Originally posted by hjoseph7 Whatever you use to clean it, make sure it doesn't contain alcohol or ammonia.
You mean like the Windex I use? Actually, I do use window cleaner in conjunction with a soft cotton cloth, but very sparingly and only for gunge that will not blow off (e.g. chocolate, bacon grease, boogers, etc.). I have been known to use a microfiber cloth as an alternative, but am wary because of the potential to carry and grind fine dirt onto the lens. I keep thinking about all the nice sharp silica dust left over from the Mt. St. Helens (visible through my window a few miles to the north) eruptions. The nice thing about the microfiber cloth is that it actively wicks oils into the fabric in much the same way that the carbon tip of the lens pen works. The flip side of the cloth, of course, is that it only works well and safely when nice and clean.
I know...I know...solvents have the potentially to damage the lens coatings or hydrophobic surface treatments. A specialized low-residue detergent may be preferable, but I know what my local camera repair guys use and what my optician gave me to use on my expensive coated eyeglasses
Steve
Last edited by stevebrot; 07-14-2014 at 04:31 PM.