Lens Cleaning

With the understanding the less is better, when you do clean your lenses what do you use and how. Looking for "secrets" if there is such a thing

With the understanding the less is better

Cleanliness is next to godliness, so they say. I clean whenever the lens needs it.

when you do clean your lenses

Daily when they are in use (at the end of the day before they go to bed), and any time that they get water, dust, fingerprints or smudges on the glass due to handling. None of my lenses have UV filters on the front elements.

what do you use and how.

I have multiple microfibre lens cleaning cloths. I have one in my pocket as I type. I have an older cloth in an old mask box (my toolkit) that lives on camera tables when on a liveaboard, this is used to remove any errant waterspots. I have three other pristine microfibre lens cloths in my camera bag, which are used to clean the lenses in the evening, either in hotel room or cabin. I fold the cloth up to make a blunt "point" then swipe from the center of the lens outwards.

Looking for "secrets" if there is such a thing

Good quality multicoating is tough and tolerates repeated cleaning well. Use multiple cleaning cloths, keep them clean as per manufacturers recommendations.

And when you are cleaning the multi-coating, don't rub it like you are washing dry, crusty dishes. Dab the glass, then use short light circular motions (don't press too hard) then finish off with half-moon motions with your index finger and lens cleaning cloth (lightly). Continue until the last streak is gon. The glass should look brand new.

Don't use any cloth that is not intended for lens optics. And use a good lens solution available in any camera store. Only ise a small drop. No need to make a pool you can then dive in.

Joe

I just got one of these. But I haven't tried it yet.

I just got one of these. But I haven't tried it yet.

Hi folks,

Do you apply the same cleaning process to the inside of your housing lens ports?

Is this enough?

I wonder if they require a special treatment to keep the lens clear. My biggest concern is going from the high air humidity environment into the cooler water. I would expect a thin fog film on the inside of your port.

From time to time I'm using anti-fogging lens solution (supplied by my DSC-P9 housing manufactor, SONY). This works very well for the DSC-P9 housing. I'm expecting my new SEALUX housing (for D70) with different lensports soon.

Shall I continue to use this anti-fogging lens solution? How do you keep a clear vision with your ports?

Greetings,

Chris

Obviously my habits are the other end of the scale; they come from my former job as a newspaper shooter. We used to joke that it's easy to tell a professional from one who's not: lenscaps.

Every lens I've had, has had a UV filter on it from the day it came out of the box. So my lens cleaning technique has been pretty simple: breathe on the filter to make it foggy, and wipe off with whatever shirt I'm wearing.

When the filter gets too dinged up or the coating starts to go, get a new one.

Rear lens elements: a spare Oakley sunglass cleaning cloth, or if back in the photolab, I'll use a squirt of lens cleaner on a lens cleaning tissue.

As far a inside port surfaces (acrylic) go, I use a StaticMaster brush to keep the dry particles under control, and an Oakley cloth for the occasional rare blem. Outside, I used to use RVR to kill the drops, but it wears off in a couple dives, so I stopped using it.

All the best, James

I'm also a subscriber to the UV-filter-at-all-times school. (unless there's another filter on the lens). I was under the impression that the only time that having a UV filter on the lens could be disadvantageous would be shooting into the sun (topside, of course), and I sometimes do take the filter off in that situation to reduce or eliminate flare. Obviously, this also presumes that the filter is of good quality and clean.

In addition to keeping more expenseive lenses clean, there has also been the argument that the UV filtration function itself is important because film is more sensitive to UV than human eye. Supposedly the UV filter reduces haze in landscape shots. Again, this is obviously only applicable to topside, and I have no idea whether it applies to digital sensors as well as to film.

But I'd be willing to listen to Craig (or anyone else) who believes that using lenses uncovered really makes a difference except in special situations (uch as shooting into the sun, topside)? Is there hard evidence on this?

For cleaning lenses (when necessary) and filters, I really like photographer's chamois. Sometimes it leaves a few "crumbs", but these are easily blown off with a can of air. I also use an older chamois to clean the inside of ports, and my eyeglasses/sunglasses.

Frogfish

I'm a disciple of John Shaw when it comes to the UV filter deal.

Paraphrasing: Unless I can articulate a reason relevant to my current shooting conditions for why I need the filter, there is no filter. For instance, shooting beside the ocean or at the front of a boat where waves or salt spray can impinge on the front element of the lens, I would use a UV filter.

Modern films are not as susceptible to UV radiation as in the good old days. At extreme altitude it may be a problem (beyond 20,000 feet), but you're more likely to see x-ray fogging from the scanners on your way to the Andes :-). And most dSLRs incorporate UV filtration into the Bayer/AA filter directly on top of the sensor.

Also, I feel that many highly skilled lens engineers have designed the lens, cast/molded/polished (or in the case of some elements in the 17-35 AFS, hand shaped!) the glass for each element, assembled them within phenomenal tolerances, all to work as a lens. Then I'm going to put a $15 piece of window glass in front of it?

In years of falling off rocks, slipping around in jungles and going up to my knees in frozen streams, I've never had anything actually hit the front element of a lens... I usually land on my back or elbows :wink: but, if there is a plain sheet of glass screwed onto the front of the lens, I do then have the potential to produce shrapnel.

I agree with fdog/james, though, that lens caps should be left off except when storing the lens.

I can't honestly point to any examples of UV filters robbing any of my shots of clarity, increasing flare etc etc, so I may just be a bit precious about the whole thing. FWIW, when necessary for UV haze, I use a circular polarizer filter.