John Maher Loc: Northern Virginia

Found them at Sam's Club and BJ's, but not at Costco.

There is also a separate product -- Zeiss Anti-Fog wipes. Not the same thing.

One question -- how do you carry a few in your bag instead of the whole box?

JeffDavidson Loc: Originally Detroit Now Los Angeles

Alcohol may ruin some lens coatings. I use the Nikon or Zeiss wipes.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

They come in tear-off two packs, individually wrapped and pre-moistened.

The anti-fog wipes leave a residue! They are meant for eye glasses and SCUBA/swimming masks and such. Don't use them on camera lenses.

JBRIII

Zeiss wipes contain alcohol, 2 kinds including propanol, just checked yesterday?

Ollieboy

I just ran out of my Zeiss wipes. It seems that some Amazon reviews claim that newly purchased wipes leave lint behind. I don't know if this is a counterfeiting problem or just lower quality to save money by Zeiss. Anybody have any similar problems with newly purchased Zeiss wipes? I'll probably go with Nikon wipes.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

The key to safety of the fluid is concentration and purity. I wouldn't worry about Zeiss lens wipes, since they make some of the finest T* anti-reflection coated optics in the world for Sony, Canon, Nikon, and other cameras. Just don't use the anti-fog wipes on camera lenses.

Far more important is how we clean lenses. I use a blower bulb first, to get as much surface stuff off as possible. Then I use a moistened lens wipe, spiraling from the center to the edge. I follow that with a second wipe to catch any residue.

If I need to clean my sensor, I use a blower bulb, and if needed, Photosol Sensor Swabs and Eclipse. Then I cap the body with a clean body cap while I clean the rear elements and mounts of my lenses... There's no sense in putting a dirty lens on a camera with a clean sensor.

JBRIII

Did not say I'd worry, just that they do contain alcohols, which poster thought not. Old coatings were MgF2 I believe, UV transparent which is why some like old lenses for UV. MgF2 would be insoluble in water or alcohols, and most anything I'd recommend playing with as a chemist. Newer ones I believe contain rare earths which are less transparent in UV and impossible to remove except by buffing off, at least that is what everyone has found. Buffing off of course is not very exceptable for lens quality. Nikon and Coastal Optics made DSLR UV lenses, but they cost some $6-7000 USD, too costly for most hobbiest. I have found plenty of UV outdoors on sunny days in northeast for using Canon lenses. Indoors of course need tripod and longer exposure or a UV source. Some have made their own, but small diameter (1"), no auto-focus, limited to single fl, etc. I believe cost ~$350+, for a 50 mm diameter, cost would be at least 4 x that, most/all sources I've looked at carry only 25 mm quartz and CaF2 lenses needed. I've got a reflector lens and need to test that, if like telescopes, coating would be MgF2 which would be fine, corrector plate is thin, so good, but made of soda glass, which is a high OH glass and so not good for UV. I thought I once saw a scope advertized with a quartz correctir, but never found it again. A simple Cass without a corrector plate, F10 or > would do nicely, but those made today would be offly large to carry around as a camera lens.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

I never use any liquid. I simply exhale on the lens to fog it and use a good lens tissue. The small amount of water (exhalation condensation is nearly pure water) allow the tissue to grab whatever grime is on the lens, including oils. With a liquid you end up doing a lot more wiping than necessary to soak up excess moisture, which tends to leave streaks of whatever it has picked up from the glass surface unless it is totally dried, and that means a lot more wiping.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

Box of 250 at Sam's Club for 9.88! 25% more for 1/3rd the price.

smussler Loc: Land O Lakes, FL - Formerly Miller Place, NY

After reading most of this thread, I ordered a Box of 220 Zeiss Lens Wipes yesterday off of Amazon. Got them today and they contain Water, Isopropyl alcohol, proprietary detergents and preservatives.

Alphabravo2020

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

So, you get your lens dirty! You need to clean it! This is no time of a chemistry lesson or homebrew made of household cleaners or alcohol you keep in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. If you use any of that stuff and rub it in, chances are you will exacerbate the issues of a dirty lens and do some serious damage.

Some of the aforementioned stuff will damage the coating on the lens may dissolve certain types of cement and may seep in the lens and the camera and cause all kinds of havoc.

First of all, PROTECT you less. If you are shooting in a natural or industrial atmosphere or environment where it's likely airborne dust, sand, particles, industrial pollutants, etc will potentially land on your lens use a good quality clear or skylight filter.

If something does get on your lens, be especially careful not to rub it in and cause abrasions. Blow it off with clean compressed air and use a soft lens brush. If a liquid lens clean is required to remove something that has somehow adhered to the lens USE THOSE ZEISS LENS WIPES or something similar and use it carefully and sparingly.

Alcohols that are intended for disinfectants and as rubbing compounds are not intended for optical cleaning so just do not use them. Some off-brand lens cleaners contain ammonia- like a diluted version of Windex- they are bad!

Never use an anti-fog agent- it will leave a residue that will never come off.

Really folks? You invest inexpensive lenses and clean it with some stuff you keep under the kitchen sink- NOT GOOD!

traderjohn Loc: New York City

I use whatever glass cleaners I use on my glasses. Never had a problem.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

Interesting statement. I guess you haven’t read the posts in the prior 3 page? Many advise caution about damaging to anti-reflective coating in the lens from commercial glass cleaners.