# Cleaning equipment for camera/lenses



## Gixxer6 (Apr 5, 2014)

It's my wife's birthday soon and I'd like to buy her some cleaning equipment for her camera. I'm not into photography but had a look on Amazon for some lense cleaning kits and there are plenty of products to choose from and juts when I think I found something that looks good there is a review that convinces me otherwise. 

I'm thinking as a minimum she needs:

Soft brush for removing dust
Lense blower with or without brush
Microfibre cloths
Cleaning fluid
Lense pen? I've read mixed reviews about lense pens, some say they are great and some say that they should be avoided.

Any suggestions for brands/models or equipment advice will be greatly appreciated.


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## Ravinder (Jul 24, 2009)

I've bought this recently. Haven't used it yet but it's been highly rated and saw it being recommended on some of the photography forums. Cheap too.


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## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

Be very wary of cleaning kits and do your research, quite often it's easy to make matters worse than better, either just shifting dust around or getting into areas where it could prove more troublesome from where it came from originally.

Prevention as always is better than cure, for example always hold you camera body downwards when changing lenses, every time we change a lens microscopic fragments of metal are removed from the body and the lens. Don't allow your kit to experience a sudden change in temperature. When changing lenses think of it in a detailing way i.e. there is always particles of dust in the atmosphere.

Unless the images from the camera are showing dust spots I'd leave alone, there is a simple and quite effective test to demonstrate this.

If your wife is seriously into photography I'd reccomend having her kit professionally cleaned, that's just about the most fullproof option.:thumb:


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## Oldsparky (Jun 18, 2014)

First thing is to always have a uv filter on all lenses. This protects the front and you can just wipe it with a std lens cloth with no worries about lens coatings


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## Gixxer6 (Apr 5, 2014)

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.


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## stevieR26 (Feb 21, 2010)

I've used lens pens and had no problems. I always take time when cleaning the camera and be careful with internals etc.


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## lobotomy (Jun 23, 2006)

Oldsparky said:


> First thing is to always have a uv filter on all lenses. This protects the front and you can just wipe it with a std lens cloth with no worries about lens coatings


meh... other than stopping a rock actually smashing the front element you're only actually adding another optic in front of the lens, which depending on the quality of the filter could impact the quality of the final image, or at the very least reduce light transmission by a fraction of a stop. Plus if it's on all of the time you'll get dust / marks on the filter and you'll have to clean them as well, so if you take time to clean the filter without inflicting scratches/marks you'd be as well doing this on the lens itself?

Kurt Munger wrote quite an interesting article on the effect of lens dirt/damage. Check out the images even with the smashed front element!


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## Oldsparky (Jun 18, 2014)

lobotomy said:


> meh... other than stopping a rock actually smashing the front element you're only actually adding another optic in front of the lens, which depending on the quality of the filter could impact the quality of the final image, or at the very least reduce light transmission by a fraction of a stop. Plus if it's on all of the time you'll get dust / marks on the filter and you'll have to clean them as well, so if you take time to clean the filter without inflicting scratches/marks you'd be as well doing this on the lens itself?
> 
> Kurt Munger wrote quite an interesting article on the effect of lens dirt/damage. Check out the images even with the smashed front element!


Well each to their own you can find arguments both ways on the photo forums.

I will stick to keeping mine on


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## HarryHedgehog (Aug 13, 2013)

Always had a UV filter on apart from when capturing the northern lights - avoided Newtons Rings - always good to have a barrier before the lens unless you absolutely can't IMHO.


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## MARKETMAN (Aug 22, 2006)

I use a rocket blower to remove dust etc... from lens also those prepacked moist lens wipes and a good quality microfibre cloth . As for sensor cleaning I always do my own as no matter what you do you will get dust on your sensor


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## James_R (Jun 28, 2007)

I have a rocket blower, and a jessops microfibre cloth.
I used either spectacle lens cleaner or AG fast glass if the lens/filter gets really dirty or dusty.

AS for using a filter or not, I went to Rally Wales GB with the camera gear, at the time Richard Burns was racing thro Crychan Forest.
A load of gravel and mud flew up in the air from his spinning wheels exiting a hairpin, one lump cracked my UV filter. Easy swap, another £20 filter put in place, and saved me from repairing a £400 lens.

I have the Hoya Pro1 Digital ultra thin filter lenses at moment, they are not cheap but give fantastic light transmission


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## Cy-Zuki (Feb 9, 2015)

Just seen this and a bit late but I agree rocket blower as a first step. BEWARE of dustoff (canned air) as a liquid version of the gas can sometimes get on the lens. Soft cloth is good and a huff of breath before using the cloth is OK. Calotherm cloths are very good.

I think the advantages of a UV filter as protection outweigh the disadvantages. However, do not but a cheap filter! Canon and Nikon etc spend millions developing lens coatings so don't spoil all that by putting an ebay cheapo on the front. 

In 25 years of photography I only damaged a UV filter once - I dropped it as I was selling my lens!

Cheers,
Geoff


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## little john (Jun 10, 2007)

Cleaning stuff I use, lens pens, alcohol wipes and a rocket blower. I have a load of sensor cleaning kit too but not used it yet, eclipse fluid and some other bits from the USA

Filters I have one 82mm one and a 70mm one. I refer to use lens hoods for protection but will occasionally use a filter in situations when mud and other crap is in the air

I didn't use a filter on this day so it needs to be bad for me to use one









Easily sorted though


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