Any Lens Cloth "Experts"?

sirch

sirch

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I have various lens cloths acquired as free-bees but a few of the better ones are now looking a bit grubby. I assume they are coated with something as they seem to work better than a tee shirt when I can find one. So can I wash them? Should I replace them? in general how long can you use them for before they should be replaced?
 
Ive had a pack of the small disposable lens tissues for ever, I dont like the idea of using a cloth thats been hanging around collecting god knows what in it.
Nice clean new tissue every time, no issues ever.
 
Of course you can wash them. But lenses are better off not being cleaned with them - really, you should not get anything more than dust on the lens and dust is best removed by blowing.
 
My optician suplies lens cloths with glasses. He simply says wash them when dirty. So I do. Doesn't seem to reduce their performance or damage my glasses. Can't see it should be any different for decent lens cloths.
 
You can wash them if they are decent microfibre cloths. The main risk with a lens cloth is moving a particle of grit around and scratching the glass. You should always blow any dust off the lens before cleaning, but if the cloth itself is dirty there might be a particle of grit trapped in it. If you want a new one, I suggest the Pentax Supaclean cloths:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pentax-Supaclean-Microfibre-Cleaning-Cloth/dp/B0043WKMHM
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Assorted-Pentax-Supaclean-Microfibre-Spectacle/dp/B00PNURDT8

They're a bit expensive, but the size, thickness and texture are just right. Otherwise, single use Zeiss lens wipes are very good:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ZEISS-Lens-Wipes-Pack-200-x/dp/B00IKGH2TI
 
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john.margetts said:
Of course you can wash them. But lenses are better off not being cleaned with them - really, you should not get anything more than dust on the lens and dust is best removed by blowing.
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That's assuming you only use your camera kit whilst standing in an air tight room? Using your gear in the real world means there's always risk of rain/mud/dust so I use a combination of disposable lens wipes (£1 for a box of 100) or my t-shirt. The front element of a lens is considerably more hard wearing than some people understand.
 
Cagey75 said:
Any micro fibre cloth should do. I use cheapo ones from dealz, 4 pack for €1.50, just chuck them when they get grubby.
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SEND THEM TO ME!! I am hard up and nothig better to do than wash cloths by hand in Lux flakes! I have some lens chamois cloths that I was using in the 90s with my D4s ! They still wipe a lens clean and dry when it gets rained on, spray thrown over it or a dog shakes and chucks muck and water all over the front.

Actual mud (rally car, motocross types, are bound to come up against this scenario), saltwater riskers (boats, angling, breaking waves over rocks - those huge waves that crash over the lighthouse etc - the air is full of salt spray, you are even breathing it in, but you may not realise it! Distilled water in a plastic bottle, one of those with a pull out drinking spout. Squirt gently, I said GENTLY, as in almost dribble some water on, to wash the wet mud or salt spray off, salt is infinitely worse than clean water. Irrigating it with clean water will dilute the salt and shift the mud off. Then you can wipe clean afterwards. THAT is so much easier with a UV filter than it is with a bare lens. (HINT).
 
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Lensflare said:
SEND THEM TO ME!! I am hard up and nothig better to do than wash cloths by hand in Lux flakes! I have some lens chamois cloths that I was using in the 90s with my D4s ! They still wipe a lens clean and dry when it gets rained on, spray thrown over it or a dog shakes and chucks muck and water all over the front.

Actual mud (rally car, motocross types, are bound to come up against this scenario), saltwater riskers (boats, angling, breaking waves over rocks - those huge waves that crash over the lighthouse etc - the air is full of salt spray, you are even breathing it in, but you may not realise it! Distilled water in a plastic bottle, one of those with a pull out drinking spout. Squirt gently, I said GENTLY, as in almost dribble some water on, to wash the wet mud or salt spray off, salt is infinitely worse than clean water. Irrigating it with clean water will dilute the salt and shift the mud off. Then you can wipe clean afterwards. THAT is so much easier with a UV filter than it is with a bare lens. (HINT).
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When I say chuck 'em, I mean they get used for other jobs, like cleaning my bike or something. They work out less than 40c a piece. And I'll use them for a fair while before passing them on. I'm a cheap skate, don't worry about that ;)
 
Thanks all, I think I'll do both, wash what I have and splash out on a new one or two. @Lensflare sums it up well and I hadn't thought about distilled water, I do use a UV filter if going out in rough conditions so it sounds like a plan. Maybe my tee shirts need a wash :) but a lens cloth seems to do a better job than a sweaty tee shirt.
 
Going back to my optician. .....he sells lens cleaning fluid in what is called a handbag size.
It's a small bottle of cleaner that can easily fit into your pack. Most glasses have all sorts of coatings on them and if the cleaner will be safe for them it should be safe for lenses.
I've been using one for years with no noticeable problems.
 
I usually use the single use paper tissues with a drop of IPA if a lens gets dirty. Dust gets blown off.
 
I use a clean cotton t-shirt. For me its more about the grease that accumulates rather than much else. Sometimes I use this a foaming face wash which I squeeze some on the t-shirt first to help remove any grime. I'm using modern lenses (predominantly a Zeiss Sonar 1.5 ZM) from past 30 years so the coatings are far harder than the cotton.. Most of my microfibre clothes are dirty or used for cleaning the non-glass bits!
 
I used to use the cheap microfibre cloths from ebay but had a couple of batches that imho, weren't up to much - smeared moisture and dropped lint. I now use mini microfibre towels from Trespass (I can't find them on their website) - they're often reduced from about £6 to £3, come in their own little pouch that they clip into and the pouch has a small loop for attaching it (it comes with one of those keyring style carabiners). I have a few and I attach them to my camera bags/pouches. I almost never use a cloth on my camera lenses but use the same cloths regularly on my spectacles. The cloths go in the washing machine occasionally.

Edit:
Here's the cloth all folded into the pouch:
35602894313_d65911cc2f_c.jpg


and here it is pulled out of the (now inside-out) pouch, unfolded and showing the clip:
36274079501_377741f2e2_c.jpg
 
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Zeiss single use wipes work well for me, a box of 200 costs about £8.

I got fed up with smeary lens in my glasses after trying numerous cloths, my thinking is that if Zeiss are happy to put their name on these things, they should be ok to use on lens glass.

Chris
 
Binocular users can be very picky about keeping the optics clean, and as I remember, the sage advice is to
1 use a blower brush first (the type that suck in clean air through a valve and does not allow any intake from the blowing end and is large enough to dislodge dust)
2 use cotton wool with either water or cleaning fluid, gently and slowly rubbing in a circular motion

Is this applicable as best practice for camera optics?
 
CharleyBird said:
Binocular users can be very picky about keeping the optics clean, and as I remember, the sage advice is to
1 use a blower brush first (the type that suck in clean air through a valve and does not allow any intake from the blowing end and is large enough to dislodge dust)
2 use cotton wool with either water or cleaning fluid, gently and slowly rubbing in a circular motion

Is this applicable as best practice for camera optics?
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Angry photographer does something similar: Just distilled water and a Q-Tip

But this is for greasey/smeared lenses. IMO a micro fibre cloth is good enough, with a 'haw' of breath on the lens first and similar circular motions. Use a rocket blower first if there's some sand or dust visible.
 
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I can highly recommend the Zeiss lens wipes and the blue lens cleaning cloths from 7dayshop.
 
Tysonator said:
What about using a cleaning fluid withe micro cloth !
I take it most are just distilled water !
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If I need cleaning fluid I just use the Zeiss wipes (above), which cost around 5p each if you buy a box of 200. They come in sealed sachets, pre-moistened with a cleaning fluid containing isopropanol and ethanol.
 
Don't mess about with cloths and tissues ... do the job properly!


 
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