cleaning filter the hows

johnyeros · 07-03-2008, 09:45 AM

Recently I bought a pentax 50-135mm and from all the reading I also bought the Hoya Supercoated UV filter for it. The first day of getting the lens and filter, it 1 spot of dust on the otherside of the filter and I thought it was on the outside so I try to clean but -- but of course I was at work and didn't have anything to clean and I use my shirt (YEAH stupid me).. Now the coat on the filter seem to be a little scratch. I don't think it effect the images -- but it's annoying.. What's a good way to keep these filter clean. How do you guys clean it and what do you use?

thanks.

Entropy · 07-03-2008, 10:54 AM

Originally Posted by johnyeros

Recently I bought a pentax 50-135mm and from all the reading I also bought the Hoya Supercoated UV filter for it. The first day of getting the lens and filter, it 1 spot of dust on the otherside of the filter and I thought it was on the outside so I try to clean but -- but of course I was at work and didn't have anything to clean and I use my shirt (YEAH stupid me).. Now the coat on the filter seem to be a little scratch. I don't think it effect the images -- but it's annoying.. What's a good way to keep these filter clean. How do you guys clean it and what do you use?

thanks.

Microfiber cloth and lens cleaning fluid. I actually use a cloth and cleaner I got at Sams' Club - in the eyeglasses section near the Sams' Club in-house eye doctor. It says it is also good for camera lenses and it DOES work very well.

philbaum · 07-03-2008, 11:23 AM

My brother has worked in the eyeglass business for years. Says that these coatings started out to be a varnish like material applied over glass. Now refined and baked on but still vulnerable.

He says its important to not clean with just a cloth if there is dirt on the lens as one rubs a possibly hard particle across the coating, possibly scratching it. therefore should brush off stuff first. Cloth in general is preferred over any hard paper material because particles can push up into the cloth preventing excessive force between the particle and the coating.

I have one of these cleaning pens you can order online or get from the camera shop, 2 actually but i can't find one. They have a brush at one end and a carbon like pad at the other. Usually i only need the brush to clean dust off the lens. more rarely i've used the soft pad to clean smudges off my the filter or lens.

Have yet to need to clean a lens with liquid in the last 8 months, since i bought my slr.

procyon · 07-03-2008, 11:35 AM

Originally Posted by johnyeros

... 1 spot of dust on the otherside of the filter...

1 dust particle will not show up on pictures.
If it is really big then just test it - focus the lens as close as possible, stop it down to about f/22 and make a picture of the sky or other evenly lit object. Can you spot the dust particle ? If not, then don't fix something that's not broken. Easy as that.

NicholasN · 07-03-2008, 03:19 PM

Before I think of even using any sort of cloth (microfibre or otherwise) to clean a lens or filter I always use a lens brush first and that normally gets any dust gone.

If there are smudges from an accidental finger touching the glass the lens pen always gets used.

johnyeros · 07-03-2008, 04:32 PM

thanks guys, now that you reminds me, my brother did said his glasses cleaning solution work well.. as far as the dust -- it was just annoying to see something so new and prestine to have a piece of dust.. of course it fall off when i blow at it on the right side after taking the filter off the lens -- but before that i was stupid and try to clean it on the other side.

thanks

NicholasN · 07-03-2008, 05:04 PM

Try to avoid using your mouth to blow dust of the lens or filter, all that will happen is lots of fine particles (and not so fine particles if your unlucky) of saliva will end up on the lens. Brush or lens pen always the first option.

myrdinn · 07-04-2008, 03:29 AM

In a Hoya manual I read this:

"CLEANING YOUR FILTERS:
Due to their high precision, filters should always be handled with care and kept clean whenever possible. Filters should be cleaned gently with just a lens tissue or soft cotton cloth, such as Hoya's Hi-Tech Microfibre cleaning cloth.
Never use any chemicals, such as lens cleaning fluid, on your filters, as these can damage the coatings. If any stubborn stains occur, these can usually be washed off with some clean water and a soft cotton cloth.
Hoya Hi-Tech Microfibre Cleaning Cloth is specially designed microfible cleaning cloth, ideal for cleaning dust & finger marks from camera lenses or spectacles. Machine washable. Size: 170 mm x 170 mm (6.7 inch x 6.7 inch)."

NicholasN · 07-04-2008, 05:07 PM

I was always advised never to use cleaning fluid on lenses or filters for the same reason that it may damage the coatings.

sharko · 07-04-2008, 06:25 PM

Are monitor wipes safe to use?

procyon · 07-05-2008, 04:32 AM

Originally Posted by sharko

Are monitor wipes safe to use?

Some monitor wipes are wet, I'd rule those out at once.
But I think a decent lens cloth and/or lenspen is not really that expensive.
Leave the monitor wipes for some cheapo digital compact