Filter Wallets, Lens Cleaner and Such...

[Matt Long]

Having just returned from a week of shooting in Utah and Arizona, I had settled in to a morning of cleaning and reorganizing gear when a couple of questions came to mind:

1) What method do other LF shooters in this forum prefer for carrying filters? I use a Domke filter wallet which has a cordura exterior and an interior consisting of clear vinyl partitions with a silver cloth backing. My gripe is that the vinyl and/or silver material outgasses and leaves a stubborn film on the filter surface which requires fairly vigorous cleaning. FWIW, I use glass screw in filters.

2) Does anyone know of a good cleaner that doesn't leave a filmy residue? I use ROR (residual oil remover) spray on a microfiber cleaning cloth and I still have to resort to a huff of breath to remove the final residue of the cleaner. I've tried cleaners from Delta Products and Zeiss with no better luck. Any ideas?

Yeah, I know that these are pretty trivial complaints, but if I get these issues resolved, I'll be one step closer to a gripe-free life ;-) Thanks everybody for your input.

Cheers.

[Juergen Sattler]

When you use ROR you are not supposed to use it on a Micro Fiber Cloth - it says so on the bottle - I think that's why you still have a bit of smear on your lens after the cleaning. ROR really seems to be the only cleaner that does actually remove film from your lenses - I love it.

I use a Tamrac filter bag - holds 8 filters and seems to have the same concept as your Domke - vinyl inside. It's compact and light weight which with all the other gear we LF guys are carrying around is an important aspect.

Juergen

[tim atherton]

By far the best cleaner I have come across is Clearsight - While originally produced for cleaning aerospace optical systems I think it was introduced into the photo market in part because of the problems with ROR and its residuals... It does at least as good a job as ROR with the film - but usually much easier (and you can use a microfibre cloth with it if you wish).

I did a review once with ROR, Clearsight, Zeiss, Kodak lens cleaners etc etc - in my (totally unscientific, but based on actual use) tests it came out tops.

http://clearsightusa.com/

PS - it's the only stuff that also ever gets my eyeglasses really clean

[george verbryck]

I like the filter stack caps , they are metal and protect the two open ends and the filters never get dirty or have residue because they are just stacked with others of thier own kind. It works really well and I recomend it ,plus it is real easy to find the filter you want because the exposed part is the silk screen on the ring sides. As far as cleaning goes if I get something that ROR will not take of I usually use either white vinegar or naptha for the really stubborn stuff. The vinegar works relly good to get any marks out of the coating really you can make scratches disapear. Cheers George

[Richard Martel]

Check out a product called "Eclipse Cleaning Solution". sold by Micro Tools in California. This company sells tools and supplies for camera/optics repair. I think they are located in Napa. 1-800-359-2878

http://www.micro-tools.com/Merchant2/applicators.htm

Regards, Richard

[Eric Wagner]

I agree with George and have found the metal stack caps a very practical way to carry glass screw-in filters. I have washed my filters in soap and water, just like I do my eyeglasses, to get rid of that stubborn film you are fighting.

[Bruce M. Herman]

I use Lee resin filters and use the Lee filter wallet to store them in my pack. It's made of cordura and has cloth holders for the filters themselves. Half of the holders are for 4"x4" filters and the other half are for tall filters such as split neutral density filters. I think that it holds about 5 or 6 of each. It does not hold the Lee lens mount components, which must be separately stored.

I was orignally worried about the holders picking up dirt that would then scratch the filters. I've been careful to brush the filters prior to replacing them in the wallet when I'm in a dusty envirnment, and haven't had a problem with scratches after two years of use.

Best of luck, Bruce

[David A. Goldfarb]

I also like the Tamrac filter wallet. I use a large one for my Linhof 70mm slip-in filters and it doesn't seem to leave any residue on the filter surfaces.