How to clean a DSLR lens?
Many of you might have noticed smudges and dust in your DSLR lenses. Sometimes it may affect the quality of images you take with your camera. The lens is like the camera’s eye, and if your planning to clean your lens, you should use it with at most care.
The cleaning camera lens should be done regularly. It doesn’t mean that you have to clean your camera daily, but you should do it when it becomes dirty.
Most photographers, especially amateurs, are afraid to touch the camera lens, fearing they may damage the lens. Here I am presenting some tips to help you in this situation.
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How to Clean a DSLR Lens?
1) Use a filter
Prevention is always better than cure. It’s better to protect your lens from dust and smudges by using a filter. You can buy a UV or sunlight filter for your DSLR camera. Not only it protects your lens from harmful UV light, but it can also save your lens from scratches and breakage.
If you feel your images are losing clarity, you only have to clean your filter, not the actual lens. So invest some money in filters.
Also, the lens hood and lens caps can protect your lens from accidental damage. It always a good idea to use them in your DSLR.
2) Cleaning fluid for your lens
In-camera stores, you can find alcohol-based cleaning solutions that can easily clean smudges and fingerprints from your lens without any streaks on the lens. But one thing to keep in mind – Never use too much liquid on the lens. One or two drops are sufficient.
Wipe lens in a circular motion with a cleaning tissue to remove marks. Don’t apply fluid to the lens directly. Instead, apply to tissue.
If you don’t want to use any external liquid to your lens, you can breathe on your lens and wipe it with a soft cloth.
3) Cleaning Tissues
Lens cleaning tissues are fragile paper to clean delicate lenses without scratching them. Lens cleaning tissues are softer than normal face cleaning tissues. Always go for lens cleaning tissues to clean your lens. Do not use normal tissue papers for this purpose, which might damage your lens.
4) Cleaning Cloth
Microfiber cleaning cloths are also available to clean your lens. They are washable, and you can reuse them any number of times. Keep them clean with regular wash. Or buy a new one if your cloth is too dirty. Before cleaning the lens with cloth, check the cloth to make sure it doesn’t have any large grit.
5) Blowers
Camera stores sell different types of blowers. They are good to clean your camera, but you have to be very careful when cleaning inside the camera. Blowers can be really helpful to clean the camera body. Squeeze the blower before you use it to remove any dust in it.
6) Brushes
Buy a brush with soft hair, preferably camel-hair, to clean your lens. You can also buy a retractable cleaning pen with a brush on one side and a cleaning pad.
7) Silica Gel
Silica gel sachet is good to remove any unwanted moisture in your camera bag. Put them into the bottom of your bag, and they will draw any extra moisture from your bag. Remember to change the silica sachet periodically.
You can buy all these gears in a single kit. So you don’t have to buy them individually. Ask your camera store for full lens and camera cleaning kits. They are not costly. You can buy a full cleaning kit for a few dollars. Always remember that the camera lens is delicate.
Be careful when dealing with a lens. When you are changing the lens for cleaning, please turn off your camera, point the camera, and lenses towards the ground and clean it inside. Good photographs are produced from well-cleaned lenses.
