How do you clean your long glass?

[Giulio Zanni]

I have been shooting for couple of days from a boat and now the front element of my 600mm shows some spots which I cannot remove with a normal cloth. I hope it is just dried water or similar. Is there any specific recipe for cleaning the front element of long lenses?

Thanks, Giulio

[John Chardine]

Obvious, but bears repeating- first remove all dust particles that could scratch the front element. I do this with a fine brush and/or special photo canned air. For spots that will not come off with my trusty micro-fibre cloth, I use good old Kodak lens cleaning fluid. I've been using it for 40+ years with no adverse effects. It removes spots and does not leave a residue. Maybe there are better cleaning fluids out there these days. Canon says to breathe on the lens, which does work and seems to be safe so long as you don't have a mouthful of potato chips (quote from a BPN member in a post a few months ago)!

[Giulio Zanni]

Thanks John

[Chris Ober]

ROR solution and a micro-fibre cloth is what I use when needed.

Potato chips? What about Cheetos? :)

[James Shadle]

In a jam, saliva with it's enzymes makes a wonderful cleaning solution.
Followed by a micro-fiber cloth.

[Charles Glatzer]

After removing dust/lint, etc w/ blower brush, and using a mico-fiber cloth....the Lens Pen does an outstanding job of removing residue.

Chas

[Jim Poor]

Second vote for the lens pen. Anything that can't be removed with a blower brush get the lens pen treatment from me.

That includes lenses and sensors. (Separate pens for each)

[Ben Page]

Another vote for lens pens (on both lenses and sensors).

[John Chardine]

Quick question about lens pens- not sure what the material is on the cleaning end (chamois?) but presumably it gets dirty eventually. Has anyone tried to clean it?

[Dan Brown]

A NO vote for pens! I used one on my binos and kept the pen clean (I thought) but after what seemed to be a short time, the pen wore the coating off of the lenses in a nice circle about half way in the diameter of the lens! Dan Brown

[Jim Poor]

Interesting Dan. I wonder if the coating on the Binos was different than that of a lens.

John,

Other will have a better answer, but I think it is rubber. The trick to using the lens pen on a sensor is getting the carbon dust off the tip first. Artie has a great set of instructions available with the pens.

[Gus Cobos]

Believe it or not; Kodak lens cleaning solution works like a champ; has have been using it for the past forty years...:D:cool: