Lens Cleaning

Nice to hear that leytono.

It would probably be on a lens like this that you would
gain several stops, especially if it was dirty link

Edit: Just noticed on the link to the distributor that
Mannesty gave:

Until now, the majority of lens cleaners have been simply silicone, alcohol or glycerin based products. Instead of removing the embedded pollution from the pores and surface of a lens, they tended to coat it, thereby defeating the original intention.

ROR has redefined the science of lens care by utilizing a formula of natural ingredients that finally removes the counterproductive, ineradicable microscopic oil residues from the surface and pores of glass and plastic.

So it's not just me calling glass porous

Algi, I hate to keep banging this gong, but you're driving me bonkers!

Are you aware that a 1.5 stop gain means almost 3 times more light?

So if the cleaning fluid gains you 1.5 stops just by removing muck from the surface, that muck would have had to be cutting out very nearly two thirds (yes, 67%) of the light.

It's just not a believable claim. 1.5 stops is darker than one of these.


I tell you what, if you believe this sort of marketing claptrap, I have a marvellous universal solvent that I'm sure you'll love. It's non-toxic, odourless, you can mix it with any cheap detergent to enhance its effect, it's safe to use it on your skin, even your lawn, and when you're done with it, you can just pour it safely down the sink.

I can sell you some at the remarkable rock-bottom price of £10 for a 10ml bottle, and for £20 I can sell it in a compact, dehydrated form - all you need to do to restore it to full effectiveness is add some water.

A bargain, I reckon. You up for a few bottles?

Question is, do dirty lenses actually really matter or does overzealous cleaning do more harm than good. Ok nobody wants fingerprints, but a bit of dust isn't the end of the world.

I'd love to see some evidence of a 1.5 stop gain. That it gets the lens clean I can believe, but almost anything will do that.

It takes more than a scratch or two to show up in an image, usually as flare. Ironically, the "blooming" of uncoated lenses by age resulted in reduced flare and increased contrast, which is how coating of lenses came about.

A 1.5 stop gain is a pretty wild figure I think. Blooming does increase transmission, if I remember correctly by maybe 0.5 stops.

Eclipse fluid specifically warns against its use on lenses and filters.

Personally, I'm using 20 year old Selvyt cloths.

A link would help ...

link if you
are referring to Selvyt, printed on the side of the Eclipse bottle: 'READ CAREFULLY! Eclipse fluid is not recommended for use on filters and lenses.'

Interesting Ken - I've seen Eclipse described as sensor and lens cleaner - such as on Amazon

My bottle of Eclipse doesn't have such a warning.

Photographic Solutions have this page, where they talk about using Eclipse on lenses.

They also make PEC-12, for cleaning film, which they specifically do warn not to use on lenses (under 'When NOT to use PEC-12'), since it can dissolve the cement between the elements.

OTOH: the bottle of Eclipse (not "Eclipse E2") that I bought from "Just" (AKA "Camea Clean"), see http://www.cameraclean.co.uk/product-detail.php?cat=11&product=118&desc=Eclipse+... clearly states in the title "PS0020 - Eclipse Lens & CCD Cleaner (59ml Bottle)"!!!!!!
There is nothing on this bottle, nor is there anything on the smaller sampler bottle of E2 that I bought a year or two ago. Also the instructions that came with the original kit (which contained the sampler bottle) from Just at that time states "When PEC*PADS are used with Eclipse they are ideally suited for cleaning camera lenses"

So where is this warning against using Eclipse??:

I have, several times, cleaned the GX10 & K-5 sensors with the PEC*PADS swabs with both Eclipse E2 and Eclipse on them, and then used the same, still slightly damp, swabs on lenses - with the result that the latter are sparkingly clean, and much better than I seem to get with other means.

& BTW, I've been wearing glasses for over 50yrs and I positively hate Calotherm cloths and the like, such as the opticians routinely give you with new pairs of specs, because, after the 1st or 2nd use, they don't clean the lenses but just smear all the muck (especially any "skin grease") across everything!

I just use breath on the lenses and then use clean soft face tissues. This has been pretty-much OK on everything from the early uncoated glass lenses to the latest coated plastic "transitions" lenses - there only being a problem with some early '90s coated lenses which developed severe oil-stain-like blooming when I did this. The opticians suggested that the skin grease might be causing the problem, but it has not happened again for the last 10+ years, so maybe the coatings have changed.

I have often used the same approach with camera lenses, and the results have been reasonable - but not as good as the Eclipse fluid used as described above.

Perhaps they've changed their mind like they did with which camera sensors you could use the various versions on.

So, wiping it on my T-shirt isn't the answer then?

quote:3496ace15f="Father Ted"]So, wiping it on my T-shirt isn't the answer then? [/quote]I don't think so!! - and for the same reason that I shudder when my wife does exactly that with her specs!