Accidentally Touching The Camera Lens...

[DestinationDisney]

Now that I have my new camera, I'm absolutely paranoid about handling it. I'm so worried about dropping it, bumping it against something, etc.

For some reason, I'm most nervous about touching the the cameras lens while I'm handling the camera. It doesn't retract very far like my other cameras so I'm worried about accidentally touching it and getting finger prints all over it. I'm concerned about having smudge marks on the lens and not being able to get them off or having them show up in my pictures. If I do happen to touch the lens, is there a safe way I can clean the finger prints off?

I've done this before with one of my cheap, 35mm film cameras and I just used my tshirt to clean the lens off. However I'm not sure if this is the best way to go about cleaning it.

 

[mabas9395]

I use something like this for cleaning my lenses. I was amazed at how well it works. You can find them just about anywhere.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...665&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

 

[Furgus]

I have one of those too. Also a microfiber cloth. You can pick one up pretty cheap at Sunglass Hut in the mall, or another place like that.

 

[Groucho]

I just got a "Spudz" microfiber cloth. It's nice as it comes in a little pouch that you stuff the cloth into when not in use, and it has a hook that you can hang off your camera bag or strap or tripod or wherever. It's also nice in that it's 18% gray so if your camera allows manual white-balance adjustment, you can just use that!

Any photo store should have microfiber cloths, but I couldn't find anywhere near me to get a gray one, much less the Spudz one. I ended up ordering it from BH, it was fairly cheap. You can get some liquid cleaner, too, if things get really dirty!

Last year at Disneyland, I accidentally put a giant thumbprint right in the middle of the lens in the morning. I was distraught (ok, not distraught, but pretty annoyed!) but I kept my wits and headed straight for the Kodak-sponsored photography store there (I think where you can pick up ride pics, etc) and explained my situation, and they pulled out a liquid cleaner and cloth for me to use there. So, if it happens to you at Disney, head for the photo store in whatever park you're in! Hopefully they'll also have it, or at least be able to tell you where you can get it.

 

[boBQuincy]

Today's lens coatings are very tough, so I wouldn't worry too much about getting a fingerprint on the lens. What is not good is fingerprints contain oils and such, that may be able to etch into the coating over time.

I am not sure a lens pen can remove those sufficiently, so I prefer a cloth or lens cleaning tissue to remove fingerprints.

Yes, I too have used a t-shirt on occasion (even a microfiber t-shirt) without any ill effects but I would rather use something better. The best protection still seems to be a decent lens hood.

 

[homerdog]

Lens Pens are fantastic and are especially good at removing fingerprints!

 

[JR6ooo4]

The lens is much tougher than the sensor. The lens may be able to handle the occasional t-shirt wipe but never ever do that to a sensor. I paid plenty for sensor swabs that are sealed in plastic in a dust free room. With them I also use a special cleaning fluid (that can not be shipped on planes, must be explosive). Usualy you cannot get at the sensor for cleaning unless you have a removable lens, or you start taking screws out of the camera.

With lens cleaning watch for dirt or gritty debris. Oils can be wiped away but hard objects can scratch.
wipe or better yet blow to remove as much hard objects as possible
then wipe lightly- discard rag
wipe again with clean rag
if smudges are still present wipe again.
If light wiping does not remove all the smudges then I reccomend a lens cleaning fluid used with a cleaning cloth.

I have wiped a $600 lens with a t-shirt, but I left dust on the sensor for a whole disney trip because I did not have proper tools to clean the sensor without risking damage.

Mikeeee

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Before wiping a lens, try to blow off any dust or grit on it. If you happen to have a bit of really hard grit, it could scratch the lens no matter what you wipe it with.

 

[DestinationDisney]

Thank you all for your tips and pointers!!

My camera came with a lens cloth and some liquid cleaning drops, but I don't know what kind of quality they are (probably just a generic kind). I'll have to keep in mind the lens pen. Oh, and although it may seem like common sense to blow on the lens before wiping to loosen any hard particles that can get near the lens...I most likely would have neglected to do that. So thanks for the advice!!

 

[ndelaware]

Many people use a "UV Haze" filter on thier lenses just to protect them from dirt and scratches. They don't affect the image quality and are fairly cheap, like $20 for the Kit lens size. They can be bought at any camera store or online.

 

[boBQuincy]

Two items:
I have a lens pen and used it to remove a fingerprint, but then wondered where does the oil go? It is either smeared around the lens (not entirely bad, it tends to reduce the effect of micro scratches) or it is contained on the lens pen, to be wiped on the lens the next time I clean it. Either way, I can't see how the oil is actually removed, so I tend to use disposable lens tissue *when possible*. The lens pen still seems like a good option if nothing else is available.

Filters: I don't use them unless I am going into a situation where the lens very much needs protection (which is rare). I won't go into the filter debate, it has raged on since before I started photographing.

However, here are two views for your consideration:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/columns/sm-feb-05.shtml

http://www.pbase.com/photosbytom/image/39521573/

 

[Groucho]

Yeah, I was going to buy a couple new UV filters for my new lenses (I have one old one) but after doing a little research, decided against it. It sounds like it all comes down to the fact that digicams are not very sensitive to UV (much less than traditional film) and so you're only left with the lens protection - but anything stuck in front of the lens can do nothing but hurt image quality. If it's clean, it shouldn't make MUCH of a difference... but it's not really necessary.

I saved my money and bought a four-way star filter... that should be fun for taking nighttime Disney photos!

 

[JR6ooo4]

I read the same thing. DIgicam sensors do not register UV light waves. You could say they are only for protection. But you can add "peace of mind". I like to let others try my digicams. They grab it like a football so they will not drop it and .... fingers get on the lens.

Mikeeee

 

[pxlbarrel]

Disney sells a really cute lens cloth...it comes tucked in a teenyweeny pouch with Mickey on it and it's like a keychain so it can hang from your camera bag.

Yeah, yeah...it would be cheaper to buy something similar in a regular photo store at home...but...it's MICKEY!!

 

[boBQuincy]

If it has Mouse ears on it, it will clean the lens better, no question! I'm getting one when I go to WDW next week.
Oops, sorry, I meant I'm getting two (one for me, one for DW)

Disney sells a really cute lens cloth...it comes tucked in a teenyweeny pouch with Mickey on it and it's like a keychain so it can hang from your camera bag.

Yeah, yeah...it would be cheaper to buy something similar in a regular photo store at home...but...it's MICKEY!!

 

[Furgus]

If it has Mouse ears on it, it will clean the lens better, no question! I'm getting one when I go to WDW next week.
Oops, sorry, I meant I'm getting two (one for me, one for DW)

You could get one for me and another co-worker of yours too

 

[skr8pn]

You could get one for me and another co-worker of yours too

Yes, I agree. You should get one for your co-workers.