How To Clean Nikon Lens: 3 Simple Steps To Follow
Even though you have a brand new Nikon Lens, it will eventually get dirtier. But most of us don’t know how to clean Nikon lenses. So you follow ineffective ways; the dirt stays in its position. But you put pressure on the lens and end up having scratches.
This is why it’s better to learn the correct cleaning process of lenses. It will serve you long whether you shoot indoor or outdoor spaces. Of course, each Photographer can have their preferences, but here’s the in-depth guide on cleaning Nikon lenses.
In-Depth Guide on How To Clean Nikon Lens
Let’s start exploring the steps you must go through to clean up the lens. These are the basic steps you need to go through. It will provide you with a solid guideline on how you should clean up your lens.
Step 1: Use Blower
First, you need to have a blower to remove all the dirt from the lens. Many of us might think it’s best to blow out dirt with our mouths. But it might even transfer your saliva to the lens surface. So to avoid such scenarios, you should always go with the blower.
Once you have a decent blower on hand, it’s time to use it on the lens. Find out the dirtiest parts of the lens and blow at these particular points. Make sure to remove all the dirt from tricky points of the lens. Anyway, take time and keep on blowing the dirt until everything seems cleaner.
Step 2: Use Brush to Remove Stubborn Dirt
Some dirt might be a bit stubborn to move from its place. In such cases, you need to use a lens brush. These brushes are delicate yet hard enough to remove the dirt from the lens surface. The best part about the lens brush is that it doesn’t create any scratches on the lens glass coating.
You could even use the lens brush on other parts of the DSLR camera units. As these brushes come within a low price range, having them is not a big deal. You could have it with a lens cleaner kit or buy it separately from any online store.
Step 3: Apply Lens Cleaner and Microfiber
Finally, go for a lens cleaner if you think the lens is still dirtier and needs improvement:
- Apply the lens cleaner to a microfiber.
- After a few drops, apply the microfiber cloth to the lens.
- Gently rub the cloth on the lens glass surface.
Choosing the right type of lens cleaner is the most important step. Without the right lens cleaner, you may find yourself in a tricky position. But, you have great cleaning cleaners and wipes. Products like Zeiss Lens Cleaning Wipes are one of our favorites to use.
Few Tips To Consider While Cleaning Lens
While you are cleaning your lenses, a few things should always be on your mind. Without these points, you should not start cleaning your lens unit. In addition, these will help you to avoid any sort of issues while cleaning the lenses.
- Don’t use excessive cleaner: During the cleaning process, you should not overuse alcohol because it might rip off the protective layer of the lens.
- Avoid blowing from yourself: When you are blowing through your mouth, it could build up residue. For example, your saliva can trap in the lens, making your lens incorrect.
- Be careful while cleaning: As lenses are delicate, you must be careful while cleaning them out. Otherwise, it might damage the lens glass and exterior surface.
How To Keep Lens Cleaner
Cleaning the lens after longer usage is the key to keeping your lens cleaner. In addition, you must keep the lens unit in the pouch. Doing so will offer better protection for your lenses. As modern lenses come with their pouch or carrying kit, keeping your lens safe is now easier.
In addition, you could have lens cleaner wipes. Perhaps, when your lens gets dirtier, wipe the lens clear and use it on your lens. These wipes are great to carry and provide a great cleaning without damaging the lens itself.
How To Clean Dust Inside The Lens?
You could use the same instrument and cleaner, but you should be more careful while cleaning the inside parts of the lens because it's more vulnerable to scratches. This is why taking proper time while cleaning up the lens is the best way to deal with these things.
Should I Clean Lens Filters?
Most of the lens filter has unwanted fingerprints. Hence, you could use the lens cleaner and a microfiber cloth to remove the fingerprints. Going forward, you could keep polishing to remove minor scratches on the surface of the lens.
How Often Should I Clean Lenses?
When doing professional photography projects, it's better to clean the lens every morning. Doing so will make your lens cleaner and get clearer and sharper images. If it's not possible, clean it before starting your projects. But cleaning up each day will be the best way to go.
Conclusion
Learning how to clean Nikon lenses is a must when you are doing photography all day long. It will help you to extract more performance out of your lenses. But at the same time, the process should be correct as wrong steps might damage your lens.
In addition, most photographers like to clean out their lenses because dirtier lenses will create all sorts of errors that no one wants to see. Better cleaning results in better performance of the lens altogether. You must clean out your lenses to increase their longevity.
Bordie Capron
Author
“Bordie Capron is a Sr. Content Maker who is working in The Clipping Path Service an US-based image and video post-production company for over 7+ years. She completed her degree in graphic designing and worked as a graphic designing expert for several years. She always loved writing”
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