Best/favorite lens cleaners?

[mediopollito]

Any specific brands of lens glass cleaners that you all could recommend? Thanks!

[Peter De Smidt]

Purosol

[mediopollito]

Purosol

Thank you!!!

[Jac@stafford.net]

Purosol

+1
I don't know what it is made of, but it is super clean. Use it with a lint-free microfiber cloth and be happy.

[vinny]

Pancro.
I rarely clean a lens or even touch the glass with anything. It's just not necessary for most photography with lf lenses.

[davidmarinero]

I normally just use the Rocket Blower. If it does not go away, like for instance an accidental fingerprint, pollen that gets stuck, or anything in general that cannot be blown away, I use a Lenspen. Never have to resort to wet cleaning.

[Randy]

For the budget minded -

60ml distilled water
1ml Dawn dish detergent
9ml 70% rubbing alcohol

Has worked great for me when I have used it, but like others, I seldom have to use liquid.

[John Kasaian]

Vodka. Especially if you're back packing at altitude.
Got to love a multi-tasker!:o

[Peter De Smidt]

As others have said, always use the least aggressive method for cleaning lenses. A little dust won't hurt anything, but if needed a blower or soft brush will get clear it away. Now if there are some smudges, you'll need liquid cleaner. What you don't want to do, though, is anything that will drag hard particles over the glass. So best practice is to use a perfectly clean wipe, and to move it in a rolling fashion so that you aren't dragging just one area of the cloth over the lens, since if a hard piece of dirt got stuck on the cloth, you'd be dragging it all over the glass. That's why I don't like lens pens. Of themselves they're fine, but if something hard get trapped in them, you'll scratch your lens. If you use the pen enough, eventually it will trap something bad. I prefer small sheets of microfiber cloth for cleaning lenses.

Never use traditional lens cleaning tissue dry. It will scratch your lens.

[Eric Woodbury]

A little air when I get home. Steamy breath and an old T-shirt (which I usually wear) while in the field. Main thing is to get the chunks off before you wipe. Mostly keep the caps on so I don't have to clean.

[AtlantaTerry]

For pollen or sticky dust use a ZeroStat to neutralize any positive or negative electrical charge. Then use a blower or other above mentioned method to clean your lens.

The ZeroStat was first marketed to folks who wanted to play records but did not want dust in the grooves. I buy mine used from folks on FleaBay.

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=Zerostat

[Bernice Loui]

Based on the recommendations of numerous folks who work with precision optics daily, the tend to prefer high purity alcohol. Typical off the store shelf alcohol contains to much contaminates which leaves these trace contaminates on the lens. Pre-saturated alcohol clean room wipes can work well or high purity alcohol with KimWipes.
The alternative is high purity acetone EXCEPT many plastics, adhesive, paint and similar can easily be dissolved by acetone.

*Blow off the lens to make sure any dirt or debris are not going to be slowly ground into the optical coating and glass.

*Begin the cleaning process at the center of the lens and work towards the lens edges.

*Do not clean the lens any more than absolutely necessary as each time the lens is cleaned, there is risk of damage to the coating or optical glass.


Bernice

[Carsten Wolff]

I've used alcohol, as well as Windex (Ammonia type version, not the vinegar based) cleaners for the last 3 decades. My lens coatings and glass still look superb, but I'm not that anal about it all. Some MC filters are a pain to clean and may need something else.

[evan clarke]

One part of Windex, one part of 99% alchohol, 9 parts of water.. They use this at KEH and it is the bomb.

[Alan Klein]

A little air when I get home. Steamy breath and an old T-shirt (which I usually wear) while in the field. Main thing is to get the chunks off before you wipe. Mostly keep the caps on so I don't have to clean.
+1 except I use a clean cotton handkerchief.

[evan clarke]

One part of Windex, one part of 99% alchohol, 9 parts of water.. They use this at KEH and it is the bomb.

And lint free virgin technical wipes.

[konakoa]

ROR + Kimwipes. Excellent for getting rid of those shiny persistent bits of crud on filters and lenses. Glass is always pristine afterwards. Just don't demonstrate it on the eyewear of anyone who wears glasses. You'll never get it back. I have to hide my supplies now.

[Bruce Watson]

For the budget minded -

60ml distilled water
1ml Dawn dish detergent
9ml 70% rubbing alcohol

Has worked great for me when I have used it, but like others, I seldom have to use liquid.

Really, don't do this. So called rubbing alcohol will take an anti-reflective coating off over time. This is the voice of experience.

[Jim Noel]

Any specific brands of lens glass cleaners that you all could recommend? Thanks!

I never let liquid get near a lens, nor do I ever touch a lens with Lens Tissue.
I only use activated charcoal applied correctly with a high quality cotton swab.

[AtlantaTerry]

I never let liquid get near a lens, nor do I ever touch a lens with Lens Tissue.
I only use activated charcoal applied correctly with a high quality cotton swab.

Excuse me?? Would not charcoal scratch a lens or coating?? :eek:

[Willie]

ROR lens cleaner and cotton balls works well.

[Jim Noel]

Excuse me?? Would not charcoal scratch a lens or coating?? :eek:

Activated charcoal is an extremely finely ground powder, and no, it never scratches. If you happen to breath hard on it, it will be blown away. The applier may scratch that is why I use only top quality cotton swabs. By the way, take a look at any Lens tissue under a microscope and you wil throw away any you might have and never buy any more.

[AtlantaTerry]

Activated charcoal is an extremely finely ground powder, and no, it never scratches. If you happen to breathe hard on it, it will be blown away. The applier may scratch that is why I use only top quality cotton swabs. By the way, take a look at any Lens tissue under a microscope and you will throw away any you might have and never buy any more.

Thank you for explaining activated charcoal to me.

›

You are right about lens tissue. Most people don't know how to properly use it, they tend to use the flat surface of the tissue on the surface of a lens. Not good.

One does not use the tissue as-is. The trick is to roll it up then tear the roll. Only then use the fuzzy ends on a lens like one might use a lens pen.

I simply carry a "travel size" package of cotton swabs.

[Peter De Smidt]

That is the right way to use lens tissue, assuming you wet the torn end, but it has been supplanted by better materials.

[BradS]

I really resist any urge to clean the glass surfaces of my lenses. As a general rule about the only thing I'll do to clean an optic is try to *lightly* brush off particles of grit. The rest doesn't really matter photographically.

[Roboflick]

rocket blower
only

[originalphoto]

for glass of lens clean, I learned from a repair man, 1 part pure alcohol and 3 parts of pure ether plus cotton swab. work very well.