What method do you use to clean your Zeiss binoculars ? (1 Viewer)

[Sagittarius]

...or any other binocular or spotting scope for that matter. |=)|
I prefer to slosh my binoculars around in a bucket of filtered water (like Leica recommends) or a filtered light stream of running water (recommended by Swarovski) followed by a recommended disposable Zeiss cleaning wipe.
I use a separate wipe for the eyepiece and objective lens.

I don't like using a brush or even canned air for fear of brushing or blasting hardened dust particles against the surface of the lens.

Don't like using a lens cleaning cloth either for fear of it picking up an unseen dust particle.

Don't like to clean my lens more than once a year, if not longer, unless necessary

What methods do you guys prefer and how often do you clean your lens ?

 

[temmie]

No advice whatsoever, just my method for what it is worth:

some tap water on the lens.
rub with fingers.
blow water off.
use half-decent edge of sweaty t-shirt.

done.

I know I do everything wrong, but I have no scratches for the past 8 years, as the coatings seems to be quite resistent to my way of cleaning. In general, I clean as little as possible.

If there are fingerprints, I skip the water and just use the T-shirt.

 

[Troubador]

I first blow the lenses with my breath. Then I brush carefully using the soft brush that comes with a Zeiss cleaning kit. I then breathe on the lens and polish gently using a microfibre cloth. If the lens has a big fingerprint on it or dried sea-water I again breathe on it and immediate give it a gentle wipe with a Zeiss cleaning tissue.

I do this each time their is a fingerprint or other similar mark that could make dust particles adhere to the lens.

Using this method we have had one lens scratch in about 35 years and that was caused by barbed wire not the cleaning method.

Lee

 

[St. Elmo]

It would seem so, but I have to ask the experts.... does cleaning off wet salt spray require any special technique? Moreover, does cleaning off dried salt spray require any special technique?

 

[Hermann]

It would seem so, but I have to ask the experts.... does cleaning off wet salt spray require any special technique? Moreover, does cleaning off dried salt spray require any special technique?

Running lukewarm water and a clean cloth. Assuming the binocular is waterproof. If it isn't, I normally use a slightly wet cloth and wipe off excess water straight away.

Seriously, virtually all modern coatings are pretty tough. AND a few small scratches won't hurt the performance at all. A thin layer of dust or dirt or whatever does. So I always clean my binoculars and my scope whenever there's anything that shouldn't be there.

Alright, I'm quite careful, but I'd never make a science out of cleaning the lenses. I just do it. BTW, my Leica 8x32 BA has been cleaned thousands of times over the past 22 years, often in stressful conditions, like at seawatches or on long hikes in Norway and Finland. There's *one* thin scratch on one of the objective lenses, only visible through a magnifying glas. So what.

Hermann

 

[HighNorth]

I usually just rinse the bins in clean water, let them dry, then apply Zeiss lens cleaner solution to the optical surfaces, then wipe it off with a microfiber cloth. On the armouring and other details, I sometimes use perfume free baby wipes, which seem to take care of the dust and grime. It also gives a new meaning to the phrase "baby your binocular!"

HN

 

[james holdsworth]

Used to be afraid to clean my bins, but after a few years of ownership, no longer fret - even use a tissue or shirt sleeve in a pinch. Not a single mark on any of my Zeiss so far.

If I waited a year to clean lenses, the resultant buildup of dust and crud would fill the oculars to the brim! I'm in the field most days so at least once a week is needed. As Hermann mentioned, that thin layer of dust on the ocular lenses will have a much bigger effect on your view than any tiny cleaning scratch ever would - makes no sense to leave that stuff on there for a year.

 

[cnick6]

I first blow the lenses with my breath. Then I brush carefully using the soft brush that comes with a Zeiss cleaning kit. I then breathe on the lens and polish gently using a microfibre cloth. If the lens has a big fingerprint on it or dried sea-water I again breathe on it and immediate give it a gentle wipe with a Zeiss cleaning tissue.

I do this each time their is a fingerprint or other similar mark that could make dust particles adhere to the lens.

I follow this same process with one exception that I don't use a brush. I just blow off the larger particles and then breathe on it. Then I use (ideally) a microfiber cloth but a thick cotton t-shirt works well too. Be careful of shirts made of mixed materials as they can streak the optics.

Only if the lenses get really bad do I use the Zeiss lens solution. You can buy a (4) pack on Amazon. It comes with cleaning cloths too.

 

[simple]

stick em in the washing machine.....simples!

 

[kkokkolis]

Giotto or other blower (I have an enema that works perfectly as an air blower)
Then a soft brush (from a cleaning "pen")
Then optics fluid (Baader Wonder Fluid but I use a cheaper camera cleaning solution also) on a Baader Wonder Cloth.
Then with a dry side of the same cloth.
Clean without fear and without problems, one Zeiss and lots of other binoculars and telescope eyepieces.

 

[brocknroller]

Giotto or other blower (I have an enema that works perfectly as an air blower) ...

Ah, now I finally understand the expression "blowing hot air out your ass."

<B>

 

[perterra]

Ah, now I finally understand the expression "blowing hot air out your ass."

<B>

LMAO

 

[Troubador]

LMAO

WMSWFT.

Lee

 

[kkokkolis]

I don't know the expression but, hey!
As a physician I have many alternative uses for medical material. The blower is the most obvious among them.
The third from left is the most ergonomic
http://www.surgicalshop.com/enema-p...-rectal-syringe-with-plastic-nozzle-ru024.jpg

But now they sell Chinese sets (blower, lenspen, cleaning fluid and cloth) for a mere 5€. I used it and apart from the cloth, all three pieces are usable and useful.

 

[Bwana1]

I follow this same process with one exception that I don't use a brush. I just blow off the larger particles and then breathe on it. Then I use (ideally) a microfiber cloth but a thick cotton t-shirt works well too. Be careful of shirts made of mixed materials as they can streak the optics.

Only if the lenses get really bad do I use the Zeiss lens solution. You can buy a (4) pack on Amazon. It comes with cleaning cloths too.

Ditto

 

[John Dracon]

Unless my binoculars have had salt spray on them or some oily film, fingerprints, etc., my first rule is to clean them as seldom as possible. I have had obsessive friends literally scrub off the coatings, particularly on the oculars. Obviously, any thing that doesn't blow off easily needs to be removed with care. I generally spray Zeiss lens cleaner on a clean micro weave cloth and press gently in a circular motion to clean them. The hardness of coatings seems to vary by brand, and one will have to learn that through experience.

John

 

[temmie]

A technique used by some to get the salty spray off, is to lick it off with your tongue.

 

[Sagittarius]

Boy, this thread has went to hell in a bucket ! |:||

 

[Troubador]

this thread has went to hell in a bucket ! |:||

Sagi

This turn of phrase is very Scottish, is that your family background?

Lee

 

[Sagittarius]

Sagi

This turn of phrase is very Scottish, is that your family background?

Lee

English, Irish, German, Dutch here, Lee. |=)|
I'm a mutt, I guess.
I borrowed that term from an ol' Italian friend because I thought it was cool and different from hand basket. :t:
Didn't realize it was Scottish. |8)|