Dave wrote:
i did a ton of travelling earlier this year and got my camera lenses
quite dirty at times. (did my best to keep them clean but i was in
crazy places...)

i wiped them gently with anti-static cloths but i didn't feel good
about it.

Best to avoid contact with anything (dust) on the surface. Gently
remove that with a blower and if required a fine, gentle brush. Once
removed, then a microfibre cloth can be used to remove spots (skin oil,
moisture residue). And finally, Kodak lens cleaner (tiny amounts) to
get rid of any remaining residue.

should i buy "Multicoated" lens covers (i believe a.k.a. Neutral
Density Glass Filters)? has anyone used them?

ND is to reduce light allowing larger apertures at a given speed (or
slower speeds at a given aperture. (constant ISO of course).

For most digital cameras a "Neutral Color" filter can be used for
protection.

I recently bought a Nikon NC (multicoated) for this purpose (I don't use
"protection" filters unless needed, and for a 77mm lens with the front
element really exposed it was needed).

Cheers,
Alan

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