haren

i have had my lens for years what would be the proper method to give them a good cleaning. I keep them covered when not in use but there must be build up on them over the years.

Bill Munny Loc: Aurora, Colorado

Use lens cleaning solvent, put one or two drops on a micro-cloth, wipe the lens very gently in a circular motion from the center to the outer part of the lens, then use the same circular method with a dry part of the micro-cloth. I am a scientist and this how we clean our microscopes, as directed by the manufacturers. If you don't want to use this method, call your local eye dr. and ask how they clean their eye glass lens.

duane klipping Loc: Bristow iowa

How could you have them for years and not have cleaned them unless you seldom use them? I can hardly shoot for an hour without having something on the glass.

Also a good tip would be to clean the lens before an outing as one spot could cause headaches on your return. Water drops are the worst on an image. I use a micro fiber to wipe mine down.

orrie smith Loc: Kansas

Are you talking about the glass or the body?

Pumble

Are you referring to an internal cleaning? I know I have 2 lenses that I've had for sometime and I also think they have grown some things on the glass surface internally.

wings42 Loc: San Diego, CA

1. To avoid scratching your lens, blow any dust and grit off the lens, using something like a Giottos AA1900 Rocket Air Blaster. Other air blasters are cheaper but they still work, just not as well.

2. Spray the lens lightly with a liquid lens cleaner. I think that dedicated eye glass cleaner works great. You don't want to use something strong like Windex because the chemicals in it could remove some of the original coatings on the glass.

3. Gently wipe the lens cleaner off using a clean and soft lens cleaning cloth using a circular motion. You can get lens cleaning cloths online or anyplace that sells glasses or optics.

Your lens should now be sparkling clean. I usually do this at the start of any shooting session. I hike or take long walks almost every day. Here in San Diego we have enough dirt and grit in the air to require cleaning at least once a day.

haren

Of course I clean them everytime before I shoot with my micro-cloth ( a given) also I have heard it said to never use eye glass cleaner.... some may have done this for years and it's safe....thanks for in put

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

I do not know where, or how you shoot, I shoot for years and years (daily) and not have anything on my lenses!

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Zeiss wipes. The reason I like these is that they go into the field nicely. It is the only thing I use.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1081868-REG/zeiss_2096_687_microfiber_cleaning_cloths.html?sts=pi

Gatorcoach Loc: New Jersey

[quote=billnikon]Zeiss wipes. The reason I like these is that they go into the field nicely. It is the only thing I use.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1081868-REG/zeiss_2096_687_microfiber_cleaning_cloths.html?sts=pi[/quot

Definitely Zeiss wipes, but I get them at WalMart - 100 wipes for $5.00!

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

I purchased a 70-300mm Macro classic Minolta [5 contacts] lens $10 at the Hospice shop. Close examination the filter was coated like my windshield. Conventional nice cleaning only left it smeared. Success was using a 70% Alcohol swab used for sugar test before sticking the skin. Using my eyeglass cleaner solution with Q-Tips... was a futile approach. The UV filter and external of the first lense cleaned with the alcohol wipe well.
BUT !!
The internal side of the external lens had a Mold-spot? I bought a spanner wrench on Amazon for $20 and with some adjustment struggle, got it to fit the lens locking ring. Once unscrewed and removed the mold spot on the inner side of the lens cleaned off well.

The second internal [small] lens was dirty as tho when the zoom was used it inhaled pollution. The same swab method worked well. The lens is worth about $100 so the effort was woth it... besides, it was a fun tech adventure.

How delicate are lens coatings... good ones are "sputter coated"** in a vacuum vs brushed on like eye glass coatings. My feeling is that they are more durable than is generally thought.
"Top lenses have electron beam coatings which are thinner and more even over the surface, years ago they would be done by evaporating chemicals in a vacuum. Also coatings have different wavelengths so in the 1950's they had single coatings, now mostly multi-coated–they are better for wider range of colours."
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3775206

While I know that science is boring and according to Trump is treasonous vs mythology here is some information to use in polite coffee clutch conversation not so dangerous as discussing religion or politics:
https://www.edmundoptics.com/resources/application-notes/optics/an-introduction-to-optical-coatings/

**https://qtmi.net/anti-reflective-coatingare-we-looking-at-this-wrong/

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

aphelps Loc: Central Ohio

If you have any finger prints on the lens using a micro cloth alone will not remove the oil. It will only smear it around into a fine film that you may not see but could affect the optics with flare. A drop of lens cleaner on tne cloth is always necessary to remove the film. Also, with repeated use the micro cloth accumulates dirt and oils and should be washed. No fabric softener as this leaves a residue on the cloth.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Zeiss wipes, lens cleaning solution from the camera shop, Qtip with distilled water or cleaning solution and a Lens Pen...

Canisdirus

Forget lens solution ... not required.
Distilled water only.
Forget microfiber cloths (which retain everything)
Use cotton Qtips.

Dip the Q in the H2O ... not too much.
Do gentle tight knit swirls on the glass..... only about a 1/4 of the lens at a time. Use a dry tip to do the same after done with first 1/4. Rinse ... repeat.
And that's it .... works very well.