What liquid is best to clean lens?

from what i can gether from all the threads is that the best way to clean a lens is with a drop of liquid on the lens and a lens paper. It least that seems to be the concesus of opinion!

What is the best liquid to use? I have seen little bottles of suspiuously packaged something, but I dare not use it as im affraid it might damage the lens.

What chemical should I use - it is alcohol? (spelling error?)

What are these lens pens exaclty that keep being presented to me buy the local shop assistant?

Basically I feel that what ever touches the lens should only touch it once and then be disposed off. What that seem best to you all?

Cheers.

I picked up some pre-moistened lens cloths made by Zeiss. The are individually sealed in little packages and are quite simple to use.

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-Scott

I was apprehensive in using the lens pen but I bought one and tried it on a filter and it works great. As for liquid, I use premoisten Laser lens wipe. They contain ethanol alcohol and ionized water. I also use a moisten high quality lint free lens paper usually rolled up onto a wood cuticle stick (to form a qtip) cleaning in small circular motion and polishing it with a dry lens paper. The old blow and wipe works too.

From what I read (no 1st hand experience) it's a bad idea to put the solution directly on the lens. Put the solution on the material of your choice first then start cleaning.

Get a proper lens cleaning kit.

If you want to clean you sensor, get a sensor cleaning kit.

If you want to clean between your toes, buy a toe cleaning kit.

Hope you get my drift - don't ruin expensive cameras (or toes) by using the wrong cleaner.

998:

Any suggestion on the toe cleaning Kit???

IMO the best and safest would be optical lens cleaning fluid from your local optician. NEVER put fluid onto a lens, it can go places you don't want it to get into. I prefer to not use lens paper either, I find a microfibe cloth or a leather chamois to be better. You really want something which isn't abrasive as alot of papers can be.

The way I do it is first get a squeeze bulb, blow any sand or dust off the lens first so it's not just rubbed around the lens scratching it. Then put a SMALL amount of good optical lens cleaning fluid onto the cloth itself and use it LIGHTLY to remove anything.

Be careful of using some products as they can have solvents in them that will clean your lens maybe too well and damage the coatings.

Any pharmacy (drug store for americans?) can help you out

Any glass cleaning solution containing soap base or ammonia base solution Will leave a residue. the pro lens techs uses highly refined alcohol base solutions that is diluted with ionized or very well distilled water. To testhtis out place a drop of any lens solution on a piece of cleaned glass and allow it to dry. If it leave a residue then the solution is not acceptable. I use high purity ethanol acohol to clean my lenses when needed. Long time ago in NYC there was a Nikon center in Rocketfella Center and they had a tech there cleaning Nikon Lenses for free. I'm not sure if they are still there, but I had an oppurtunity to speak to the tech and that is what he told me. Now take this with a grain of salt. The tech might be out of his mind or he might be just pulling my leg!!!

tim wrote:
Any pharmacy (drug store for americans?) can help you out

We use Pharmacies too here in America.

Any particular Brand???

I agree,People seem to spend a small fortune on camera gear then want the same thing to clean the lot.

won't any strong, alcohol/ethanol/ammoni​a based solution damage the lens' coating?
i do the old fashioned style of breathing on it and creating a fog then wiping it off with a chamoise...or maybe my breath is more dangerous than any solution?

JDennis

Use a lens-cleaning fluid based on isopropyl alchohol. Speaking from person experience, don't use methanol based liquids (e.g. Eclipse) on a multi-coated lens as it will leave streaks that don't rub off and have to be removed with isopropyl alcohol!

I use the ROR fluid (Residual Oil Remover) - a drop or two on a lens tissue (not microfiber). This works pretty well. They claim you can gain an extra stop of light by using it as it removes all traces of airborne residues which can build up on lenses. I cannot verify to that level but it does clean very well.

I cannot verify that either, but it sure sounds like good marketing.

---Bob Gross---