Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/07/06
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hi Steve, Look cleaning a leica lens is so easy and non scientific that it's a piece of cake. As I've read some pretty ridged cleaning scenarios from folks you'd think you were cleaning a piece of extra-ordinary glass instead of a leica coated lens.. I believe Leica should put out a video illustrating how their technical service people clean lenses when you send them for a fix up or if you go to one of those leica day things held in camera stores. it goes like this... tech takes lens in hand breathes on the glass and rubs a piece of cloth in a circular motion and cleans the lens.... that's it. And if you go into the archives you'll find this topic has all the answers to cleaning. However, this is the way to do it and you can save a fortune in those technical created "cleaning cloths with droplets of whatever the hell they put in those bottles to take your money, that would be better spent on buying film so you can take more pictures.....;-) 1: You have the finest piece of lens cleaning cloth riding on your butt day after day, your under shorts when you're ready to discard them. Then cut the butt side or largest piece of cloth from them and put the piece in a small zip lock bag and in your equipment bag for future use. Or immediately if required. 2: When you're ready to clean, blow.. using your lung blowing power and blow off the lens Then if you have a small camel hair cleaning brush lightly.... Then hot breath on the glass, take undershort cleaning cloth and in circular motion wipe off any other stuff. No you don't have to wipe as soft as you might wipe a babies bottom either, you give it a good rub until it's clean. If after the first one you se a finger print give 'er another good breathing fog and rub it again!!! Harder this time. You'll find the above has been posted to the LUG an many occasions in the past 5-6 years and it works. No it doesn't leave any scratches and unless you're using steel wool or some kind of abrasive material your lens will be just fine. I've used the under wear cleaning cloth for many many years and yep in the past some neophyte lens cleaners have poo-pooed the method or worse... they've never done it and yet shoot it down. Anyway Steve, would I steer you wrong about cleaning a Leica element? Besides this undershort and breathing method has been used for 50 years, not jut on Leica glass but every other lens I've ever owned and used. and all my Leica glass looks great....... when I get around to cleaning the glass. ;-) ted - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html