Lenspen - The good? The Bad? The Ugly

[dmr]

I know of several camera shops who swear by them as being the best. I haven't used one, I try to live by the adage "keep the lens clean rather than keep cleaning the lens".

I have one, trademarked as "Lenspen" and the guy at the camera shop did state that it would not damage coating. Is this not totally true? I would think that if it did, word would get out very fast about it, not to mention damage claims and such.

I don't really use it that much, but when I do, by habit I kind of accompany the fluid in the cap with a bit of, uh, heavy breathing. I'm wondering now if that's such a good idea. ...

 

[Jon Goodman]

Please don't get me wrong...I'm not saying they will ruin your lenses. At least for the first few uses, I think they are probably fine. And I try to keep an open mind, but some friends of mine (long-time camera repairmen) are passionately against using them.

Kim Coxon is right, by the way. The old-timers used to say something like "keep your lens clean, but don't keep cleaning it."
Jon

 

[Nick R.]

Jon, I thought I was the only one to discover that my wife's blush brushes make excellent lens cleaners. I have a whole set of them. Years ago, I was taught never to use cloth for wiping a lens because they hold onto grit from previous cleanings. Instead, I use the diposable opitcal sheets but I roll/fold them up and tear the end into a little brush.

 

[Jon Goodman]

Those brushes are really nice. I only have one or two, and those were used before I got them, but if you wash them really well in warm soapy water, you can get them very clean. I'm not sure what sort of animal hair they are made from, but it is super soft.

About a year ago, I bought some lens cleaning "things" made by Zeiss Ikon, or at least sold under their name. They are not very good. I think they feel like those really cheap paper towels..the ones you get in the roadside rest stops...soaked in some alchol-based solution.
Jon