Cleaning Question

[Martin Ubilluz]

Ok so I always read not to over clean your lenses. I use my RPP's almost daily... I'm all over the place wit them and they get dusty what should I do? Clean them every day?

[Matthew Duclos]

Air.

[Kip Kubin]

I use this.

http://www.giottos.com/Rocket-air.htm

Stands up so it won't roll away

Works great for dust and it never runs out.

[Dan Hudgins]

I'm all over the place wit them and they get dusty what should I do? Clean them every day?

Unless you are near the Sea and get salt mist on the lens you should not clean it unless it needs it, like a finger print.

Every time you clean a lens with lens paper a bit of the coating gets off as well, so:

1) Always use a blower bulb or clean air before you wipe to get as much of the grit and dust off as you can.

2) Always use WET (damp, not running wet) lens paper to start with, put a small drop of Kodak lens cleaner on a crumpled sheet of lens paper, pick it up by the corners and bring the corners together without touching the other center or any part that will get close to the lens.

3) Very lightly draw the damp lens tisue from the center to the edge ONCE then use another piece.

4) NEVER drag a dry piece of paper in a circle on the lens until ALL the dust and grit has been taken off like in step 3, then its good to put some steam on the lens before you do the final cleaning to remove the scum from the lens cleaner, you can do that by holding the lens over a cup of hot water some distance.

Never drop the lens fluid onto the lens, it can run under the rings and get on the inside of the lens and make spots, then you have to take the lens apart to clean the inside.

Never use dry lens paper to wipe a lens with grit on it, that will scratch the lens coating.

Never use a cloth on a lens that has been used before or in general (other than clean things that are made for use like lens tissue).

Never use a "lens brush" as it will transport grit and grease from one lens to another.

Don't press on the lens paper until the lens is very clean, like after the 15th sheet of lens paper. Be sure to clean the filter threads and around the ring that holds the lens in since grit can get picked up and always work from the center of the lens to the sides so you do not drag grit ONTO the lens from the filter threads and other metal parts.

I have seen more lenses messed up by cleaning, than footage messed up by not cleaning. Unless you are shooting with wide angle lenses, a few specs of dust will not matter much, and you can use air to blow those off most of the time.