Breath & T-shirt only?

[Zar]

Hello.

I am looking for a good lens-cleaning kit, since I suppose I will need to clean them someday.

However, some people have told me "use your breath on them, and then clean them with your t-shirt". Is that true -and safe- at all? Anything else that I need to know before cleaning the lenses?

As I said before, I'm not a total newbie, but when it comes to cleaning lenses I just feel very insecure, so feel free to direct me to the "cleaning lenses for dummies" website or something alike.

Thanks

[BillDrew]

The biggest danger is a bit of sand in your t-shirt, i.e., don't even think of doing that at the beach.

[calr]

Not only sand, but oils and sweat from your skin plus this morning's breakfast (spilled syrup!) make for a combination you don't want on your lenses. Your lenses will probably end up dirtier than when you started.

I would recommend going to your camera store and get a small bottle of lens cleaner and a packet of lens cleaning tissues. Put a drop of the cleaner on the lens or filter and use a clean lens tissue to clean the surface. Follup with a dry tissue to make sure you get all the cleaner off.

That little bottle of cleaner will last a long time.

Cal Rasmussen

[ir]

I have a microfiber lens cleaning cloth that works great. I've usedmy shirt in a pinch, with mixed results. As has been said, you wouldn't want any grit in there. Also, some fibers work better than others. Cotton seems to do a passable job. However, other fibers seems to cause a smearing and generally make things worse.

I find thata small piece of microfiber is simple, easy to carry, and works really well.

ir

[Glider]

I wastold long ago that your breath has all kinds of acids and other nasties in it that can damage the lens. But I have found that over time lens cleaning fluid leaves its own nasty residue on your lenses. So I use proper lens cleaning tissue, and my breath. No residue buildup, and none of my lenses have rusted away from the so called nasty stuff in human breath. :G

[Zar]

Glider wrote:

I was told long ago that your breath has all kinds of acids and other nasties in it that can damage the lens. But I have found that over time lens cleaning fluid leaves its own nasty residue on your lenses. So I use proper lens cleaning tissue, and my breath.

So... should I or should I not use the lens cleaning fluid?
Also, is that pencil brush actually useful or just something "cool" to have?


Thanks for all the help.

[RyanH]

I would think if you used the lens cleaning fluid, don't apply it directly to the lens. If you apply to much, there is the chance it could get inside of the camera. Apply some to the tissue, then wipe the lens.

Just a thought.

--------
Ryan

[ohenry]

I use fluids designed for camera lenses (Eclipse is what I use) and lint free wipes (PecPad) for cleaning my lenses. In the field, I generally use a microfiber cloth. I also have a lens pen and that seems to work fairly well.

The key to whatever you use is to make sure that it doesn't aggravate the situation (i.e. dirt/lint/grease on your cleaning cloth). Wash your microfiber cloth periodically and keep it in a plastic bag when not in use.