Cleaning lenses (Page 3): Ya know, when you sip tea and drool....

OnDSnap Loc: NE New Jersey

cz3056 wrote:

What the heck is a tea towel?

Ya know, when you sip tea and drool....

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

OnDSnap wrote:

Ya know, when you sip tea and drool....

That's what long sleeves are for. :D

BboH Loc: s of 2/21, Ellicott City, MD

Db7423 wrote:

I have a clear glass or UV filter on all of my lenses. Other than blowing off dust with a Rocket blower occasionly they rarely require cleaning. I never touch the filter surface and always have a hood on the lenses. When they do need more than a puff of air I use Zeiss Lens cleaning cloths that come moistened with lens cleaner. They are packaged in a small sealed package like the towelettes you get in some restaurants. ;)

Ditto!

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

Db7423 wrote:

said in part :I have a clear glass or UV filter on all of my lenses. Other than blowing off dust with a Rocket blower occasionly they rarely require cleaning. ..... When they do need more than a puff of air I use Zeiss Lens cleaning cloths... ;)

I would add that if cleaning is needed and there is grit, then rinse with water and then use dilute dishwashing and rub with finger tip... then rinse with distilled water followed by rubbing alcohol. Shake, use tissue to dry around the ring edge and then lay flat and let dry,,, if needed to remove possible streaking then use the Zeiss wipes. Main thing is do not rub grit into the lens and some deposits are not easily removed by the initial use of zeiss.

I have had some lenses in storage and the plastisizer from plastic deposits on the surface... like our windshield... the above works for that,,,hopefully.

A.J.R. Loc: Devon, UK

I would suggest that using a blower is the best policy. The least the lens is touched the better. If the blower doesnt work use a lens cleaning brush and, only as a last resort a cloth, used with care. The number of times Ive seen photographers scrubbing their lenses with vigour, risking a permanently scratched lens. A few specks of dust on the lens should make very little difference to image quality. I only clean my lenses when absolutely necessary, that is very rarely.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

A.J.R. wrote:

IN PART SAID : A few specks of dust on the lens should make very little difference to image quality.

Yep, saw one study where the lens was cracked badly and the image suffered little. I found that amazing. The reference here is not the one I saw before, but it does show a broken lens and discusses effect of scratches and broken front elements.
http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/9008/what-is-the-effect-of-a-scratched-lens

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

jerryc41 wrote:

I'm trying to find an article someone posted here about a week ago. It showed that dust and scratches on a lens really don't matter. ..

The article was not very convincing. It just showed that you have to look closely to see the effect.

You need to remove the dust first so that you do not scratch the coating trying to remove oil or fingerprints.

Lenses and filters that are not clean or that are scratched can produce flare or reduce contrast. The same goes for clean but cheap filters that are not coated or made of plastic.

You will not be able to see any degradation with clean, properly coated, good quality, thin glass filters.

Jim S Loc: Barrington RI, DC now Hilton Head,

jerryc41 wrote:

Great for naval lint, too. Warning: not when you have company over.

That seems like personal experience!!

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

dpullum wrote:

Yep, saw one study where the lens was cracked badly and the image suffered little. I found that amazing. The reference here is not the one I saw before, but it does show a broken lens and discusses effect of scratches and broken front elements.
http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/9008/what-is-the-effect-of-a-scratched-lens

I think this is the one you had in mind.

http://kurtmunger.com/dirty_lens_articleid35.html

wolfd Loc: Vancouver, Canada

Dlevon wrote:

Interesting comment. As for myself through the years, I have found any element in front of the lens does affect the image, unless absolutely necessary to use under the circumstances. They create more optical surfaces for the light rays to go through. I always get my best images without any interference in front of the lens. Maybe the post should have been for those people that don't use filters in front of their lenses.

Do you feel that a clean filter affects image quality more than a dirty lens?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

wolfd wrote:

Do you feel that a clean filter affects image quality more than a dirty lens?

I think it depends entirely on the quality of the filter; not the price or the brand, but the quality. I like to find comparison reviews before I buy anything.

Someone recently posted a comment about a comparison test of filters. In doing the test of filters, they had to drop out two filters costing $420 and $500 because they weren't up to the level of the other filters.

Dlevon Loc: New Jersey

wolfd wrote:

Do you feel that a clean filter affects image quality more than a dirty lens?

Silly question! Of course a dirty lens doesn't work. Got to keep them clean too. I just don't like filters. You can never be sure of their quality. I remember the old Zeiss Tessars was just a few elements were superb lenses. Remember the more elements in a lens for corrections and so forth, the larger it must be to let the same amount of light through. I think everything in this day and age is overkill. Again, just one mans opinion.

wolfd Loc: Vancouver, Canada

Dlevon wrote:

Silly question! Of course a dirty lens doesn't work. Got to keep them clean too. I just don't like filters. You can never be sure of their quality. I remember the old Zeiss Tessars was just a few elements were superb lenses. Remember the more elements in a lens for corrections and so forth, the larger it must be to let the same amount of light through. I think everything in this day and age is overkill. Again, just one mans opinion.

Silly reply !! So why not keep a good quality clean filter on your lens to keep it from the dust, fingerprints and grime which invariably happens during real life photo shooting ? The good thing about a filter is that you can always take it off, which is not the case with a damaged front element.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

wolfd wrote:

Silly reply !! So why not keep a good quality clean filter on your lens to keep it from the dust, fingerprints and grime which invariably happens during real life photo shooting ? The good thing about a filter is that you can always take it off, which is not the case with a damaged front element.

I have a protective filter on for many shots, but if something seems more important, I remove it. The difference is almost negligible. Of course, it depends on what kind of filter you have. Offhand, I'm not sure what I have, but I think it's a Hoya.

Dlevon Loc: New Jersey

wolfd wrote:

Silly reply !! So why not keep a good quality clean filter on your lens to keep it from the dust, fingerprints and grime which invariably happens during real life photo shooting ? The good thing about a filter is that you can always take it off, which is not the case with a damaged front element.

Good answer! But you're not going to change an old goat's mind, so we are at an impasse! That's what makes UHH so much fun.