Re: [Leica] Lens Cleaning

["Dan Post" <dpost@triad.rr.com>]

MArtin-
Lens cleaning?
Two words- "Bon Ami"
as the can says- "hasn't scratched yet!"

Dan (Writing and loading my Leica at the same time!) Post
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Martin Howard" <howard.390@osu.edu>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2000 8:01 PM
Subject: Re: [Leica] Lens Cleaning


> Terry Sham jotted down the following:
>
> > I have tried to find the solution from the archives, but no answer was
> > found. I know the coating of the front elements of Leica lenses are
strong.
> > However, how about the rear elements?  Are they softer than the front
> > elements? Are they easier to be scratched by cleaning?
>
> OK, easy now: I wasn't trying to imply that the LUG was no place for
> beginners.  We've all been newbies at one time or another (myself only two
> years ago).
>
> Fact is, you had a whole bunch of questions in your message, the first of
> which had to do with materials and techniques for cleaning lenses.  That
was
> the "contentious" and "unsophisticated" part I was referring to.  That was
> also the question to which you can find probably 100 different answers in
> the archives.
>
> As to lens coating, I'm sure your right: I don't think it has been
discussed
> on the LUG before.  I respectfully submit that a better way of framing
your
> question would have been to highlight the issue of lens coating on rear
> elements as the main issue -- rather than burying this in the middle of
your
> message.  The risk of misunderstanding -- as I did -- is then much less.
>
> I don't know the answer, but I suspect that it doens't matter much.
> Speculating for an instance, I would imagine that the lens coating on rear
> elements is probably the same (or at least similar) to that on the front.
> It would seem more economical from a production point of view to only have
> to do one type of coating, rather than many different types.
>
> Secondly, it's rare to have to clean the rear elements.  You pretty much
> want to leave these alone as much as possible.  Whenever I've bought a
lens
> secondhand that's needed cleaning of the rear element, I usually just use
a
> little ROR on either a lint-free cotton cloth, or a microfibre cloth, and
> very, very gently wipe it clean.  Then I never touch it again.  Seems to
> work, but then I don't take pictures which require absolute critical
> sharpness, 100 l/mm, tripod, enlarged to 20x24", so you mileage may vary.
>
> > If they place is not for beginner, where should I go? I really have many
> > questions of this kind.
>
> Again, I didn't mean that you (or anyone else) shouldn't ask questions.
We
> all learn from good questions and the discussions that follow.  However,
> there are a number of almost trivial issues, such as lens cleaning fluids,
> lens cleaning materials, UV filters for protection, how to carry an M
> camera, which camera strap to use, whether to buy a chrome or a black
lens,
> and similar issues which have been beaten to death on this list and for
> which there is plenty of material in the archives.  You are, of course,
> perfectly entitled to ask such questions anyway, but I (and/or others) are
> also perfectly entitled to be sick of threads dealing with them and to
point
> those who ask them in the direction of the archives.
>
> M.
>
> --
> Martin Howard                     |
> Visiting Scholar, CSEL, OSU       |     It's all about 'interface'
> email: howard.390@osu.edu         |
> www: http://mvhoward.i.am/        +---------------------------------------
>
>
>