How to Clean a Camera Lens
They say that good photographs are taken by good photographers, no matter what camera they use. Yet a good picture can only be made better with a clean lens. Cleaning your camera lens every now and then is an important part of maintaining your camera and other photography equipment.
Cleaning Tools
Like all precision equipment, camera lenses are very sensitive products of sophisticated engineering and design. There are only two things you need to clean your camera lenses properly:
Cleaning fluid. Lens cleaning fluid can be bought from photography supply stores. Most lens cleaning products are made from either purified water or alcohol. In a pinch, you can use water or alcohol to clean your camera lenses.
Cleaning cloth. Ordinary cloths and towels tend to scratch the surface of the lens, and leave remnants of thread and fibers that can affect the quality of your photographs. Specialty cleaning cloths, like the ones used for cleaning eyeglasses, can be bought from optometrists or photography supply stores.
Cleaning SLR Lenses
Single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras are preferred by many amateur and professional photographers because of their versatility. SLR lenses tend to get dirty because most SLR cameras are used often for outdoor photography. An SLR lens may seem complicated, but it’s easier to clean than a point-and-shoot lens. To clean an SLR, follow these steps:
lens cleaning
Remove the camera lens if it is still attached to the body.
The part of the lens body that attaches itself to the body usually does not have to be cleaned. Don’t touch this part as much as possible, because your fingerprints or fibers of the cloth may affect the quality of the picture.
Apply a small amount of cleaning fluid on the cloth.
Starting from the center of the lens, wipe off dust, grime, and other fingerprints on the outer surface of the lens. Work from the center to the outside; do not use straight strokes, because you’ll end up with streak marks that are quite difficult to remove.
Wipe the lens with a dry part of the cloth after cleaning it.
Take a picture to test whether or not the camera lens has streak marks after cleaning.
Cleaning Point-and-Shoot Lenses
Point-and-shoot lenses are built into the camera. Most point-and-shoot lenses are protected with automated windows and shutters that protect the glass from streaks and scratches, but you do need to clean them from time to time. To clean a point and shoot lens, follow these steps:
Turn on the camera to open the lens corner.
Apply a few drops of lens cleaner on a corner of the cleaning cloth.
Clean the lens from the center to the outer edge. If the lens is too small, try your best to cover as much of the surface area of the lens as much as you can.
Allow the lens to dry before turning the camera off to engage the lens cover.
Turn the camera back on, and take a test picture to see if there are any streaks on the photograph.
No matter what camera model you own, it’s very important to take time to clean your lens regularly. With a clean lens, you can always have a clear, picture-perfect view of things you take photographs of.