Best way to clean salt off...

Amp34

Amp34

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Right I had a fun day by the sea today (windy and wavy) but I seem to have got a *little* spray on my lenses. What's the best way toclean them, I assume a damp cloth for the barrel but what about the element? A damp soft cloth?
 
After I have been shooting surfing, I clean the barrel and camera down with baby wipes, then a quick going over with a Pec Pad and some eclipse lens fluid (just a small amount). As for cleaning the Glass I first give it a blow with a blower to see if there is any sand lurking about, if there is get rid of it with the blower or you will have some scratchs, next drop some eclipse lens cleaner on the lens and coat the lens, leave a few seconds then wipe off with the pec pad, droping the eclipse lens cleaner helps loosen any salt deposits. Keep cleaning until no residue is left, now you have a nice clean kit.

PecPads & Eclipse Lens Fluid - http://www.photosol.com/products.htm
 
Dab at it don't wipe it if its salt, you could get a cotton bud with some fresh water on, not much, just to pick up the salt then clean the glass as normal
 
lick it off ??

:coat:
 
Just wash it off under a tap?

dunk.jpg
 
ppp said:
Dab at it don't wipe it if its salt, you could get a cotton bud with some fresh water on, not much, just to pick up the salt then clean the glass as normal
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You have to dissolve the salt crystals in the lens fluid first. The water spray deposits very fine crystals on the surface too small to pick up with a cotton bud. I have been cleaning lens's like this after every days surf shoot for over 5 years and dont have 1 mark on any glass, it really is the best way to do it.
 
Use a UV filter on your lenses, then when you get home unscrew the filter, wash it in warm water with soap, allow to dry, then clean in the normal manner. I am on the sea most weeks (for the last 20 odd years) shooting powerboats - including getting the target boat to drive in and put solid water in the air towards the camera - plenty of soakings.

I agree entirely with the salt crystals needing to be dissolved off first - dry salt crystals will act like grinding paste and put fine scratches across your glass (especially filters) - you will see flare where there shouldn't be any if you get them.

Solid glass filters will come to no harm by being washed in nice hot soapy water - like doing the dishes. Polarisers, on the other hand - be very much more careful with as water can get between the glass laminations and will ruin your expensive filter (my polarisers were over £150 apiece, so I take great care of them.

A filter on the front of your lens is a very good protector - buy the best ones you can get to maintain image quality. Cheap UV or Skylight filters are about as good as stretching cling film across the front to keep the water off.
 
Lensflare,

Good input there :thumbs:

Three questions, if I may .. not just to you, but to anyone who can give some head's up ...

1) How do you protect your body from the salt? Doesn't salt accumulate on the body? If so, how do you wash that off?

2) What about salt crystals getting inside the lens? With wind and moist air on the sea-front, doesn't that mean that salt will creep inside the lens?

3) How do you clean your polarisers? Or would you put a protective filter over your polarisers?

Thanks for any feedback.
 
Lensflare said:
Use a UV filter on your lenses, then when you get home unscrew the filter, wash it in warm water with soap, allow to dry, then clean in the normal manner. I am on the sea most weeks (for the last 20 odd years) shooting powerboats - including getting the target boat to drive in and put solid water in the air towards the camera - plenty of soakings.

I agree entirely with the salt crystals needing to be dissolved off first - dry salt crystals will act like grinding paste and put fine scratches across your glass (especially filters) - you will see flare where there shouldn't be any if you get them.

Solid glass filters will come to no harm by being washed in nice hot soapy water - like doing the dishes. Polarisers, on the other hand - be very much more careful with as water can get between the glass laminations and will ruin your expensive filter (my polarisers were over £150 apiece, so I take great care of them.

A filter on the front of your lens is a very good protector - buy the best ones you can get to maintain image quality. Cheap UV or Skylight filters are about as good as stretching cling film across the front to keep the water off.
Click to expand...

thanks for those very useful tips
 
just as an additional note....you should never really drop the cleaning fluid directly onto the lens glass, always onto the cleaning tissue..
The reason, it has been known for the cleaning fluid to run off the glass and over the unsealed element edge and end up INSIDE...
Just my 2p worth...
 
Lensflare said:
Use a UV filter on your lenses,
Click to expand...

Not possible as I use 600mm f4 IS + 400mm f2.8 IS no filters for them.


Wail said:
Three questions, if I may .. not just to you, but to anyone who can give some head's up ...

1) How do you protect your body from the salt? Doesn't salt accumulate on the body? If so, how do you wash that off?

2) What about salt crystals getting inside the lens? With wind and moist air on the sea-front, doesn't that mean that salt will creep inside the lens?

3) How do you clean your polarisers? Or would you put a protective filter over your polarisers?

Thanks for any feedback.
Click to expand...

-1. I use baby wipes to remove any salt deposits from the out side of camera and Lens, then a quick wipe over with a pecpad and eclipse fluid.

-2. Canon L series lenses are weather sealed.

-3. Polarizers fit inside the lens on what i use.


rileydoggy said:
just as an additional note....you should never really drop the cleaning fluid directly onto the lens glass, always onto the cleaning tissue..
The reason, it has been known for the cleaning fluid to run off the glass and over the unsealed element edge and end up INSIDE...
Just my 2p worth...
Click to expand...

Like I said I use weather sealed lens's, no fear of that happening.


If I were to use an unsealed lens at the beach it would have to be in a rain cover with a protect filter on it.
 
mho said:
.....


-1. I use baby wipes to remove any salt deposits from the out side of camera and Lens, then a quick wipe over with a pecpad and eclipse fluid.

-2. Canon L series lenses are weather sealed.

-3. Polarizers fit inside the lens on what i use.




Like I said I use weather sealed lens's, no fear of that happening.


If I were to use an unsealed lens at the beach it would have to be in a rain cover with a protect filter on it.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the feedback.

I am afraid that not all lenses are so well sealed against the elements of the weather; especially with Nikon :shrug:

I guess I will resort to using my raincoat as added protection, as much as I hate to use that; of course, this would only be the case when it's excessively windy.
 
Just make sure there is no sand, blower brush then breathe on it, plus LensPen.

I shoot around salt water and water generally and my stuff is always immaculate.

Don't obsess about cleaning though.
 
Thanks for the replies, i'll get some Pec pads then, i've been meaning to get a few for a while, but never got round to it.

As for filters I stand in the camp of them being a waste of money (unless you have 1 or two small diameter lenses or you shoot ON water or rallys). If you have 4-5 larger diameter lenses that will cost you in the region of £200 to get high quality ones for every lens, and it costs less to replace a front element, bearing in mind IMO most damage to lenses will be to the body and element so a filter won't stop it. :)
 
Lensflare said:
Cheap UV or Skylight filters are about as good as stretching cling film across the front to keep the water off.
Click to expand...

Hmmm...there's an idea, and I'll bet cling film is cheaper too :p
 
puddleduck said:
......, plus LensPen.

.......
Click to expand...


I never understood how a LensPen works .. and am too scared to give it a try.


Amp34 said:
......

As for filters I stand in the camp of them being a waste of money (unless you have 1 or two small diameter lenses or you shoot ON water or rallys). If you have 4-5 larger diameter lenses that will cost you in the region of £200 to get high quality ones for every lens, and it costs less to replace a front element, bearing in mind IMO most damage to lenses will be to the body and element so a filter won't stop it. :)
Click to expand...

I used to be one that had a filter for each lens, but have come to see how bad they can be, so now I am totally naked.

However, it always worries me when I am shooting on a sea-front. The salt in the air can be very corrosive, and I wonder how much camera & lenses can endure. I guess I worry a bit too much :shrug:
 
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