Dome Port Cleaning

Hi Guys, I have recently taken delivery of a housing for my D7000 and was hoping for some advice on proper cleaning of the inside of the dome port. What is the best way of reducing dust and marks? Is an ordinary lens cloth suitable? Any advice would be great!

Hi Guys, I have recently taken delivery of a housing for my D7000 and was hoping for some advice on proper cleaning of the inside of the dome port. What is the best way of reducing dust and marks? Is an ordinary lens cloth suitable? Any advice would be great!

Soft lint-free cloth. Windex type solution if there are spots. Keep the back covered when not in use.

Bill

I have used optical lens wipes - these seem to be the same as the camera cleaning wipes at 1/3 the price (use them on lenses also ).

Paul C

use a soft lint free cloth and then use my artic butterfly vibrating brush thing to pick of any dust that is left....

always thought that something like Windex would be far too strong for a port or lens. Am I wrong on this?

Steve

always thought that something like Windex would be far too strong for a port or lens. Am I wrong on this?

Steve

I would not use Windex. Micro-fiber cloth and if smeary, a drop of photo lens cleaner.

Bob

always thought that something like Windex would be far too strong for a port or lens. Am I wrong on this?

Steve

AFAIK, the inside of any dome is not coated optically. Windex is fine for this type of cleaning.

Bill

Does that apply to both Glass and Acylic ports. I don't know, Windex scares me.

Steve

Does that apply to both Glass and Acylic ports. I don't know, Windex scares me.

Steve

What do you think is in Windex that isn't in Santa Monica Bay? Most optical guys use methanol or some other pretty harsh chemicals to clean lenses and even sensors, compared to them a glass dome is like cleaning your car window. Acrylic domes are pretty tough as well chemically so I don't think that Windex will give them any trouble but most of my experience is with glass.

Bill

I would not use Windex. Micro-fiber cloth and if smeary, a drop of photo lens cleaner.

Bob

What do you think is in your photo lens cleaner that isn't in windex? Water, some soapy stuff that leaves no residue and some ammonia (which evaporates).

Bill

What do you think is in your photo lens cleaner that isn't in windex? Water, some soapy stuff that leaves no residue and some ammonia (which evaporates).

Bill

Hmmm, surfactants and a dash of ROH. If it has ammonia, may be at a less concentration than Windex has? The micro-fiber cloth is all I use 99 and 44/100 % of the time. Oh wait, that is something else.

Bob

Hmmm, surfactants and a dash of ROH. If it has ammonia, may be at a less concentration than Windex has? The micro-fiber cloth is all I use 99 and 44/100 % of the time. Oh wait, that is something else.

Bob

I've used Windex for at least the last 25 years on everything optical, coated or not, without any issues whatsoever*.

I can't say the same for ethanol, methanol, isopropanol, some "lens cleaners" or the recent vinegar-based "Windex substitute" cleaning solutions; - in some cases, particularly acrylic and other plastics, a disaster waiting to happen. Nikon even made a mention to that effect in the manual for the 15mm UW-Nikkor, from memory. I've never had any hard- or multicoating (i.e. produced after ~1960) getting damaged either by Windex, full stop.

That said, I don't over-clean my optics; a) I try to keep them as clean as possible in the first place and b) I usually (no-touch) vacuum particles of any kind, instead of wiping (almost = rubbing!), or blowing them about. - I even use a vacuum cleaner (with a special low suction nozzle) on my camera sensor (it is, after all, the method the local camera repair shop uses). c) A bit of dirt on the lens is no big deal either. If I can't remove it safely in the field, I just leave it on until I have the opportunity to remove it safely if needed. So in short, for me: Dust = blow/vaccuum off, grease/hard water spots = Windex. Double-distilled, or RO-water are also safe options, but don't dissolve grease effectively.

I better shut up now; too much has been written on the topic already.

*(except for some specially coated filters which often still didn't look that clean afterwards; not damage done though either)

On our Bare Dome ports, which are acrylic, we use Novus #1 Plastic Clean & Shine with a microfiber cloth. Novus also provides a lint free, scratch free cloth with their kits.

Gently add some Novus over the acrylic and gently buff off when dry. Gently is the key adverb here. Pressure is NOT good for acrylic.

Other than polishing the acylic, Novus claims to be anti-fog, anti-static and dust repellant; All properties are a great addition to any underwater port.

Tests on glass show no ill effects of using the Novus #1 polish. I would NOT suggest using Novus #2 or #3 on glass, as #2 and #3 are abrasive cleaners.

Barry

www.bareports.com

www.keywordworkflow.com

...some people also use Rain-X^® rain-repellent, mainly as a preventative measure; works a treat against fogging at low temps and for over/under shots, thus keeping droplets off the "over" bit. It's some polymer, but most of it is Methanol and Isopropyl alcohol, so not suitable for most acrylic domes, or e.g. Nikonos lenses with plastic side windows.

Whats the consensus on Zeiss lens wipes? Safe or not safe for plastic dome ports? - I have an Aquatica 8" dome

Hard coated acrilic lenses are the best option if you cant afford optical glass.

But drawback is if you "ding" or scatched the hard coated ports you might as well sling them in the bin [or dumpster you might say]

The only way is to remove all the coating back to the acrilic by skimming in a lathe or using Micro-Mesh - then recoat.

Too many of the manufactures save a few dollars by selling uncoated domes and flats.

The Aquatica uncoated 8" Dome is very difficult to polish on the rear the way its mounted with bathroom sealent not allowing independant removal or access. The Hood on this port is also a bit iffy with the grub screws barely touching the outter rim flange

Any tips on how to remove scratches from a dome port?

Any tips on how to remove scratches from a dome port?

Try here http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...emove+scratches

Have fun,

Steve

Sorry for the revival of this topic - I have a slightly bigger cleaning problem than just dust and spots... I'm relatively new to UW photography so taking care of my equipment (aside from the o-rings) is a little new to me.

Somehow, a mosquito decided to go into my Ikelite 8" glass dome port and die there. It also managed to leave a lovely 5cm long streak as well (don't ask me how) but its RIGHT on the very edge of the port right where the lip dips down - I can't reach it with my hand. No, it doesn't interfere with my photos but it's kinda nasty lol

Do you think it's a problem to soak the inside of the dome in water? Or some kind of solution to loosen up the nastiness? I'll at some point also try and concoct some kind of tool with a bend in it to wipe it, but any tips on this would be helpful.

Thanks folks

I own (or have owned) Ikelite ports (and applies to other acrylic domes/mini-domes). ONLY use the Novus polish (they also make a compound to buff out scratches). Stuff like windex will cause the acrylic to react, over time.

As stated by others, keep the rear of your ports covered (sandwich bag with a rubber band).