Nick Taylor wrote:
>
> Do NOT use a lens brush as the brush soon becomes a carrier of
> contaminates.
Never had a real problem with that. Of course, if you just throw
the brush into the bag without any protection for its hairs,
better replace it every other day.
>
> Use condensation of your breath and a T-shirt ONLY if your lens
> is in the same price class as your glasses (and ask your optician
> before cleaning your glasses this way).
I'd agree about the T-Shirt. It is a lot more prone to have some
scratching particles in it than a micro-fiber cloth. Of course
it's always a good idea to closely inspect the cloth before
grinding your lens with it ;-)
>
> Another rule is to use ONLY 100% cotton balls on the glass. Anything
> other than 100% cotton may contain synthetic fibers which have a high
> probability of scratching the coating.
>
> Do the first cleaning with 99% isopropyl alcohol, the second with
> acetone C.P. Dampen a cotton ball with the cleaning agent and
> LIGHTLY wipe from the center toward the edge. Do not wipe more
> than once with the same surface of the cotton ball. Do not wipe
> with a part of the cotton ball that you have touched with your
> fingers. Do not allow the acetone to come in contact with any
> plastic.
This sounds like a good method. OTOH, none of my lenses has ever
been dirty enough to really need a cleaning with resolvents like
alcohol. Brushing particles away and - if at all needed - using
the micro-fiber cloth afterwards with a little breathing on the
lens. has almost always been enough. Else a lenspen removed more
cumbersome dirt or residual spots. Overall, I tend to clean the
optics of my lenses rarely, definitely not after every use.
>
> You may use from 8 to 25 cotton balls to clean one lens ... sounds
> extravagant until you calculate the cost at less than 50 cents!
>
> If you're a hobbyist who regards your photographic equipment as
> technological works of art, then there is no such thing as being
> too anal in its care!
Although I'm a hobbyist, I don't regard my equipment as works of
art. I regard them as tools. Otherwise I would have given up on
photography long ago. I don't baby my gear, although I won't
damage it deliberately of course. Nevertheless, my lenses
are in pretty good condition, only one of them has some very tiny
scratches on the front lens. But this didn't come from cleaning,
it sat in the bag and the lens cap somehow came off. Anyway,
I'd say this is reasonable after many years of use. And should I
ever have to replace a front lens scratched from cleaning - not
that I expect that to happen anytime soon - I will have no
complaints about it.
Thomas Bantel
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