Know how to clean your glass well?

This is kind of a BS subject but I'll mention it anyway ... Glass can be tricky to clean. I use Zeiss Lens cloths to clean all lenses and filters I have. They leave streaks of course. I've tried many microfiber cloths to finish and buff but they all leave streaks and lint.

I got a Microdear Microfiber cleaning cloth recently. Killer! No more streaks, no more lint, it is perfect. Can be washed in the washing machine. The results are fantastic.

I mention all this because lenses and filters are not easy to clean at all. I purchased mine at Adorama. There may be another places that sell them. It was only $12 bucks and it feels like it'll last many years.

I think most microfiber cloths work well. You just keep working in the same direction, and you'll be fine. I usually hand wash mine with mild soap after it gets a bit dirty.

I'll publish this again because I think it's pertinent here:

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).

SkipD wrote in post #6105213
I'll publish this again because I think it's pertinent here:

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).

Very good method! I do the same.

ben_r_ wrote in post #6106087
Very good method! I do the same.

+1

I generally use this method but wouldn't recommend it even though it works for me:

1. Blow any big bits of stuff off with your mouth, ignoring the fact you own a rocket blower.

2. Put a drop of cleaning fluid on the centre of the lens.

3. Stand the lens on the nearest flat (or flatish) surface, usually without a cap on the bottom.

4. Spend 20 minutes searching for lens tissues.

5. Get a puzzled look when you notice the drop of fluid has magically vanished.

6. Re-apply the fluid.

7. Screw the tissue up into a ball and rub it in circles on the lens until the fluid has all gone, ensuring you press very hard as that's got to be best right?

8. Notice that you were rubbing your finger around the lens as the tissue didn't cover it and you made it worse than it was in the beginning.

9. Repeat from step 6 until satisfied or bored.

I bought a silk microfiber cloth at Walmart like 12 years ago. It has silicone in it. You wiped the camera with it and it made it look like new, even the fake leather pads, plastic and LCD screen. Over the years, the silicone has gone South, but I still have that cloth and now I use it to clean my glass with. I've never washed it. I wait till it's like 20 below in winter, leave it on the porch overnight, then go out when I remember it again and take it out of the zip-loc and shake it out. All the dirt and finger oil from months previous just cracks and falls away. I'm telling you, it works. It cleans my glass til it sparkles and all I do is breathe on it to fog it a little.

HankScorpio wrote in post #6107103
I generally use this method but wouldn't recommend it even though it works for me: ...

On reflection, I think I'll stay with Skip's method!

cheers

Send it to Wool's Camera Shop.

I use a similar process except I skip the lens cleaning stuff and fog the lens with my breath.

SOS pads used to work pretty well, until they started to impregnate them with the cleaning gunk, then I stopped using them. Those things really got everything off, after a vigorous cleaning, I cannot see anything left.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #6109791
SOS pads used to work pretty well, until they started to impregnate them with the cleaning gunk, then I stopped using them. Those things really got everything off, after a vigorous cleaning, I cannot see anything left.

When they put the cleaning guck in them. I switched to using a sand blaster

I do the same as Skip.

Exept for the proper trash receptacle I don't use...

Laurent.

Rocket blower. My glass has never been exposed for any length of time. I keep some sort of filter whether it be a clear protector or uv. I only have to clean the filter which is much easier.

Lenspen!