Lenspen removes coating? (1 Viewer)

Hi Group,
I recently gave my bins. a clean with a lenspen... now I wonder, would I have removed the acquadura or lens coating from my 8x32HD and 10x50HD Ultravids ? The views are still good, and I can see coating peering through the oculars and objectives, but of course, may just be seeing the green coating from inner surfaces.... I also cleaned my swarovskis & Zeiss...

I have heard rumours about lenspen not being friendly to coatings... but would like to know from someone who is confindent they know the answer...

thanks, Roland

Not confident, but I have used lens pens for years without any problems. You just want to make sure you don't have sand/salt/dust on the lenses before using it.

pandoraefretum said:

Hi Group,
I recently gave my bins. a clean with a lenspen... now I wonder, would I have removed the acquadura or lens coating from my 8x32HD and 10x50HD Ultravids ? The views are still good, and I can see coating peering through the oculars and objectives, but of course, may just be seeing the green coating from inner surfaces.... I also cleaned my swarovskis & Zeiss...

I have heard rumours about lenspen not being friendly to coatings... but would like to know from someone who is confindent they know the answer...

Click to expand...

Roland,

I haven't used the lenspens with any hydrophobically coated lenses, but I don't think the cleaning fiber/rubber or the "graphite replenisher" themselves can cause any damage. However, I know that some of that black graphite can be left on the lens and that may (temporarily) reduce the hydrophobic effect of the aquadura coating. The reason why some users (including me) usually warn against using the lenspens is that if hard particles become stuck in the fibers, you may damage the lens surfaces/coatings by scratching them. On the other hand I know many pro photographers, who have used the lenspens for years without any ill effects.

Best regards,

Ilkka :t:

pandoraefretum said:

Hi Group,
I recently gave my bins. a clean with a lenspen... now I wonder, would I have removed the acquadura or lens coating from my 8x32HD and 10x50HD Ultravids ? The views are still good, and I can see coating peering through the oculars and objectives, but of course, may just be seeing the green coating from inner surfaces.... I also cleaned my swarovskis & Zeiss...

I have heard rumours about lenspen not being friendly to coatings... but would like to know from someone who is confindent they know the answer...

thanks, Roland

Click to expand...

Roland,

Easy way to find out. Splash some water on the lenses and see what happens.

I personally don't trust lens pens, at least the suction cup end. I use compressed air and Zeiss wipes. In fact, I just cleaned my EII's lenses yesterday, and boy, what a difference it made. Crystal clear now.

I don't clean my lenses until they are fairly dusty to avoid wearing down the coatings, though they're probably tougher than I suppose.

I don't think even if you did remove the hydrophobic coatings that it would affect the view since they are just there to repel moisture, however, you might suddenly develop a fear of water.

Brock

I remember being told many years ago, the thing with lenses is to keep them clean rather than to keep cleaning them. For 99% of the time all that should be used is a blower and a soft lens brush, only wipe the lens if there is a mark needing to be wiped off, but use the blower and the brush first.

Roland - What Brock and John H.S."s advise is very sound. I rarely clean my lenses just because of some dust. Camel hair brush takes care of that. The exception is around a salt water environment. Direct spray should not be allowed to collect and dry. I believe the danger of the lens pen is not only minute abrasive materials on the face of the cup but also individuals may apply too much pressure and scrub the surface. The old B&L had very solf coatings, but the Japanese hard coatings were indeed hard. I use the Zeiss wipes all the time although they can leave a slight film (which has no real negative impact on the image. 'Most of the time a quick moist breath followed by a micro weave cloth does the trick. In fact I use a micro weave cloth with good success in cleaning prism surfaces which have collected whatever they do collect. They need to be clean and devoid of dust, etc. The worst thing one can do is use a spray directly on the lenses (compressed air is not a problem held at a distance on a dry lens)) because the liquid may migrate around len's edge, and if the lenses are air spaced, a stain may occur on the back side. I speak from experience. John

Thanks for tips

Thanks for the answers,

I have heard these tips before, and I don't mind reading them again. My concern was that, looking at bright Jupiter, a hazy glare / halo surrounds it. But it may have been there before, and it may just be murky atmosphere.

I'm pretty sure I used a new lenspen lightly on a cleaned lens surface.
But it just didn't feel right, even though the shop recommended the procedure.

happy viewing, Roland