Can glass cleaner be used on outer lens elements?

1 week 6 days ago #763434 by Pork Express
When you need to clean fingerprints or grime off your lens elements, can glass cleaner on a paper towel be used to clean?


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1 week 6 days ago - 1 week 6 days ago #763438 by TCav
Let me think about thatNO!


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1 week 6 days ago #763440 by CharleyL
I agree with @TCav.

Get yourself some lens wipes that are sold for the purpose and a lens rocket (high velocity squeeze blower). Use the lens rocket to blow off loose debris and then the lens wipes to clean off what the blower won't remove, if anything remains, and do it carefully.
Don't use window cleaner on your expensive lenses. There are lens brushes that sometimes help to dislodge sticky dust particles too. Always clear as much loose dirt as you can, before resorting to the lens wipes, which are better at removing finger prints, etc.


www.amazon.com/ZEISS-Lens-Wipes-220-ct/d...%2Caps%2C107&sr=8-10

www.amazon.com/Cleaning-Contains-Carryin...t%2Caps%2C101&sr=8-1

These links are to show you what I'm talking about. There are many manufacturers that are making and selling both. While I wouldn't choose the cheapest to use on my high dollar lenses, there are certainly many sources of both available. The complete kits give you everything that you need for starters, and are small enough to fit in most camera bags, and are in each of mine.

I have to buy large boxes of lens wipes, because my wife has discovered how well they clean her eye glasses. She keeps raiding my supplies to take to the family room where she sits watching TV and cleaning her eye glasses. If your lens wipes disappear too quickly, you may also have this problem.

Charley


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1 week 5 days ago #763444 by Pork Express
OK, thank you both.  I seem to recall seeing someone clean their lens on a YouTube video this way.  Honestly I have cleaned mine a few times that way.  Then someone I know told me it's a big no no.  So I posted this to validate.  


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1 week 4 days ago #763500 by James F
If you have the spritz bottle given with glasses, I will often use that or you can get cheap lens cleaner on Amazon


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1 week 12 hours ago #763609 by Ira Weber
Yeah that is a no go there.  I'll use water before I would spray glass cleaner on my lens.  


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4 days 12 hours ago #763690 by Stanly
I have a number of micro fiber cloths in my bag and unless my lens has sand or gritty stuff, a quick wipe with these cloths is all you need

Nikon Z6 | Nikon FM10 | Nikon D80 | Nikon 50mm f/1.8D | Nikon 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S VR | 35-105mm f/3.5 Macro | 80-200mm f/4.5 | SB600 | Pocket Wizard II
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1 day 21 hours ago #763779 by Zach Mosher
First let me say that I've never used glass cleaner for cleaning my lenses.  But seeing that we are talking about this, whats the worst thing that could happen from doing this?


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1 day 16 hours ago #763784 by TCav

Zach Mosher wrote: First let me say that I've never used glass cleaner for cleaning my lenses.  But seeing that we are talking about this, whats the worst thing that could happen from doing this?

The chemicals in conventional glass cleaner can damage the coatings on the lens, and conventional paper towels can scratch the lens.


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1 day 15 hours ago #763788 by Razky

Zach Mosher wrote: First let me say that I've never used glass cleaner for cleaning my lenses. But seeing that we are talking about this, what's the worst thing that could happen from doing this?

I wouldn't expect the cleaner to cause problems, but for sure you should only use lens tissue to wipe the lens - even a micro-fiber cloth can pick up a microscopic piece of abrasive dust and scratch lens coating.


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