Beginner Are all lens cleaning cloths the same?

Winter

Winter

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Sheylara
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I had been using the cloth I'd bought together with my DSLR but my husband has recently taken to misappropriating it for his telescope, so I decided to buy another one.

I tried using the microfibre cloth that I use to wipe my iPad, but it seems to drag on my lens a bit, like it doesn't feel as smooth as my previous cloth, so I started worrying that maybe I should be using a more specialised cloth.

Any advice, please?
 
If my T-Shirt isn't available, I use a spare cloth from one of my old glasses cases. I don't know if this is the right advice, but as they are supplied for cleaning carp off of plastic lenses (which are softer than our camera lenses) then they can't be too bad.
 
Yuk... Telescopes shouldn't be cleaned unless absolutely positively necessary! Even then, wiping with a cloth is a last resort. Coatings tend to be much softer, and damn near non existant on mirrors...

As for cloths, any microfiber should be fine - So long as you clear any debris with a blower before wiping.
 
LC2 said:
If my T-Shirt isn't available, I use a spare cloth from one of my old glasses cases. I don't know if this is the right advice, but as they are supplied for cleaning carp off of plastic lenses (which are softer than our camera lenses) then they can't be too bad.
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Well, I suppose that'll do. Thanks! :)

jimmyjamjojo said:
Yuk... Telescopes shouldn't be cleaned unless absolutely positively necessary! Even then, wiping with a cloth is a last resort. Coatings tend to be much softer, and damn near non existant on mirrors...

As for cloths, any microfiber should be fine - So long as you clear any debris with a blower before wiping.
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Huh? Why shouldn't telescopes be cleaned? (Keeping in mind I don't know anything about them and am not very interested in them, either. :p) I think my husband cleans the tiny little lens attachments. Well, I don't know what they are exactly but they're tiny and are kept in little cylindrical pots.
 
Winter said:
Oh, I do have both, actually. I was using rocket blower then cloth. Didn't really know what to use the pen for, although I'd bought it together with my camera in case I needed it. :LOL:
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Use the brush same as you would a cloth - after first blowing away any dust, using a cloth could score the lens if any grit were on it

Les
 
I use Zeiss pre-moistened lens cleaning wipes instead of a microfiber cloth... Individually wrapped, one off use so no danger of a bit of grit damaging your lens. Not expensive either (well, cheaper than a scratched lens anyway!) and really easy to get a good streak free clean.
 
Lez325 said:
Use the brush same as you would a cloth - after first blowing away any dust, using a cloth could score the lens if any grit were on it

Les
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Ooh. I just watched the video on how to use the pen. I never touched it before because it has 2 types of brushes and wasn't sure how to use them, and the stupid packaging didn't come with instructions.

Anyway, this is the answer to my original question then, lol. Thanks! :)
 
Flashman said:
I use Zeiss pre-moistened lens cleaning wipes instead of a microfiber cloth... Individually wrapped, one off use so no danger of a bit of grit damaging your lens. Not expensive either (well, cheaper than a scratched lens anyway!) and really easy to get a good streak free clean.
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Does it not take a while to dry? I used to use pre-moistened screen cleaners to clean my iPad and they get it really clean, but take a while to dry (or I'm too impatient to wait), so I would then use a microfibre cloth to wipe it dry. Which I felt was a step too much because when I only used the microfibre (a good one), it cleaned my screen just as well.
 
I use a Spudz
It comes in its own little pouch, ( attached to) clips onto the camera strap, so less chance of getting nicked I mean borrowed or lost :D
 
Winter said:
Does it not take a while to dry? I used to use pre-moistened screen cleaners to clean my iPad and they get it really clean, but take a while to dry (or I'm too impatient to wait), so I would then use a microfibre cloth to wipe it dry. Which I felt was a step too much because when I only used the microfibre (a good one), it cleaned my screen just as well.
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Nope, virtually instantaneous drying. Must be a very volatile liquid I guess... pure alcohol or something, I'll have a suck at one to test it! :)
 
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