Using Rizlas to clean lenses

Big_Ham

Big_Ham

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Anyone done it?

Saw a couple guys doing it at Brands today. My initial thought was :eek::cuckoo:. Surely it would scratch the lens to hell.

Anyway, anyone ever heard of this?
 
they're very similar to lens tissues so I wouldn't necessarily be too worried. The only thing I wouldn't be too keen on is the glue in them.
 
Not the best thing to use I would've thought, probably wont scratch the glass but certainly won't do the UV/Anti-glare/etc coatings much good :cuckoo:.
 
I would have thought it a bad idea as their not designed for optical cleaning therefore the abrasiveness of the fibre in the wood pulp isn't an issue. I remember an optician once telling me how much damage bog roll and kitchen towel do the eye glasses.
 
OSB said:
I remember an optician once telling me how much damage bog roll and kitchen towel do the eye glasses.
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This is precisely why I thought using fag papers would damage lens. Since using kitchen roll scratches bike helmet visors rather a lot.
 
If it is a big lens objective, like the 300 f2.8, it is a 3-skinner job!

Nothing like having a dual use item in your bag.
 
Triple use - they can make reasonable makeshift diffusers for built in flashguns too.

I wouldn't use them as lens tissues though - I reckon "proper" lens tissues are cheaper per unit area and I don't need to worry about getting skin glue on the front element!
 
Surely the question here must be why would you want to use a bit of paper?
I bet almost every single tog on this website has at least 1 micro fibre or lens cleaning cloth in their bag at all times. If you can think to put rizla in your bag then stick a cloth in too :D
 
microfibre is better...but doesnt burn well
:D
 
Microfibre can trap dirt, grease and grit and spread it all over the lens/filter. A lens tissue is a brand new cleaning medium every use.
 
A little dust on the lens is pretty insignificant - I'd bet that they are in danger of getting more crud in the camera every time they change the lens than they clean off in a lifetime.

Also lens coatings are pretty robust, so while I'd prefer not to 'clean' them with a cigarette paper in the field, they will probably survive (presuming the photographer is not a ham-fisted oaf).
 
Microfibre cloths are best but need to be rinsed every so often...disposable lens tissues just seem to smear all the crud whenever I use them, so I prefer cloths...yet another reason to use a filter...lol
 
Arkady said:
Microfibre cloths are best but need to be rinsed every so often...disposable lens tissues just seem to smear all the crud whenever I use them, so I prefer cloths...yet another reason to use a filter...lol
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:agree:
 
Oh my! Sounds like they were real old school guys, I wonder if they then flattened them out and used them for the purpose they were meant for!. I think it is a no brainer - you spend a considerable amount of money on a lens, why would you take that kind of unecessary risk? If they were staff photographers, maybe they weren't too bothered becuase the company who employed them would pay for any potential damages.

Sounds crazy to me.
 
This idea is barking mad, paper pulp often contains mineral traces such as silica which could create fine almost invisible scratches to the lens coatings causing flare and reducing contrast.
 
The effects of the 3-skinner would also produce haze and reduce contrast.:D
 
MARK AMIES said:
Oh my! Sounds like they were real old school guys, I wonder if they then flattened them out and used them for the purpose they were meant for!. I think it is a no brainer - you spend a considerable amount of money on a lens, why would you take that kind of unecessary risk? If they were staff photographers, maybe they weren't too bothered becuase the company who employed them would pay for any potential damages.

Sounds crazy to me.
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Just bods the on the same side of the fence as me.
 
I only use 1 thing - Pentax microfibre cloths - they work first time every time. You can wash them in the washing machine, i have a few that are over 20 years old, and still clean a lens like new (don't iron them)

Trust me on this, over the years I must of cleaned 50,000 lenses+ Buy them from the Optician's

If you need a wet product. first choice - solution 30, second - a mix of meths, water and washing up liquid. Apply with a Pec pad, finish with a Pentax cloth
 
jerry12953 said:
Sounds a bit like hard toilet paper....remember that stuff?:thumbsdown::shake::gag:
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Rizlas are softer, but much thinner. Your fingers would go right through if used for that sort of thing. :thumbsdown:

I've used Rizlas to clean my lenses before, and they do a pretty good job of it, but I only used them when my Lenspen wasn't to hand. I smoke roll-ups anyway, so they're always within arms' reach. :D You do have to avoid the gum making contact with the lens surface though, otherwise it just makes things worse.
 
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