Question for photographers on cleaning my lens?

Question

I have a DSLR nikon d3000. i want to clean the front of my lens but im not sure if its safe to use lens cleaner? i have this product called iKlear from apple and it says it is safe for digital cameras. But i'm afraid to risk it. Is it safe to use if i apply it to a soft rag and gently wipe the lens with it? And what are my options to clean it?

Answer 1

For over 25 years I have used Kodak lens cleaner and lens cleaning tissues. I dab some cleaner on a lens cleaning tissue and clean the lens element lightly then follow with a dry lens cleaning tissue to make sure I leave no moisture on the lens. I keep a UV filter on my cameras so it is VERY rare I ever have to clean the lens but rather occasionally just the UV filter.



I do not know if Kodak is still making lens cleaner but there are other brands like Nikon who I would trust. (see the link below)



Hope this helps.



Mark

Answer 2

Jim is absolutely right. No cleaning liquids or solvents of any kind. Microfiber cloth only. And get a UV filter. Some people say they cut image quality. Well, they don't cut image quality as much as a lens that's been scratched over two or five or 20 years of improper use and cleaning.



These cloths are miracles, and can remove greasy spots or just about any other spots from your lens completely with no special solvents. If you have a particularly tough spot (a dried sugar spot from a Coke spray from your friend after you told that joke for example, or dried salt spray from a taking that Zodiac to that iceberg for the penguin shots, those are hard ones to get off without water), breathe lightly to put a light fog on the lens, and wipe it with the cloth. That's a thin film of pure distilled water you're putting on there.



My favorite microfiber cloth is the Microdear from Adorama. I get the big ones, and give them to everyone I know who gets a new digital camera or pair of binoculars. You can throw them in the wash (no fabric softener, please). Just don't keep them in a place where they will get dirty - if they get anything abrasive on them, the finger pressure you use can still scratch your lens coating or even the glass.



http://www.adorama.com/CPCML.html



Read the reviews!

Answer 3

The best way, in fact the only way, is with a dry lens cleaning cloth. Kodak and others used to make sheets of lens cleaning material but now they're all micro fiber and they're available at any good camera shop and where ever cameras are sold.



No liquids - none! Regardless of what Apple or anyone else tells you no liquids at all!



Also you may want to consider, if you haven't already, adding a UV filter to the fronts of all your lenses.

this has virtually no effect of photo quality, color or anything. The real benefit is it protects your front lens element. Consider scratching a $25 dollar filter or a several hundred lens element... what would you choose.