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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Cleaning scope and bins lenses? (1 Viewer)

bitterntwisted

bitterntwisted

Graham Howard Shortt
Some advice please. I've been following instructions and cleaning both telescope and binocular lenses just by breathing lightly on them and using a microfibre cloth. However, now all surfaces, and particularly the objective of the scope show smearing and quickly gather small dust and hair specs. I don't know if this has any effect on the view but it can't help and I'm keen to know whether I can or should give them a more thorough clean and what I should use?

Many Thanks,
Graham
 
Hi Bitterntwisted
The microfibre cloths do smear after as while. Need to be washed regularly in detergent.
Use Eclipse methanol-based fluid and Pec pads from Warehouse Express. I use it for all camera/scope/bins lenses including 600mm f4!! Easy, no smears, dries in seconds and does not effect lens coatings. Cos its Methanol-based, you can't take the fluid on a plane on your jollies though. You could use the fluid with your microfibre cloth but pec-pads are cheap and one-shot. Use a blower brush first to get rid of big bits and to prevent scratching. I suppose I clean lenses once every couple of months. Dust will have a negligible effect on the bins/scope view but will degrade the image/contrast on the camera.
 
bitterntwisted said:
Some advice please. I've been following instructions and cleaning both telescope and binocular lenses just by breathing lightly on them and using a microfibre cloth. However, now all surfaces, and particularly the objective of the scope show smearing and quickly gather small dust and hair specs. I don't know if this has any effect on the view but it can't help and I'm keen to know whether I can or should give them a more thorough clean and what I should use?

Many Thanks,
Graham
Click to expand...


Download and print the Zeiss brochure on how to clean microscopes.
It's professional advice.
What works for a microscope will work for a scope.
Scopes and binoculars are more durable than microscope lenses due to their coatings:

http://www.zeiss.ca/C1256EEC002CF587/Contents-Frame/4A3F2F59B1C20B77C1256EF5003923E1

Forget all the rest.
 
bitterntwisted said:
Some advice please. I've been following instructions and cleaning both telescope and binocular lenses just by breathing lightly on them and using a microfibre cloth. However, now all surfaces, and particularly the objective of the scope show smearing and quickly gather small dust and hair specs. I don't know if this has any effect on the view but it can't help and I'm keen to know whether I can or should give them a more thorough clean and what I should use?

Many Thanks,
Graham
Click to expand...

Hi Graham, I have a natural disinclination to using chemical cleaners (the kind of little spray-on thingies for cleaning glasses, for example) on my bins and scopes, I just feel if they´re coated, best not to spray them with solvents. I don´t know if this is totally irrational. But the microfibre cloths, yeah, they have to be washed regularly. What really works for me is regular absorbent kitchen paper towels. And in case of fibres, a little brush I got in a camera shop, I´m sure you folk know all about them. It´s called a Hamas Lens Pen, it has a little retractable soft-bristle brush at one end for dust and hairs, and a capped chamois-type circular doohickey at the other for getting rid of smudges. Every so often, I wash the chamois thing. The pen itself is about the size of a standard marker.
 
Hi Sancho,I used regular kitchen paper towels once on a friends binocular plastic end caps and the towels scatched the caps,something that never happened using the Zeiss premoistened lens tissue in the foil packs.I also scratched lots of my glasses using paper towels,I would never use regular paper towels on optics.This is my just my opinion of course and maybe some paper towels would be soft enough.
Regards,Steve
 
Last edited:
bitterntwisted said:
Some advice please. I've been following instructions and cleaning both telescope and binocular lenses just by breathing lightly on them and using a microfibre cloth. However, now all surfaces, and particularly the objective of the scope show smearing and quickly gather small dust and hair specs. I don't know if this has any effect on the view but it can't help and I'm keen to know whether I can or should give them a more thorough clean and what I should use?

Many Thanks,
Graham
Click to expand...

Graham,

I cleaned my brand new FL's the same way you described and noticed smearing as you did, and speckles that were hard to remove.
I would not suggest you do the same, but I just rubbed with a moist cotton cloth until all speckles and smearing had gone. As far as I can see it has not affected the coating, and by now, after more than a year, cleaning the lenses is a piece of cake, with a hanky or a microfibre cloth.
I'm not too sensitive about my optics, but it appears Zeiss coatings can have some mildly abusive cleaning. On seawatches, I never bother to fiddle with a microfibre thingy but just lick off the salt and sand from the objectives and give them a quick wipe with a clean hanky.

Greetings, Ronald
 
im using Peca Formula MC Multi-Coated Lens & Filter Cleaning Fluid and PEC*PAD CCD / Lens Cleaning Paper for cleaning my scope and binocular.

used 1 drop at the paper then clean the lens. has been advised not to drop the liquid onto the lens.

sometimes i also used deerskin available from my local camera shop but i clean my scope once in few months same like Den.

by the way, click this link http://shashinki.com/shop/sensor-camera-cleaning-tools-c-33.html
 
Viking sell a lens cleaning kit but it's about 12 quid! It looks like it contains a bottle of spray (Containing???), a microfibre cloth and a brush disguised as a pen. Anyone used it? Worth the money? Whats in the solution? Is it the same as in Boots glasses cleaner which costs about 4 pounds for a bigger bottle + microfibre cloth?

Claire:h?:
 
Whoops! Thanks for the advice, there, Steve! I´ll abandon the kitchen paper towel thing forthwith! How did your friend take it when you scratched his caps?

mooreorless said:
Hi Sancho,I used regular kitchen paper towels once on a friends binocular plastic end caps and the towels scatched the caps,something that never happened using the Zeiss premoistened lens tissue in the foil packs.I also scratched lots of my glasses using paper towels,I would never use regular paper towels on optics.This is my just my opinion of course and maybe some paper towels would be soft enough.
Regards,Steve
Click to expand...
 
Microfibre cloths have always worked like magic for me, but I've been using the big, fluffy ones you get in supermarkets. Recently I bought some proper optical microfibre cloths for ease of carrying around, but these are thin and flat and less pleasant to use. And they don't work remotely as well.

So before you give up on microfibre cloths, make sure you've tried the right kind.

Michael.
 
The best and safest that I have found: Surgical cotton balls used with either Zeiss spray lens solution, ( at home), or Zeiss pre-moistened lens tissues (in the field). The surgical cotton balls are available at most drug stores.

I was never able to grip and use lens paper very well and I am a bit leary of the microfiber cloths on anything other than reading glasses.
 
Last edited:
Sancho said:
Whoops! Thanks for the advice, there, Steve! I´ll abandon the kitchen paper towel thing forthwith! How did your friend take it when you scratched his caps?
Click to expand...

Hi Sancho,Sorry I missed this.I offered to buy new ones , but he was ok with it.There was some small scratches but it still made me feel bad.
Regards,Steve
 
Curious whether there are devices suitable for sports optics to discharge static electricity from lenses, in order to avoid attracting dust.

Mike
 
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