Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/01/10
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]If you can't touch it with your finger, it probably doesn't need to be cleaned, since you couldn't have grabbed it by mistake. Cleaning a rear element can have much worse effects than the front - since scratches here bring the problems right to the film. Lens pen - false sense of security. Will not only dust your lens with a strange but harmless black powder, it is also susceptible to collecting grease and hard debris that can scratch the lens. Fun for one or two tries, though. Just think that if you only have to clean that element every once in a while, it's $7 well spent. Q-tip - ok, but these come apart fairly easily when wet. They can also carry too much liquid to the edges of the element. Microfiber - just don't. They work once, then they become very efficient glass-scratchers. Suggestion: kodak lens tissue and that unidentified lens-cleaning fluid. Then throw the tissue away. Sometimes you can get away with touch of aerosol glass cleaners (Chrysler auto glass cleaner works for this). Because it's ethanol-ba sed, it evaporates without residue. Or Windex. These are also good for cleaning your scanner glass.