Lens cleaning

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Andy1962

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Whats best to clear smears from lenses? have been using optical wipes for ease and cost, but read that you should only use proper lens cleaning fluid and non statit cloth.

Views please
 
I've used the fluid for cleaning spectacles and a microfibre cloth or sometimes just breathed on the lens and used the cloth. I don't know if I have done any damage but if I have I can't see it on the lens or the photos.

Dave
 
Neither can I dave tbh. have used wipes from Boots or Poundland. Just wnated to clear it up in my mind. No pun intended
 
I think that you can be over-cautious on things like this, blow away any dust (or worse) then clean should be fine ... 9 times out of 10 for me it's a bit of 'huff' and a cleaning cloth.
 
Andy1962 said:
Whats best to clear smears from lenses? have been using optical wipes for ease and cost, but read that you should only use proper lens cleaning fluid and non statit cloth.

Views please
Click to expand...
What do 'optical' wipes clean if not lenses? I usually use a clean handkerchief - and try not to get fingerprints or muck on the lenses in the first place. My lenses very rarely get cleaned at all - blowing at any dust is usually sufficient.
 
John i had read that it is best to use fluid as opposed to wipes. I agree with what you say, but just wanted peoples opinion. Didnt want to ruin an £800 lens with a wipe that cost mere pennies to make, nor ruin a filter.
 
Andy1962 said:
John i had read that it is best to use fluid as opposed to wipes. I agree with what you say, but just wanted peoples opinion. Didnt want to ruin an £800 lens with a wipe that cost mere pennies to make, nor ruin a filter.
Click to expand...

I always have a handful of single use optical wipes that I buy in boxes of 100 from Asda etc. I think the suggestions you've seen is that re-using a cloth could lead to grit being left on it which you then wipe across your lens risking a scratch. The benefit of the single use wipes for me is that they're easy to throw in my bag and are ready to use.
 
I use the one use Zeiss optical wipes. I was recommended them by a guy I know who's an astrophysics researcher, he uses the them to clean the optics of hundred thousand pound telescopes. His reason was because they are one use, reusing a cloth could have dirt on it which in turn could cause scratches.

The optical wipes are slightly wet when first opened but do dry off quickly if you wipe too long. The best way is not to get smearing in the first place, lens hood are great to protect the front element.
 
Another vote for Zeiss wipes. You can get a box of 200 for £10 on Amazon at the moment. Useful for glasses, phones and LCD screens too.
 
Home Bargains sell these optical cleaning wipes; I bought a couple of packs and keep one in the glovebox and another few in my camera bag.
They do the job just fine
 
Boots spectacle cleaning fluid. Your very unlikely to take any coatings off a lens unless you use some very powerful chemicals. Gentle detergents like lens cleaner from boots or spectacle wipes won't do any harm. Whats more likely to do harm is dust left on the lens before cleaning. Most of the time I just use a bit of hot breath and a microfibre cloth.
 
Just been to the Wex Lens show and spoke to reps from both Canon and Zeiss as they each had stands there. Each rep said the Zeiss one use wipes with the black lens logo were fine for front elements and would not damage the lens coatings (obvious caveats re grit etc aside).
 
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