Reader's Comments - Index of - Free

Cleaning Cameras
with methanol, other denaturants which may be harmful to lens coatings include camphor,
gasoline, benzene, acetone, ether, and kerosene (Merk Index, 11th ed., 1989).
-- Dave Flanagan, February 2, 2000
Don't forget to clean the insides of the lens cap too, and the back end of the lens as well
might need cleaning. Also I have found that Zeiss lens cleaner cleaned even my dirtiest
lens to a "like new" clean. thanks for all of the tips.
-- Pat O'Neill, March 6, 2000
For those folks who truly believe their "clean" lenses are clean, try this: grab a jewelers
10X eye loupe and take a look at the lens. What appears to the naked eye as the cleanest
looking lens will reveal its' true dirt, smudges, swirls, scratches, fungus and damage under
a 10X eye loupe. Best to use a jewelers "triplet" eye loupe that's been designed for diamond
grading with a black frame. They offer best color and image fidelity. The GIA sells them
for about $70.00.
(In fact, when you go shopping for a lens, bring the jewelers eye loupe with you. You'll be
unpleasantly surprised at how many "new" lenses have surface defects, chips etc.)
-- Marika Buchberger, March 19, 2000
Just a note on blowers - don't pay a lot of money at a camera store for one. Instead go to
your local pharmacy and purchase a rectal syringe, they do just as good a job for a lot less
money.
-- Ian Johnston, July 23, 2000
As an alternative to cleaners and wipes, consider good ole scotch tape. Just use a small
piece, touch it to your lens or filter and lift off. It removes oils, fingerprints, and dust
without the potential of streaks or scratching or mess. I use it to clean the LCD screens on
digital cameras. It works great, gets all the way up to the edge and will not scratch the
sensitive (cheap) plastic screens. I have also, on occasion, used it to clean the mirrors on
my SLR's. Nothings more annoying than a dust spec in the viewfinder.
-- S.J. Polecat, August 11, 2000
One observation I'd make about cleaning any sort of surface. Having some year of
oexperience in cleaning residual contamination from surfaces being prepared for adhesive
bonding on aircraft structures (where any trace oils would totally degrade the bond), it is
traditional to use two cloths for solvent cleaning. The first one is soaked in the solvent and
is used to dissolve the contaminant and put it in solution. The second, clean and dry cloth,
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