I need to clean the lenses a bit to make them pristine, but i'm a bit terrified of the quality and not sure what a good method would be to not damage the lenses anything else on it.

I need expert advice on the matter. : )

On 1/25/2018 2:15 AM, jeppeln@yahoo.com [MF3D-group] wrote:

> I need to clean the lenses a bit to make them pristine, but i'm a bit terrified of the quality and not sure what a good method would be to not damage the lenses anything else on it.
>
> I need expert advice on the matter. : )

My expert* advice is: Hesitate.

It is my experience that we are over obsessed with specs of
dust, and that a lens has to be pretty dirty before it
affects the quality of our images. I'm more concerned with
nicks, cloudiness, and damage to coatings than I am with
specs of dust.

Dust on the front of our old-school lens designs (as in the
Sputnik) isn't going to be in focus. A nick on the front
element, however, can cause a flare which will be hard to
avoid. Fogging or damage to the coatings can reduce the
contrast of our images, often inconsistently across the image.

Yes, I like my lenses to be clean; that's because I like how
they look, not because they make better images.


* I'm not expert. I don't play one on TV. I didn't stay in a
Holiday Inn Express last night. Etc.
--
John Thurston
Juneau, Alaska

Attachments :

I have attached a picture of the lens (both left and right look the same).
It doesn't have so much specs as it looks cloudy, no idea what it is.

It looks more cloudy in real life than in the picture and I am a bit worried this will affect contrast or sharpness.

Is this still a case where you would leave it alone?
If not, what would the best cause of action be?
Eye glass cleaning cloth? Soap water and cotton swab? Rubbing alcohol is not a good idea I take it?

Do you think the cloudy stuff will affect the image quality?

It's a bit difficult to see what is going on here, but it looks like it will affect the image with loss of contrast or other artifacts like flair or soft image. The coating could be damaged by harsh chemicals or salt spray. It could also be a film of dirt from smoke or from a poor choice of cleaning cloth. I would probably try to clean it with a Zeiss lens wipe or gentle lens cleaner and lens paper (or a KimWipe). The front element is also fairly easy to remove and would be easier to clean that way. Just make sure you put it back the same way it was when you started.

Attachments :

It seems my message got lost.

I have attached some better pictures of the lens now (see attachments).
The gritty one is the right lens, though the left looks identical, the cleaner one is the viewing lens and only has some specks of dust on it, which I would consider normal.

I will try and shoot a roll through it and see how it looks, but difficult to know if it has any affect on the image with nothing to compare it with.

A drop of ever so gentle soap-water and a cotton swab wouldn't be too invasive on the lens, would it?

When cleaning lenses the procedure is to start with the most gentle and then gradually become more aggressive, only if and as it becomes necessary. 

The first step is to use a puff of pure air to blow off any loose dust.  A can of pressurized air works real well.  Otherwise, a rubber "squeeze bulb" is a good (and cheap) item to keep close to your camera, especially in the field.  Even if you find that you need to do more, this first procedure will help to remove abrasive grit that can scratch a lens or coating.

The next step is to very carefully use either lens tissue or a very clean lens cloth, such as a microfiber cloth (often available free from eyeglass dispensers).  Any of these should never be used completely dry, but you only need a very small amount of moisture to lubricate it. 

One of the best ways is to simply breathe on the lens immediately before wiping it.  You should see the surface of the lens momentarily become foggy and then turn clear again if you do it right.  The trick is to wipe it before it turns clear.  If it does before you wipe it, breathe on it again.

If this does not clean it, you should use a very small amount of liquid lens cleaner.  This is available at camera shops, eyeglass dispensaries, and some pharmacies.  If it is in a bottle, it can be applied with an eye dropper.  When it is available in a small spray can, you just spritz the lens with a small amount, and carefully wipe it with the lens tissue or lens cloth.

If the lens still does not come clean, the dirt may be in between the elements.  In that case, it may be necessary to take it to a camera repair shop that is equipped with the instruments, such as an autocollimator, to check realignment when they reassemble it.

On Jan 30, 2018 10:39 PM, "jeppeln@yahoo.com [MF3D-group]" <MF3D-group@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 

[Attachment(s) from jeppeln@yahoo.com [MF3D-group] included below]

It seems my message got lost.

I have attached some better pictures of the lens now (see attachments).
The gritty one is the right lens, though the left looks identical, the cleaner one is the viewing lens and only has some specks of dust on it, which I would consider normal.

I will try and shoot a roll through it and see how it looks, but difficult to know if it has any affect on the image with nothing to compare it with.

A drop of ever so gentle soap-water and a cotton swab wouldn't be too invasive on the lens, would it?