A safe way to clean Pentax Lenses

Aneopa · 04-24-2007, 06:11 PM

Hi, I wanna to buy a liquid to clean lenses, but I´m afraid of a aggression to the SMC coating.

Every brand uses a different coating, and each one of this coatings can be safely clean with a certain substance. I mean, for example, ammonia can be perfectly safe to clean determinate kind of coating, but can extremely aggressive with another.

Is there any know liquid safe to clean Pentax lenses, without risk to the SMC?

Thanks

**jamesk8752** · 04-24-2007, 09:17 PM

The SMC coating is a lot less sensitive to solvents than you imagine. It's an inorganic coating and is not attacked by solvents. A solution of alcohol and water is perfectly safe to use as a cleaning liquid; that is what most commercial lens cleaners contain.

Of greater concern should be the possibility of scratching the coating by using an abrasive cloth or paper to clean the lens. A cloth with abrasive dirt on it is also a potential source of damage. Use only a soft clean cloth, preferably the microfiber type designed for cleaning optics, or a piece of lens tissue, wetted with a small amount of cleaning liquid, and wipe the lens gently - do not scrub it!

Overcleaning/too frequent cleaning should be avoided. A little dust on a lens will not harm the image.

Aneopa · 04-25-2007, 10:39 AM

Thank you jamesk8752.

I was really concerned about this...

If you don´t mind, What's a colormonger do?

04-24-2007, 06:11 PM	#1
Aneopa Guest	A safe way to clean Pentax Lenses Hi, I wanna to buy a liquid to clean lenses, but I´m afraid of a aggression to the SMC coating. Every brand uses a different coating, and each one of this coatings can be safely clean with a certain substance. I mean, for example, ammonia can be perfectly safe to clean determinate kind of coating, but can extremely aggressive with another. Is there any know liquid safe to clean Pentax lenses, without risk to the SMC? Thanks

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04-24-2007, 09:17 PM	#2
jamesk8752 Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Suburban Detroit, MI, USA Posts: 238	The SMC coating is a lot less sensitive to solvents than you imagine. It's an inorganic coating and is not attacked by solvents. A solution of alcohol and water is perfectly safe to use as a cleaning liquid; that is what most commercial lens cleaners contain. Of greater concern should be the possibility of scratching the coating by using an abrasive cloth or paper to clean the lens. A cloth with abrasive dirt on it is also a potential source of damage. Use only a soft clean cloth, preferably the microfiber type designed for cleaning optics, or a piece of lens tissue, wetted with a small amount of cleaning liquid, and wipe the lens gently - do not scrub it! Overcleaning/too frequent cleaning should be avoided. A little dust on a lens will not harm the image.

04-25-2007, 10:39 AM	#3
Aneopa Guest	Thank you jamesk8752. I was really concerned about this... If you don´t mind, What's a colormonger do?