the female is particularly good. It has been known that photographers using panda urine have been molested by male pandas while in mountainous forest regions of China, Tibet and in zoos, this is one of the theories as to why photography is so popular in Asia

Yeah, but getting the Panda to hold still is such a bother...

calicokat wrote in post #2119515
Kitty Litter

fresh or used? The first is rather a commodity you see...

Lightstream wrote in post #2119104
When I'm feeling more forgiving, bad breath and microfiber cloth.

This one seems fatal for the lens!

Dante King wrote in post #2119503
windex and paper towels.

Dante don't you realize that paper towels are ground up wood chips? I'm appalled...read some of the other advice before you ruin your beautiful 300!

Permagrin wrote in post #2119695
I can't believe I MISSED THIS!

Dante don't you realize that paper towels are ground up wood chips? I'm appalled...read some of the other advice before you ruin your beautiful 300!

Here we go, a tempering influence of a lady, that's what is needed here.

Taliking about a beautiful 300 f/2.8.......I'd suggest you take a peek at the duckswan shots Malla has just posted on the Birds Forum.

I just go with the old fashion "hocking a loogie" on the thing and cleaning it with my wife-beater (t-shirt).

Most of the time i wash my lenses in the dishwasher.. but i always make sure i use some jet dry... i wouldn't want any spots on the glass!

I also forgot to mention that I just throw them in the tubby with my kids...that works too.

sageone wrote in post #2119723
I just go with the old fashion "hocking a loogie" on the thing and cleaning it with my wife-beater (t-shirt).

Yes, Don, also based on your avatar I can tell you are a traditional sort of a fellow, more like a rural conservative much like myself.

evilmichael wrote in post #2119691
Why pay for filters when a little acid rain or fingerprint oil might give your shot that special glow.

Agreed ... our esteemed Duck shooting friend Calikobloke used that same 'oiled finger' effect on a flying pigeon shot (or something, couldn't quite tell!) that he displayed here multiple times. His compassion, in ensuring we all get chance to view such art, is a lesson to us all. The nuclear 'glow of life' he captured, at least on my very expensive calibrated studio monitor, was truly a masterful rendition. Even Petkal would struggle to beat such an effect, despite his advanced experience in Lomography. Bra-vo!

condyk wrote in post #2119579
Well some of us here spent much of our spare time using their gear for the intended purpose, which is photography ... preferable taking mildly interesting images rather than just 'sharp' ones. I would including Petkal in such category.

There are others, to whom this thread is addressed, who are more towards the collector/fetishist end of things and so spend much of their spare time doing things like polishing their gear, seeking oneupmanship and taking box and gear shots to look at in the privacy of a locked bedroom.

Each to their own of course and there is a place for everyone here ... and in a case such as this it seems entirely appropriate for the photographer to ask the advice of the collector.

Master , do you sleep at night...or is that brain always whirring away!

calicokat wrote in post #2119605
Yes, because people who abuse their gear and have nothing expensive are "real" photographers, not us gear fetish types

couldn't have said it better,,,now I gotta work on more often

Sometime ago, I remember CDS sharing his lens cleaning experience involving one of his most coveted pieces of glass. I thought his account was hysterically funny. Thus, I will not even try to retell the story, I think we should hear it from him again.

Yoo hoo CyberDyneSystems......​..you out there ?

wait.... wait....hold on..... you mean you can clean your lenses! Holy cow.... when mine get dirty I have just been throwing them away or selling them on ebay and then buying new ones. Dang, this might be much cheaper. You mean I could have kept that 300..... ah man!