[rollei_list] Re: OT: Zeiss lens cleaning wipes?
- From: "Richard Knoppow" <dickburk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 11:41:54 -0700
----- Original Message -----
From: "Marc James Small" <marcsmall@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2008 10:11 AM
Subject: [rollei_list] Re: OT: Zeiss lens cleaning wipes?
At 10:38 AM 5/29/2008, Choiliefan@xxxxxxx wrote:
Hello,
Has anyone here used the Zeiss individually wrapped moist
lens cleaning tissues I see for sale on ebay?
Are they any good or comparable to a less expensive, easily
found alternative?
Health, Peace
Lance
Selma, NC 27576
Lance
These are available for a decidedly low cost at
Wal-Mart. But they are intended to service
eyeglasses and not camera lenses. Micro-fiber is
the way to go for camera lenses and the like.
Marc
msmall@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Cha robh bàs fir gun ghràs fir!
I am not happy about micro-fiber cloths or anything
else that gets re-used for cleaning lenses. The cloth can
pick up grit and cause scratching. The same goes for lens
brushes.
Probably the safest method is to use Kim Wipes and 99%
isopropyl alcohol. Kodak lens cleaning tissue, if its still
made, feathered nicely and makes good one-shot brushes. The
instructions used to be on the package. it will also work
with Kim Wipes. roll the tissue up and tear it in half. Fold
the torn halves together and use as a brush to remove dust.
Use it once and discard it.
Nearly all commercial lens cleaners are made of diluted
ammonium carbonate. Windex, and similar glass cleaners, are
made of ammonium hydroxide. Since highly alkaline substances
are capable of dissolving certain kinds of glass the use of
the less alkaline carbonate is safer although I've never
seen any damage from using Windex.
Some newer glass cleaners use butyl alcohol as the main
ingedient, these are usually called "streak free" and are
recommended by Hewlett-Packard for cleaning scanner windows.
Plain isopropyl or ethyl alcohol will remove most oily
substances from lenses and not leave a residue. Pure (dry)
isopropyl is available at some drugstores and at computer
stores. Ethyl alcohol is taxed and hard to fined. Supposedly
Everclear (is that the name) is pure ethyl but is taxed as
liquor so is expensive. I don't think ethyl has any
advantage over isopropyl for lens cleaning.
Lenses should not be cleaned unless there is a good
reaon to do so. Surface dust and lint can usually be blown
off with a hand bulb or light application of canned air.
Beware that isopropyl alcohol (and probably other
types) dissolves the material of which the Rolleigrid is
made. Clean these only with diluted dishwashing detergent
and water. No lens cleaner either because nearly all of them
contain alcohol.
BTW, the "magic" lens cleaners appear to be nothing
more than isopropyl alcohol with sometimes a bit of wetting
agent in them.
No lens cleaner will fix scratches or damage to
coatings.
Also beware of getting lens cleaner into the edges of
the lens. While the retaining rings are supposed to seal off
the lens they are not always effective. Lens cleaner which
gets into the interstice can damage edge paint or even get
into the lens. If it gets into a sealed air space it can
take residue with it and require disassembly of the cell for
cleaning. Some recommend holding lenses facing downward to
clean them but lens cleaner can wick up the gap so just
don't use too much. Always apply the cleaner to a tissue,
never directly onto the lens.
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
---
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