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Cleaning Cameras
you did the second, and dry and polish the glass in a spiral motion from the center
outwards, then discard the tissue. Always clean your lenses gently--never scrub or rub hard.
If you buy some lens tissue and you can hear it crackle when you wad it up, it's too stiff
and harsh for your glass, so replace it. Before I start step two (above), I put the third sheet
of tissue between my left ring and pinkie finger knuckles, so that it will be at hand
immediately and waterspots won't form before I can dry the glass. Finally, keep a UV or
1A filter over your lens all the time for protection (I know that's elementary but I'm a true
believer, having replaced the filter four times on a lens I'm still using today)
-- Donald Gentz, March 1, 2001
Great Lens Cleaner! Regarding optics cleaning I have not tried ROR but there seems to be
some dissatisfaction with it's use in some of the comments. For forty years I have found
using liquid lens cleaners to be a horrendous experience, including alcohol, those from
Kodak, etc. Recently I have found a totally satisfactory cleaner that actually makes the
glass look clean! No swirls, residues, etc. In fact, the claim is that it removes all previous
residual cleaner comtamination as well as normal oils and accumulations. This seems to be
the case in my experience and it does it without special efforts. It is called Formula MC and
it's website is at the bottom of these comments. I hesitate to use microcloths as the danger
of reusing their surfaces poses a danger to my $1000 lenses even thought they work
remarkably well. With Formula MC they are not needed or recommended. The safe method
is to use two pieces of clean, unused lens tissue, a wet and a dry one, and the job is done in
a minute or so with no threat to optics. I first blow away any dust from the surface,
especially the crevices so I don’t dislodge any grit while cleaning, with a can of Dust-Off
or similar product and perhaps a light blow at the finish to remove tissue lint. I do a test
blow away from the lens and always hold the can upright. Never shake the air can before
using it! Because I take care in protecting my lens surfaces and avoid cleaning unless they
get a finger smear or really need it, I haven’t had a lot of need or experience using MC but
can say that when I have used it its been a pleasant experience. I might mention that in
using the 2nd tissue there might be what seems as residue but this appears to be part of the
cleaning process and is removed by carefully wiping it away. The lens will come out clean
and free of cleaning marks.
Formula MC’s site is: http://www.pecaproducts.com/mc.html
As an alternative there is another cleaner that I remember reading is the official one used
by Hasselblad and other optics makers (possibly Leica). It is called Rexton Optyl-7. I have
used it but prefer MC. I bought both these cleaners from Get Smart Products at:
http://www.pfile.com/cgi/cart.cgi?db=dusters_cleaning.db&category=Dusters,+Cleaning+Supplies
-- Pepe Alvarez, March 4, 2001
I have lenses several years old that have never been cleaned directly. I always buy a new
filter with each new lens. Upon receipt of the new lens, I immediately install the new filter.
http://www.photo.net/learn/cleaning-cameras (14 of 19) [5/15/2002 7:15:53 PM]