Lens cleaning fluid & cloths recommendation?

[Mitch.Conner]

Pancro Pro (fluid)

Anybody know anything about Pancro Professional Lens Cleaner (aka just Pancro) fluid? It seems to be heavily favored by filmmakers for lens cleaning. I read somewhere that it might adversely affect less expensive plastic lens housings though. Not sure if that's a legitimate concern or not. I've been trying the fluids I recently purchased to see what I personally like best. Pancro has come up in several forum threads I've read (not here though).

I think this is the manufacturer's page for it: http://www.pancro.com/#/pro-lens-cleaner/4528031560

(I accidentally started this post as a separate thread, but I fixed it - I hope I didn't inadvertently delete any replies)

 

[mackguyver]

Re: Pancro Pro (fluid)

Anybody know anything about Pancro Professional Lens Cleaner (aka just Pancro) fluid? It seems to be heavily favored by filmmakers for lens cleaning. I read somewhere that it might adversely affect less expensive plastic lens housings though. Not sure if that's a legitimate concern or not. I've been trying the fluids I recently purchased to see what I personally like best. Pancro has come up in several forum threads I've read (not here though).

I think this is the manufacturer's page for it: http://www.pancro.com/#/pro-lens-cleaner/4528031560

(I accidentally started this post as a separate thread, but I fixed it - I hope I didn't inadvertently delete any replies)

This takes me back - I think this is the cleaner I used to clean the lenses in film projectors when I was a movie theatre projectionist back in high school/college. I think it's pure isopropyl alcohol and has to be used in the space of a few months, but I don't know about the safety of it on plastics and lens coatings. Generally alcohol is said to be a bad idea.

 

[Vivid Color]

I have an unmodified Rocket (reference Surapon's experience with airport security...) and use LensPens for most cleanings. For saltwater and worse, I use a eyeglass kit from Costco for the wet clean. I found the tip years ago and it's dirt cheap and comes with 2 big cleaner bottles, one small sprayer (free refills at Costco), eyeglass repair kit (ok, useless for me), and two nice microfiber cloths for like $10. Best deal out there and cleans really well. Found it on the forums years ago.

Hi Mackguyver, could you please send a link to this item on the Costco site? I can't seem to find it. Or is this something that you just have to go to the Costco store to get? Thank you again for the tip! --Carol

 

[mackguyver]

I have an unmodified Rocket (reference Surapon's experience with airport security...) and use LensPens for most cleanings. For saltwater and worse, I use a eyeglass kit from Costco for the wet clean. I found the tip years ago and it's dirt cheap and comes with 2 big cleaner bottles, one small sprayer (free refills at Costco), eyeglass repair kit (ok, useless for me), and two nice microfiber cloths for like $10. Best deal out there and cleans really well. Found it on the forums years ago.

Hi Mackguyver, could you please send a link to this item on the Costco site? I can't seem to find it. Or is this something that you just have to go to the Costco store to get? Thank you again for the tip! --Carol

Carol, it's at the warehouse in the Optical dept, but here's what it looks like, so you'll know:

http://www.amazon.com/Eyeglass-screwdriver-Microfiber-Kirkland-Signature/dp/B0089F4392/ref=sr_1_3?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1428374642&sr=1-3

Ian

 

[Vivid Color]

I have an unmodified Rocket (reference Surapon's experience with airport security...) and use LensPens for most cleanings. For saltwater and worse, I use a eyeglass kit from Costco for the wet clean. I found the tip years ago and it's dirt cheap and comes with 2 big cleaner bottles, one small sprayer (free refills at Costco), eyeglass repair kit (ok, useless for me), and two nice microfiber cloths for like $10. Best deal out there and cleans really well. Found it on the forums years ago.

Hi Mackguyver, could you please send a link to this item on the Costco site? I can't seem to find it. Or is this something that you just have to go to the Costco store to get? Thank you again for the tip! --Carol

Carol, it's at the warehouse in the Optical dept, but here's what it looks like, so you'll know:

http://www.amazon.com/Eyeglass-screwdriver-Microfiber-Kirkland-Signature/dp/B0089F4392/ref=sr_1_3?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1428374642&sr=1-3

Ian

Thank you so much for the link, Ian! I will definitely pick some up the next time I am at Costco. --Carol

 

[soldrinero]

I just have to chime in after hearing several people state that alcohol is harmful to lenses. As an optical physics researcher, I clean a lot of optics. My go-to cleaner is pure methanol, which I use on a wide range of coated optics without ever having trouble. After blowing the optic, I use a few drops of methanol on Tiffen lens tissues. For very stubborn oil, I will sparingly use acetone, but this most definitely can damage camera lenses, as it dissolves plastics.

When I buy used camera lenses, I clean them using the same techniques as for my lab equipment, and I've always been happy with the results. I can't speak to the effectiveness of using other alcohols, although they probably aren't as strong a solvent as methanol. I wouldn't be concerned about causing any damage with them, though.

 

[RGF]

Zeiss Lens Cleaning wipes-Sam's Club or Walmart-$8 for 200 packets

+100

 

[Vivid Color]

Zeiss Lens Cleaning wipes-Sam's Club or Walmart-$8 for 200 packets

+100

Sadly, I could only find these on the Sam's club site and I'm not a member and the closest one is 20 miles away. Walmarts close to me carry these but in smaller quantities and higher prices per wipe. But I did find some on Amazon.

 

[scyrene]

Yeah, I've never used liquid cleaners, nor do I feel I need to. As others have said, a lenspen, good glass cleaning cloth, and blower are sufficient. Most of the time I do use my t-shirt. And tbh fine dirt/smudges on the front element don't make any appreciable difference to the image - sensor dust is much more of a problem.

 

[serendipidy]

Zeiss Lens Cleaning wipes-Sam's Club or Walmart-$8 for 200 packets

+100

Sadly, I could only find these on the Sam's club site and I'm not a member and the closest one is 20 miles away. Walmarts close to me carry these but in smaller quantities and higher prices per wipe. But I did find some on Amazon.

Hi Carol,
Perhaps an acquaintance who is a Sam's club member could pick you up a couple of 200 count boxes the next time they are planning to go. They are handy little things.
Cheers

 

[JonAustin]

I rarely shoot in hazardous conditions; probably the greatest hazards my lenses face are salt water spray and sand at the beach. In those conditions, I'll use a UV filter; otherwise, my front elements are only protected by their lens hoods.

The longer I've been doing photography this go-round (since 2003), the less I clean (or feel the compulsion to clean) my lenses. I will echo other posters here; a blast of clean air (bulb blower) and a brush of a lens pen is usually all that is needed. If that's not enough, my second step is to fog the front element with my breath (if you haven't recently eaten or been smoking, your breath is nearly 100% pure water vapor) and wipe off with a clean microfiber cloth.

Microfiber cloths have become very readily available, inexpensive and high quality over the past few years. I buy them by the bag (a dozen or so for $10 or less), and always keep a clean one with the camera I'm carrying. When it comes time to wash, I replace it with a new one. After being laundered, I repurpose it to other, progressively less sensitive tasks (starting with cleaning scanner glass and PC screens) ... eventually they are demoted to household cleaning rags.

I have some more sophisticated / expensive optics cleaning supplies (PecPads & Eclipse solution), originally purchased to clean sensors, but rarely use them. And with the sensor cleaning technology in my 2½-year old 5D3, I haven't needed to clean its sensor once. (The mirror and focusing screen are another story, however.)