Lens Cleaning

Whether you have a filter on your lens or not, at some point the glass will get dirty and will need cleaning, There are various methods and solutions available, Here is what i use and how, Firstly i will use a blower or a blower with a small brush attached available in any camera store and blow and dust any debris off of the glass, Do not rub with a cloth first as this can drag any debris across the glass and cause scratches which you really do not want, Not only will that mean your second hand value has dropped but light can catch the scratches and impact on your images, After i have brushed and blown the debris off of the glass i put a couple of drops of lens cleaning solution onto a lens tissue, again available at any camera store, Make sure that you have a couple of tissues torn from the tissue book and within easy reach, Start from the centre of the lens and wipe the solution in a circular motion towards the edge of the lens, as soon as you have finished quickly grab a clean dry tissue and again wipe from the centre outwards, You may need to do this twice but normally just the once and the glass should be spotless,Once you have used the tissue throw it away, DO NOT use a second time, at this point if you so wish you could finish with a lens cloth but really there should be no need, One word of warning, If you use a lens cloth similar to what you get with your glasses or one purchased from a camera store make sure its very clean as they too can hold bits of dust and grit and cause damage, I rarely use these but do have them in my bag and sealed, Once used i get it cleaned for the next time, Just ask yourself when did you last clean your camera bag out, Bags are always full of dust and dirt and this will get on a cloth-be warned, A couple of weeks ago my buddy Dave Newton told me of a new product to clean your lenses with, Its called ROR or residual oil remover available here, I ordered a couple of bottles and yesterday cleaned my lenses, It worked very well although my Oakley sunglasses didnt come up as well as with Oakley cleaner, An inexpensive item that you cant do without

Dave