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Cleaning Glass (RPP's)

Brandon H

Brandon H

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I have a question... What is the best way to clean RPP's. I haven't touched the glass yet (other than blowing some surface dust off with compressed air), I'm too afraid and haven't learned the proper way to do it...

Thanks!
 
I think Matt Duclos has some advice on cleaning lenses on reduser in the past. Perhaps search under his name. I think it involved not using compressed air ;)

I use a blower bulb, pancro lens fluid and kimwipes or lens tissue and only clean them when they need it. Seriously, don't use compressed air. Blow off the dust first (with a bulb-type blower), moisten the tissue with the lens fluid and clean in a circular motion from the center of the lens outward. Don't press too hard.
 
I use fine sand paper and a little dab of acetone. Some DPs I work with like the look of the coatings taken off of the surface.
 
Bit of a tangent - Not on lenses as such, but I tried the expensive Panchro fluid with Rosco lint free lens tissues on my dirty EVF optics and it smeared like crazy. Lens pen got the smears off, but if I breath on the glass, I can still see where the smears were before the breath clears. Gonna try some much cheaper Rosco Lens Cleaner fluid next time I have to clean to see if that does a better job, as I saw an AC use it on a lens and left no smears!

Just a guess, but it seems like different lens coatings may be cleaned better with one method/fluid than another, and it's not obvious which may be better for particular lenses?
 
I wouldn't treat EVF optics like lenses, often the coatings are a lot softer.

Nick
 
It's necessary to understand a little geology in order to understand why you should never rub anything on a lens, no matter what. Blow air or rinse with solution.

20,000 years ago there was the ice age with a sheet of ice a mile thick of the northern hemisphere. As this sheet of ice expanded and move south, because of its size and weight it had a tremendous grinding action. As the sheet of ice moved over mountains it carved off large boulders. More grinding turned the boulders into gravel. More grinding yet turned the gravel into sand. Even more grinding turned the sand into powdery dust that is so small it is measured in microns and blows everywhere. You cannot see it with your naked eyes. This very fine powder is as sharp as sandpaper because it is made of the same thing.
 
Danno Anderson said:
It's necessary to understand a little geology in order to understand why you should never rub anything on a lens, no matter what. Blow air or rinse with solution.

20,000 years ago there was the ice age with a sheet of ice a mile thick of the northern hemisphere. As this sheet of ice expanded and move south, because of its size and weight it had a tremendous grinding action. As the sheet of ice moved over mountains it carved off large boulders. More grinding turned the boulders into gravel. More grinding yet turned the gravel into sand. Even more grinding turned the sand into powdery dust that is so small it is measured in microns and blows everywhere. You cannot see it with your naked eyes. This very fine powder is as sharp as sandpaper because it is made of the same thing.
Click to expand...

Now that's pure NAT channel right there boys! Nice post!
 
Originally Posted by Danno Anderson
It's necessary to understand a little geology in order to understand why you should never rub anything on a lens, no matter what. Blow air or rinse with solution.

20,000 years ago there was the ice age with a sheet of ice a mile thick of the northern hemisphere. As this sheet of ice expanded and move south, because of its size and weight it had a tremendous grinding action. As the sheet of ice moved over mountains it carved off large boulders. More grinding turned the boulders into gravel. More grinding yet turned the gravel into sand. Even more grinding turned the sand into powdery dust that is so small it is measured in microns and blows everywhere. You cannot see it with your naked eyes. This very fine powder is as sharp as sandpaper because it is made of the same thing.

Ivan G said:
Now that's pure NAT channel right there boys! Nice post!
Click to expand...

So has this recent Volcano eruption contributed towards airborne abrasives ?
 
Dave, the example I gave was but a simplistic summary of air borne abrasive via mechanical (grinding) action. There are volcano's, more than 100 different chemical weatherization processes that leave 'rock' airborne. Have you ever notice the difference in the shine of brand new automobile windshield and a used one. The difference is from the same abrasive destruction from airborne rock particles.

http://www.smianalytical.com/img/sem.jpg

http://www.earth.ox.ac.uk/~oesis/micro/index.html

Have a nice day.
 
Although the micro particle thing is true that does not mean you shouldn't clean your lenses with the proper parer or cloth. There are many lenses that have been used for 30+ years and cleaned regularly by AC's (and not gently) that show little or no cleaning marks, and more importantly even those that do do not affect the image in any perceptible way (unlike grease or oil). You should definitely not OVERclean your optics but when necessary a good blow and wipe with a Panchro saturated Kim tissue is a necessary thing, and you're coatings are harder than you think, a little microscopic piece of Mount Wilson is not going to phase it.
 
Mr. Paul White said:
The same like still lenses, no?
Click to expand...

Well, possibly!

The difference is that they generally aren't your lenses. They generally cost far more than any still lens, with some as much as a small house! Possibly hundreds of camera assistants before you have cleaned it without damage, so if you damage it, your reputation as a camera assistant will be mud, and you may not work again!

So in theory no difference, in practice the stakes are much higher! :)
 
Can of air AND a puffer. Kimwipes and Pancro.

Only.

Period.

***ONLY WHEN NEEDED!!! Too many people clean for the sake of cleaning...
 
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