Lens cleaning

Paul Westwell wrote:
Hi all.

Having recently purchased a Fuji S5000 I was telling someone how I clean
my
lens

How often do you clean your lens??? It should need cleaning only
rarely. Few lenses are ever damaged. Lenses and not as sensitive as they
were many years ago. However I am going to guess that more lenses are
damaged by cleaning than by anything else. Almost all of that cleaning is
excessive cleaning.

by breathing on it and wiping it with my hanky to which they responded
with panic!

Given a clean hanky, not one that has been in your pocket with loose
change and who knows what for three weeks is fine.

The safest leaning would be a puff of clean dry air, as from a clean ear
syringe. Next would be a clean camel hair brush. Your method is good (a
true lens cleaning tissue, used once and discarded would be better) for
smudges etc that will not come off with the air or brush. In any case,
don't clean unless it is really needed.

I don't subscribe to the "protective filter" thing many people and
almost all camera salespeople try to say is necessary but decide for
yourself.


Am I likely to do any harm, are their coatings really that delicate...

No, no lens made today uses the kind of soft glass and coatings that
started all this fear. I might add that even back in the old days, the
"damage" did not really do much real damage. It is mostly worry and not
fact.

is
the damage already done?

Not likely.


Regards,

Paul

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

In article , Paul Westwell
writes
Hi all.

Having recently purchased a Fuji S5000 I was telling someone how I clean my
lens by breathing on it and wiping it with my hanky to which they responded
with panic!

Am I likely to do any harm, are their coatings really that delicate... is
the damage already done?

Regards,

Forget the hanky and buy yourself a microfibre lens cleaning cloth. A
perfectly clean hanky won't do much damage, but if it's in your pocket
collecting grit it may do. No, the real advantage of the microfibre
cloths is that they absorb oil (e.g. from sweaty fingerprints - and by
definition all fingerprints are sweaty) much better than cotton fibres.
They are not that expensive, can be washed when soiled, and last a long
time.

Don't clean your lens unless it really needs it.

Breathing is fine, I have done it myself for 30 years and never
experienced any problem. It helps to emulsify oily marks and get them
absorbed in the cloth. Avoid spitting on the lens though - wipe your
lips before breathing on it..
--
David Littlewood

In article , Paul Westwell
writes
Hi all.

Having recently purchased a Fuji S5000 I was telling someone how I clean my
lens by breathing on it and wiping it with my hanky to which they responded
with panic!

Am I likely to do any harm, are their coatings really that delicate... is
the damage already done?

Regards,

Forget the hanky and buy yourself a microfibre lens cleaning cloth. A
perfectly clean hanky won't do much damage, but if it's in your pocket
collecting grit it may do. No, the real advantage of the microfibre
cloths is that they absorb oil (e.g. from sweaty fingerprints - and by
definition all fingerprints are sweaty) much better than cotton fibres.
They are not that expensive, can be washed when soiled, and last a long
time.

Don't clean your lens unless it really needs it.

Breathing is fine, I have done it myself for 30 years and never
experienced any problem. It helps to emulsify oily marks and get them
absorbed in the cloth. Avoid spitting on the lens though - wipe your
lips before breathing on it..
--
David Littlewood

Spitting can be real bad if you are eating something gritty!

"David Littlewood" wrote in message
...
In article , Paul Westwell
writes
Hi all.

Having recently purchased a Fuji S5000 I was telling someone how I clean
my
lens by breathing on it and wiping it with my hanky to which they
responded
with panic!

Am I likely to do any harm, are their coatings really that delicate... is
the damage already done?

Regards,

Forget the hanky and buy yourself a microfibre lens cleaning cloth. A
perfectly clean hanky won't do much damage, but if it's in your pocket
collecting grit it may do. No, the real advantage of the microfibre
cloths is that they absorb oil (e.g. from sweaty fingerprints - and by
definition all fingerprints are sweaty) much better than cotton fibres.
They are not that expensive, can be washed when soiled, and last a long
time.

Don't clean your lens unless it really needs it.

Breathing is fine, I have done it myself for 30 years and never
experienced any problem. It helps to emulsify oily marks and get them
absorbed in the cloth. Avoid spitting on the lens though - wipe your
lips before breathing on it..
--
David Littlewood

Spitting can be real bad if you are eating something gritty!

"David Littlewood" wrote in message
...
In article , Paul Westwell
writes
Hi all.

Having recently purchased a Fuji S5000 I was telling someone how I clean
my
lens by breathing on it and wiping it with my hanky to which they
responded
with panic!

Am I likely to do any harm, are their coatings really that delicate... is
the damage already done?

Regards,

Forget the hanky and buy yourself a microfibre lens cleaning cloth. A
perfectly clean hanky won't do much damage, but if it's in your pocket
collecting grit it may do. No, the real advantage of the microfibre
cloths is that they absorb oil (e.g. from sweaty fingerprints - and by
definition all fingerprints are sweaty) much better than cotton fibres.
They are not that expensive, can be washed when soiled, and last a long
time.

Don't clean your lens unless it really needs it.

Breathing is fine, I have done it myself for 30 years and never
experienced any problem. It helps to emulsify oily marks and get them
absorbed in the cloth. Avoid spitting on the lens though - wipe your
lips before breathing on it..
--
David Littlewood

In article , Joseph Meehan
wrote:

I don't subscribe to the "protective filter" thing many people and
almost all camera salespeople try to say is necessary but decide for
yourself.

Gotta agree with you on this one. But they sell a lot of filters that
way.

In article , Joseph Meehan
wrote:

I don't subscribe to the "protective filter" thing many people and
almost all camera salespeople try to say is necessary but decide for
yourself.

Gotta agree with you on this one. But they sell a lot of filters that
way.

Randall Ainsworth wrote:
In article , Joseph Meehan
wrote:

I don't subscribe to the "protective filter" thing many people and
almost all camera salespeople try to say is necessary but decide for
yourself.

Gotta agree with you on this one. But they sell a lot of filters that
way.

Some did when I was in the business. Lucky for me I did not have a boss
that believed in that kind of customer treatment even though we often made
much more from the sale of accessories than the camera.

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

Gene Palmiter wrote:
Spitting can be real bad if you are eating something gritty!


Even breathing can be dangerous in Los Angeles, Mexico City, and...

--
Frank ess

Gene Palmiter wrote:
Spitting can be real bad if you are eating something gritty!


Even breathing can be dangerous in Los Angeles, Mexico City, and...

--
Frank ess