well, i learned this one the hard way... (lens cleaning)

jopezu · Apr 21, 2015

i just got back from florida's 30a area. i was there for a few days, and after the first day of shooting on the beach, my glasses are covered in grime. suspecting the lens as well, i look it over that night. yep - covered in layers of super tiny bubbles everywhere. not having any cleaners with me, i get a paper towel and soak it in hot water, squeeze hard until it's just damp, then clean the lens. finish cleaning with the ol' hot breath/dry paper towel technique. (i know this is a no-no, but i was gentle and no scratching occured). looking at the lens under a lamp in the resort room, it looked totally fine. i shoot birds for the remaining days doing the same thing. photos look great on the back of the d7100; no indication anything is wrong.

i get home, load the photos and all my blacks are charcoal gray. the weather and lighting were garbage this trip, but i knew it shouldn't be THAT bad. i get my high-powered flashlight and hit the lens - the front element is buried in a layer of smeared grime.

i want to shoot myself in the face.

using the flashlight, i put ROR on a napkin, clean it several times. ROR still leaves grime. after about 3 ROR passes, i do the breath/dry paper towel. mainly clean. lenspen to finish off and finally it looks clean.

any tips and tricks (or warnings) for beach shooting and cleaning? general cleaning techniques?

Miike Dougherty · Apr 21, 2015

UV filter

newfounder · Apr 21, 2015

jopezu said:
i want to shoot myself in the face.

You will not be amused to see this selfie.

OK, I live in Florida and many enthusiastic amateurs know not to bring their best lens to the beach. Pros live on their gears and they need to use their gear anywhere they work. The 2nd poster posted UV filter and that can help.

jopezu · Apr 21, 2015

newfounder said:
OK, I live in Florida and many enthusiastic amateurs know not to bring their best lens to the beach. Pros live on their gears and they need to use their gear anywhere they work.

i didn't bring my best lens.

newfounder said:
The 2nd poster posted UV filter and that can help.

i absolutely cannot bring myself to do UV filters, even after extensive study and using one. i'm super careful with all my gear, but there way no avoiding the beach grime - it's in the air.

surely lenses need to be cleaned properly, i'm just seeing what most people do for situations were there's just unavoidable junk all over the front element.

ThrillaMozilla · Apr 21, 2015

Take a couple of UV filters and change them periodically. When you are done, take them off and clean them with dish soap and water, then a final cleaning with distilled water or lens cleaning fluid.

ormdig · Apr 21, 2015

jopezu said:
jopezu said:

OK, I live in Florida and many enthusiastic amateurs know not to bring their best lens to the beach. Pros live on their gears and they need to use their gear anywhere they work.

Click to expand...

i didn't bring my best lens.

jopezu said:

The 2nd poster posted UV filter and that can help.

Click to expand...

i absolutely cannot bring myself to do UV filters, even after extensive study and using one. i'm super careful with all my gear, but there way no avoiding the beach grime - it's in the air.

surely lenses need to be cleaned properly, i'm just seeing what most people do for situations were there's just unavoidable junk all over the front element.

If you know the beach sand and salt air are going to cover your lens in grime which is very hard to clean without eventually damaging the objective and you can't bring yourself to use UV filters ............why? You will put up with tarnished photos from grime but not the "perceived" image degradation caused by using UV filters? It doesn't matter what method you use to clean your lens. This stuff is going to damage your coatings, and most likely the glass, sooner not later. Take heed to what the previous posters have told you,

--
Pete

overniteman · Apr 21, 2015

ROR does a nice job. Haven't found anything better.

jopezu · Apr 22, 2015

just one instance of this type of dirt/cleaning scenario damaging a lens or coating? i've been researching photography and camera gear for over 4 years now, and i've not seen a single incident where typical lens cleaning or grime on a front element has damaged it. i've seen user error and improper cleaning methods damage a lens, but not standard dirt accumlation from usage followed by proper cleaning technique.

what i HAVE seen are countless images of a smashed UV filter that cannot be removed from the thread, and has actually scratched the lens. i just want to be sure that your doomsday talk on this matter isn't just second-hand filter sales propoganda.

also, i won't be able to put a front UV filter on my 400mm fl lens when i do start using it for my shoots. the lens i dirtied was my trusty 300mm f/4d. surely professionals have carried gear into these conditions (and worse) and the lens has survived.

anotherMike · Apr 22, 2015

ROR works wonders - when you use a proper microfiber cloth. Don't bother with anything else.

I bring ROR fluid and micro-fibers clothes wherever I travel (I'll ship them with the Tripod) and I've cleaned off bird droppings off a lens (!!) with it, as well as the usual sea spray and everything else.

-m

gnet158 · Apr 22, 2015

I'm hearing paper towel and cringe. I would never use paper towels on my glass, lens tissue is what should been used. Hopefully it wasn't an expensive lens.

ormdig · Apr 22, 2015

jopezu said:
just one instance of this type of dirt/cleaning scenario damaging a lens or coating? i've been researching photography and camera gear for over 4 years now, and i've not seen a single incident where typical lens cleaning or grime on a front element has damaged it. i've seen user error and improper cleaning methods damage a lens, but not standard dirt accumlation from usage followed by proper cleaning technique.

A paper towel is not proper cleaning technique as you yourself admitted. ANY cloth or towel retains some grit as it is being used. Even a lenspen, which I love and use judiciously, will retain grit.These particles will certainly cause scratches in the coatings over time even with the most careful cleaning methods. I have over 55 years of experience at cleaning lenses, telescope mirrors and my own dear eyeglasses. There are very few ocean environments, if any, that don't include wind, sand and salt spray. Wind is the vehicle, salt spray the glue and sand is the abrasive. Rub them around no matter how carefully and you get scratches. In these instances a filter is a smart way to protect the objective element.

jopezu said:
what i HAVE seen are countless images of a smashed UV filter that cannot be removed from the thread, and has actually scratched the lens. i just want to be sure that your doomsday talk on this matter isn't just second-hand filter sales propoganda.

If the lens hits something hard enough to smash the filter/lens threads what do you think it would have done to the unprotected lens. I am not a salesman.

jopezu said:
also, i won't be able to put a front UV filter on my 400mm fl lens when i do start using it for my shoots. the lens i dirtied was my trusty 300mm f/4d. surely professionals have carried gear into these conditions (and worse) and the lens has survived.

If you can't put a filter on it you can't put a filter on it.

ThrillaMozilla · Apr 22, 2015

jopezu said:
what i HAVE seen are countless images of a smashed UV filter that cannot be removed from the thread, and has actually scratched the lens.

Really? How many, actually? And would they have been damaged anyway?

abcdefghijklmnop · Apr 22, 2015

jopezu said:
jopezu said:

OK, I live in Florida and many enthusiastic amateurs know not to bring their best lens to the beach. Pros live on their gears and they need to use their gear anywhere they work.

Click to expand...

i didn't bring my best lens.

jopezu said:

The 2nd poster posted UV filter and that can help.

Click to expand...

i absolutely cannot bring myself to do UV filters,

Well it seems you disagree with Nikon. All of the super telephotos have protective element on front and the 200-400 has one that screws off.

jopezu said:
even after extensive study and using one. i'm super careful with all my gear, but there way no avoiding the beach grime - it's in the air.

surely lenses need to be cleaned properly, i'm just seeing what most people do for situations were there's just unavoidable junk all over the front element.

ThrillaMozilla · Apr 22, 2015

You know, I have to wonder about using a dirty old microcloth. I mean, just how do you keep those things clean, anyway? Just wondering.

I have to say, I very much prefer single-use lens paper.

john Clinch · Apr 22, 2015

I may get banned for this

On a beach i frequently lick the salt off the front element and dry with my t-shirt

jopezu · Apr 22, 2015

ThrillaMozilla said:
ThrillaMozilla said:

what i HAVE seen are countless images of a smashed UV filter that cannot be removed from the thread, and has actually scratched the lens.

Click to expand...

Really? How many, actually? And would they have been damaged anyway?

to my knowledge, the front elements are much thicker/heavier than typical UV filters. from what i've seen, most impacts on front elements severe enough to smash a filter typically leave small divots or scratches on the front element, whereas the fallout from removing a bashed filter leave worse results.

i always use lens hoods and i'm very cognizant of what's going on - i'm not worried about impacts.

jopezu · Apr 22, 2015

abcdefghijklmnop said:
abcdefghijklmnop said:

i absolutely cannot bring myself to do UV filters,

Click to expand...

Well it seems you disagree with Nikon. All of the super telephotos have protective element on front and the 200-400 has one that screws off.

yes, those are the meniscus lenses in the design. we're talking about *additional* filters added by the user in front of the objective element, but you already knew that and you're just trying to be adversarial.

RBFresno · Apr 22, 2015

jopezu said:
i just got back from florida's 30a area. i was there for a few days, and after the first day of shooting on the beach, my glasses are covered in grime. suspecting the lens as well, i look it over that night. yep - covered in layers of super tiny bubbles everywhere. not having any cleaners with me, i get a paper towel and soak it in hot water, squeeze hard until it's just damp, then clean the lens. finish cleaning with the ol' hot breath/dry paper towel technique. (i know this is a no-no, but i was gentle and no scratching occured). looking at the lens under a lamp in the resort room, it looked totally fine. i shoot birds for the remaining days doing the same thing. photos look great on the back of the d7100; no indication anything is wrong.

i get home, load the photos and all my blacks are charcoal gray. the weather and lighting were garbage this trip, but i knew it shouldn't be THAT bad. i get my high-powered flashlight and hit the lens - the front element is buried in a layer of smeared grime.

i want to shoot myself in the face.

using the flashlight, i put ROR on a napkin, clean it several times. ROR still leaves grime. after about 3 ROR passes, i do the breath/dry paper towel. mainly clean. lenspen to finish off and finally it looks clean.

any tips and tricks (or warnings) for beach shooting and cleaning? general cleaning techniques?

Hi!

When at the beach, I'm usually either using a lens with a built in protective hard glass front element (e.g.200VR, 200-400VR, 500VR), or a lens with a filter.

Some examples of the latter:

Nikon D3 ,Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR
1/4000s f/3.2 at 200.0mm iso200

Nikon D3 ,Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED ,SB-900
1/800s f/6.3 at 70.0mm iso200

Other than the 200VR, 200-400Vr and 500VR, the other lenses that typically go filter-less to the beach are the 14-24 and 10.5 (I've often wondered if Nikon made the front elements of these lenses harder and/or more resistant to damage from cleaning, knowing that they don't take protective filters) :

Nikon D3 ,Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED
1/100s f/11.0 at 17.0mm iso800

Nikon D3 ,Nikkor 10.5mm f/2.8G ED AF DX Fisheye ,SB-900
1/160s f/22.0 at 10.5mm iso200

RB

abcdefghijklmnop · Apr 22, 2015

jopezu said:
jopezu said:

jopezu said:

i absolutely cannot bring myself to do UV filters,

Click to expand...

Well it seems you disagree with Nikon. All of the super telephotos have protective element on front and the 200-400 has one that screws off.

Click to expand...

yes, those are the meniscus lenses in the design. we're talking about *additional* filters added by the user in front of the objective element, but you already knew that and you're just trying to be adversarial.

No, I am just not being foolish.

Then again you already knew a clear NC would keep salt and spray off of your lens.

Enjoy your repeated cleaning task.

ThrillaMozilla · Apr 22, 2015

Hmm, did you actually see those yourself, or find them by searching? And it looks to me like the lenses were protected in many of those cases. Do you have evidence to the contrary?

well, i learned this one the hard way... (lens cleaning)

Leading Member

Leading Member

Leading Member

Leading Member

Veteran Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Leading Member

Forum Pro

Senior Member

Senior Member

Veteran Member

Senior Member

Veteran Member

Senior Member

Leading Member

Leading Member

Forum Pro

Senior Member

Veteran Member

Keyboard shortcuts