blowing on a lens

thebaz

I have a lens cleaner solution which i find doesn't do a great job cleaning lens , smudgy on the edges -- far superior i find breathing by mouth on lens, and wiping condensation with a lens cloth -- someone said this is not the best -- any thoughts -- or should i happily continue with my basic method

leohoju

Get yourself a lens pen, they're great! I think you can get them off eBay for between €5 and €10 including shipping.

Oriel

I blow on my lens and D70 sensor, does the job perfectly.

amcinroy

The front element of your lens is tougher than you might think. I regularly lick mine to remove the salt and sand from it. Just be careful about wiping grit or sand across it.

Oriel, I'm not sure about blowing condensation on your sensor though. I tend to use pure methanol and swabs for that.

Andy

mathias

I tend to use pure methanol and swabs for that.

Thats not recommended either , pure ( 100% ) methanol is a heavy duty solvent , shouldnt be used , it should be 6% max !! A non solvent based cleaner is best. Especially for something as crucial as the sensor.

For lens I got a hama lens pen , brilliant , and cheap too !

Thirdfox

amcinroy wrote: »

The front element of your lens is tougher than you might think. I regularly lick mine to remove the salt and sand from it. Just be careful about wiping grit or sand across it.

Oriel, I'm not sure about blowing condensation on your sensor though. I tend to use pure methanol and swabs for that.

Andy

Lick? Wouldn't that be a bit sandy/salty?

trishw78

I've seen shots where people have breathed by mouth on lens 'cause a kinda soft focus effect instead of using a filter

amcinroy

Mathias,

Eclipse fluid is high purity refined methanol.
It's just the job for cleaning sensors and is marketed as such.

Admitedly, a few of the new Tin oxide coated sensors advise a slightly weaker solution called E2 (methanol, ethanol, and isopropanol mix).
http://www.photosol.com/cameras_bymfg.html
The others are fine with eclipse methanol.

Thirdfox, I quite like it. Keeps my salt levels up. I like a bit of grit too.

Andy

mathias

In that table , where it says MFG OK , what does that mean ?

I use various solvents at work , for the record , having seen what they can do , especially to optics , Im not putting that stuff near my sensor , 6% IPA wipes do the job well , with a fraction of the risk.

I realise a lot of the sites recommend eclipse , I think recommending a pure solvent is irresponsible , I have the msds for that and its 100% methanol , so theres no way I'd put that near a sensor. Nor would I even have the stuff in the house , its far too dangerous. Especially with little ones around.

thebaz

Oriel wrote: »

I blow on my lens and D70 sensor, does the job perfectly.

good stuff , i find it best method -- although cleaning liquid is cheap , i find my natural breath far superior !!

amcinroy

thebaz wrote: »

good stuff , i find it best method -- although cleaning liquid is cheap , i find my natural breath far superior !!

Depends how nice your breath is. I find mints help a little.

thebaz

amcinroy wrote: »

Depends how nice your breath is. I find mints help a little.

since i stopped smoking no ones complained about my breath

Ricky91t

Oriel wrote: »

I blow on my lens and D70 sensor, does the job perfectly.

I would never do that!Would that not damage the electronics with the vapour in you breath?:eek:

Stephen

There's vapour in air anyway. I can't see it being much worse.

Placebo

went to get a cleaning cloth from camera exchange and got one with a little spray for 6 euros.
Its called Calocoa , wondering if many people use such solvents, looks pretty cheapy. This i have a slight smudge on the lens.

thanks.

AnimalRights

Funnily enough my Lens are dirty too, had to drop into Gunn's tommorow anyway for a filther for my 100mm Macro, was going to ask them for advice.

decsramble

amcinroy wrote: »

The front element of your lens is tougher than you might think. I regularly lick mine to remove the salt and sand from it. Just be careful about wiping grit or sand across it.

Oriel, I'm not sure about blowing condensation on your sensor though. I tend to use pure methanol and swabs for that.

Andy

I suppose after you cover your lens in salt and sand a little saliva isn’t going to do much noticeable damage ;-)

amcinroy

Hehe. Salt, sand and saliva. The abuse we put our lenses through.

There's no point in treating them like polished diamonds. I've dragged mine through dark sea caves while waist deep in February sea water. Better to concentrate on the shot and forget about polishing. That's not what they are for.

Andy