[Mothballs]

I tend to purchase Second hand lenses, and as Such, gernally need to clean them; from things like fingerprints to dust to other strange gunk, it gets on lenses. But I also live in a dusty environment and Find myself needing to clean rear elements on occasion.


One such occasion was tonight, as I Pulled my Super-Takumar 85mm 1.9 out and noticed a bit of junk on the lens's back.

Well, Lenspens last all of a week for me (I bought one a week ago. The brush is full of crud already) So I'd gone out and bought some Eclipse cleaning fluid and PEC*PADs at the advice of local sales people.

The result was an immediate huge, greasy smear across the back element,

We're not talking a little smudge, we're talking it looked like someone ate potato chips then rubbed on the back element.



And It wouldn't come off.



Now I'm pretty much sure that my rear element has a bunch of small scratches, which, while I know isn't the end of the world, is INFURIATING. This product is toted as 99.999% free of contaminates and lint, and as non abrasive, and It just made a friggen greasy mess of my lens. I thought it might just be that there was extra crud on the back element of the Tak, so I tried a fresh wipe on a clean 50mm Tak.

Grease.


Please, can someone direct me to a solution that will actaully work, and not leave me screaming in frustration?

[Sliver-Surfer]

I use Breath steam> if fails, eyeglass fluid > if fails, 99.99%isopropyl alcohol. Pec pads are good

[Mothballs]

I use Breath steam> if fails, eyeglass fluid > if fails, 99.99%isopropyl alcohol. Pec pads are good

I don't think something that leaves a smear of grease across my lenses can be classified as good. A used Microfiber cloth was more effective than PEC*PADs.

[promacjoe]

Note: some lenses have more greece than you expect. The over use of cleaning fluid can dissolve this greece and leave a film on your lens. Your cleaning pad/white should only be damp. You should not Soak the lens with cleaning fluid.

Also Note: only use approved camera lens cleaning fluid to clean your lenses. eyeglass cleaner can remove the coding from your camera lens. other type cleaners such as Standard glass cleaner can fog your lens.

Using a Lens swab, place a drop of cleaning fluid on the swab, Then dry it off, removing all unnecessary cleaning fluid. The swab should be damp not dripping wet. Then clean your lens. You may have to repeat this several times, but if you do it right you should be able to clean the grease off of your lens.

as far as scratches go, any scratches on the rear element can show up on your image. If you have scratched the rear element of your lens you may be wasting your time. But that's up to you to decide.

[Mothballs]

Note: some lenses have more greece than you expect. The over use of cleaning fluid can dissolve this greece and leave a film on your lens. Your cleaning pad/white should only be damp. You should not Soak the lens with cleaning fluid.

Also Note: only use approved camera lens cleaning fluid to clean your lenses. eyeglass cleaner can remove the coding from your camera lens. other type cleaners such as Standard glass cleaner can fog your lens.

Using a Lens swab, place a drop of cleaning fluid on the swab, Then dry it off, removing all unnecessary cleaning fluid. The swab should be damp not dripping wet. Then clean your lens. You may have to repeat this several times, but if you do it right you should be able to clean the grease off of your lens.

as far as scratches go, any scratches on the rear element can show up on your image. If you have scratched the rear element of your lens you may be wasting your time. But that's up to you to decide.

The lens had no scratches before now, and The ones I can see are very small. But the fact that a very, very clean lens touched with one of these PEC*PADS leaves a grease smear... Really, I need a reliable and good solution.

[jawsy]

The worst substance I had to clean off a lens was a high viscosity, graphite based grease. I gently wiped off the bulk of each glob with a soft tissue using a rolling off action, then applied whiteboard cleaner to get rid of the smears. Once the smears were gone, I finished off with a standard micro-fibre cloth and breath of hot air.

The grease is that bad that it will destroy rubber seals in washing machines and leave permanent black stains on shirts and trousers. When the lens got spotted I was p'ed off as thought I'd written off the lens. I was astounded when it worked, so much so that I allowed myself to get it a bit closer to the action from that point on.

(For reference/relevance, the grease was Fuchs Ceplattyn 2500.)

[Sliver-Surfer]

I don't think something that leaves a smear of grease across my lenses can be classified as good. A used Microfiber cloth was more effective than PEC*PADs.

Pec pads are good enough. I myself use good quality paper towel or a clean T-shirt. The grease was likely hidden in the corner of the lens. The key to getting the grease off is using a different part of the wipe and several cleaning attempts

[severalsnakes]

I have the Eclipse/Pec-Pad combo and they've never left greasy marks or scratches in my use.

I'm also apparently WAY more cavalier and careless about cleaning my lenses than you. After I blow off dust with a Rocket blower, I just use breath and a micro fiber cloth most of the time. If there is grease or some other hanger-on, I have a big bottle of denatured alcohol that I got at the hardware store. I pour a little in a shot glass and touch a cotton swab or bit of paper towel to the liquid, then dab at any gunky stuff.

Good luck with your lenses. Don't give up on 'em yet.

[6BQ5]

I've had good experiences cleaning my lenses with Purosol and a clean microfiber cloth. After cleaning with Purosol I'll use my Lenspen to get the edges and any bits of grease missed by the Purosol. The trick is to make sure your cloth is absolutely clean. Otherwise you're just dissolving what's on the cloth and smearing it back on the lens.

[Philippos]

Note: some lenses have more greece than you expect. The over use of cleaning fluid can dissolve this greece...

What the hell man!!! I live in Greece!!! Take it easy with this demonic fluid!!!

[monochrome]

ROR - Residual Oil Remover available in spray bottle at B&H or from the manufacturer in a dropper bottle. I use two drops on traditional lens cleaning paper.

[Davidparis]

What the hell man!!! I live in Greece!!! Take it easy with this demonic fluid!!!

Indeed, you guys have enough problems as it is without having to battle agressive lens cleaning fluids as well. This is a scandal!

[fuent104]

Panchro is a trusted brand for cleaning cinema lenses, which are very expensive. My method is to clean a lens with Panchro and lens tissue, then to breathe on the lens and wow away the streaks left by the panchro.

This method works extremely well.

[furryurry]

When I first bought my K-x I also purchased some cheap cleaning kit called "Precision Design" five piece digital care kit that included: lens cleaning solution, blower brush, non-abrasive cleaning cloth, lens cleaning tissue, cotton swabs. I never carry it with me but if I'm at home and need to clean the lens I do use it and it works. I also bought a Lenspen and always carry it with me but never use, or at least very rare. I have a rocket blower at home and I use it when I want to get rid of dust on the lens. I also have some cleaning solutions and pads and cleaning tissues that I got for "free" because it came with some used camera equipment purchased online. What I use the most and what I always have with me is my t-shirt.