A well maintained, clean lens is vital to any photographer. Here are 10 simple top tips for cleaning your digital camera lens.
“Camera Cleaning” captured by Tim RT
1. Buy a simple lens cleaning kit. They’re inexpensive and invaluable. A cleaning kit commonly includes a microfibre cloth, a blower brush, and some lens cleaning fluid.
“Cosmetics” captured by Ondra Soukup
2. Do not overlook your casing. Regularly clean the casing, as this will pick up grime, grease, and dust quickly.
3. Don’t be heavy handed when cleaning the lens. Remember it is a fragile piece of equipment. If grime is hard to get off, do not rub harder! Keep the pressure light and be patient.
4. Use a blower brush for removing dust on your lens. Remember to extend a zoom lens to its narrowest or widest focal length to make the glass accessible.
“Blower Brush” captured by Night Heron
5. Some lenses are weather sealed. However, avoid using a cloth dampened with water. A dry microfibre cloth should remove all the dirt and dust just fine.
6. If there is grease, oil, or a smudge on the lens, use a lens cleaning fluid. Use sparingly with a microfibre cloth and rub in a circular motion.
7. Lens wipes are an excellent alternative to microfibre cloths. They are cheap, disposable, and have excellent cleaning capabilities.
8. Buy a lens filter. The filter will protect the front element of your lens. A standard UV filter is ideal. Replacing a damaged filter is much cheaper than replacing a damaged lens!
“Untitled” captured by Eric Tastad
9. A fine, soft painter’s brush is a cheaper alternative to a blower brush. A soft bristle, camel hair brush is ideal and is commonly available in art stores or online.
10. Clean your lens often! Never forget the importance of keeping it clean! The exposed glass elements on your lens are the most important parts when it comes to optical quality.
“After Clean Up” captured by Guillaume Radecki
Every photographer should regularly check their lens for dust and smudges. This is not only to ensure you are taking the sharpest possible shots; a smudge or a fingerprint left for a long time could cause permanent damage to your expensive camera lens.
As we all know, keeping your lens clean isn’t exactly mind-bogglingly difficult, but it is a task that should be performed regularly, patiently, thoughtfully, and attentively. Arm yourself with the proper lens cleaning tools. They’re an invaluable investment and are worth their weight in gold.
About the Author:
This article was written by James Cottis (photocamerasonline dot com) from Photo Cameras Online.
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