Does Alcohol in lens wipes damage coatings?

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just to stir things up a bit:

1) i've heard microfiber is a bit abrasive
2) i've heard the lens tissues can also be a bit abrasive*
3) i've heard the kim-wipes feel a bit abrasive but are not actually due to being built without cellulose

i've no idea what to believe at this point 😂

* i also see references to people saying the tissue is abrasive statement is conflating "tissue paper" and not "lens tissues"

some links

Edmund Optics (EO) Microfiber cloths

Kimberly-Clark 34155 Kimwipes

Amazon.com

a.co

PEC-PAD lint free 4x4 wipes

Amazon.com

a.co

Sensei Lens Cleaning Tissues

Lens Clens #1 (fluid for coated optics)
www.lensclens.com

Lens Clens #1 - Lens Clens

RECOMMENDED FOR COATED SURFACES A heavy duty cleaner with a cutting and lifting action to remove persistent oil films, gumming and smearing deposits, which is our most aggressive and most popular cleaner. APPLICATIONS: For the cleaning of soiled optical surfaces mounted or unmounted...
www.lensclens.com www.lensclens.com

Eclipse lens and digital sensor cleaner fluid

Amazon.com

a.co
 
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A quick topline: Microfiber cloth is typically made from very tiny strands of polyester, polyamide (nylon) or polypropylene - there's nothing 'abrasive' in this mix for lens cleaning use, unless the cloth picks up abrasive particles or grit before or during its use to clean a lens. Microfiber cloths can be cleaned to remove such particles after use, but care must be taken to avoid washing them with a detergent containing oils or fabric softening chemistries as these can reduce the absorption properties of the cloth.

Microfiber properties are most useful to discuss around the specific application, as I'm sure there are some super-sensitive surfaces that can be abraded by the soft materials within the cloth (such as camera sensors, perhaps!), but for camera lenses, the description above is operative, from my experience as a chemist.
 
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John Navitsky said:
just to stir things up a bit:

1) i've heard microfiber is a bit abrasive
2) i've heard the lens tissues can also be a bit abrasive*
3) i've heard the kim-wipes feel a bit abrasive but are not actually due to being built without cellulose

i've no idea what to believe at this point 😂

* i also see references to people saying the tissue is abrasive statement is conflating "tissue paper" and not "lens tissues"
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This is why i only wipe or wet wipe my lens elections one or twice a year. Unless you get water or something on the element, you only need a blower or a lens brush to remove lint/dust
 
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John Navitsky said:
I'm curious how the solution compares to Eclipse which is what I currently use.

Also curious how the tissues compare to PEC-Pads which I'm currently using.

I ordered some of the IOC and Sensei tissues to try out.

WRT to the Zeiss and Nikon wipes, while I have no evidence and I do use those types of wipes for occasional use, I suspect they're more abrasive than optimal for common use. And they are certainly more lint-full than I'd like. My feeling is they're OK for occasional in the field use where that's the most practical thing to do but something like the Industrial Optical Cleaner or Eclipse with the lint free pads are best for actual cleaning.
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Still have a box of Nikon wipes - couldn't see an expiry date on them :). But the Lens Clens #1 is way better
 
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yes, i suspect they assume you are going to get new glasses every two to four years, esp now that we all get polycarbonate lenses

as a lifelong glasses wearer i don’t recall ever not getting a new pair when i’ve had my checkup and i suspect that is the norm

and when i’ve gone a bit long between visits, often the coating are starting to break down, especially with the nonglare coatings

and it appears the warranty on most glasses coatings is about two years

and yes, opticians use optical products, they don’t make them

i’m not trying to say anything bad here, it’s just i really don’t think anyone plans for your $500 glasses to last as long as a $15000 lens, so as long as the glasses cleaning regiment doesn’t totally trash them, i think nobody’s going to think too hard about it
 
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John Navitsky said:
yes, i suspect they assume you are going to get new glasses every two to four years, esp now that we all get polycarbonate lenses

as a lifelong glasses wearer i don’t recall ever not getting a new pair when i’ve had my checkup and i suspect that is the norm

and when i’ve gone a bit long between visits, often the coating are starting to break down, especially with the nonglare coatings

and it appears the warranty on most glasses coatings is about two years

and yes, opticians use optical products, they don’t make them

i’m not trying to say anything bad here, it’s just i really don’t think anyone plans for your $500 glasses to last as long as a $15000 lens, so as long as the glasses cleaning regiment doesn’t totally trash them, i think nobody’s going to think too hard about it
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I do hear you about replacing lenses somewhat frequently. But with respect to coatings, I have had great luck with the lab that my optician uses. They use Pentax coatings, and I have had great luck with them holding up over the years when I was lucky enough not to need new lenses right away. I cannot recall the last time I had a coatings issue. Granted, I am easy on my lenses, but I used to clean them every day with cleaner and a microfiber cloth. I now clean them less often as I do not need to wear them around the house.

--Ken
 
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EricKlees said:
I would never use a lens wipe with alcohol in it. I've never seen that myself. But alcohol is a harsh solvent that i would not doubt attacks the coatings on the lens elements. The same reason you never ever use alcohol on a cell phone or tablet screen. It breaks down the oleophobic coating that prevents the screen from taking fingerprints

I probably use lint free microfiber cloths with Zeiss lens cleaning fluid. I spray on the cloth then clean, never spray directly to the lens.

But I've only ever needed to use a wet cleaning like this is it on the rain. Other wise, i only ever use a blower and if needed a lens brush with a blower
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Zeiss cleaner fluid and their wet lens wipes have the same base ingredient: Isopropyl Alcohol.
 
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EricKlees said:
The wipes do I see but the liquid bottle shows 2-butoxyethanol.
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Sorry I should have been clearer in my post. The wipes and fluid cleaner base ingredient is alcohol. The wipes have IPA whereas the cleaner has ethanol.

I’ve never had any issues over the years using Zeiss wipes, but like yourself I use a rocket blower and a brush the vast majority of the time.
 
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robert_in_ca said:
Sorry I should have been clearer in my post. The wipes and fluid cleaner base ingredient is alcohol. The wipes have IPA whereas the cleaner has ethanol.

I’ve never had any issues over the years using Zeiss wipes, but like yourself I use a rocket blower and a brush the vast majority of the time.
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Correct and I knew this but I thought the one in the liquid bottle was less harsh\
 
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John Navitsky said:
i'm guessing the alcohol is useful for cleaning oils, where water is good for other types of debris. i'm guessing a general purpose cleaner needs both.
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The advantage of alcohol is its fast evaporation rate. While that is an advantage in general, the small amount used for sensor cleaning requires an additive to slow evaporation. Alcohol works for cleaning lenses even with very high humidity or misting rain and for cold conditions such as when water would turn to ice or frost on the lens. Less than 100% alcohol is created by dilution with distilled water.
 
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xxx said:
MSDS are now SDS
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showing my age. Still very much the same info as when I was dealing with MSDS back when I was working on logistics and materials handling systems. Bottom line, the SDS for the bottled Lens Clens stuff shows 25-50% Isopropyl Alcohol. The point is/was if alcohol is bad for the coatings, then beware using some of the lens cleaning solutions and the one above was specifically mentioned as safe.
 
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Ado Wolf said:
Zeiss lens wet wipes come recommended by my photographers including Steve. I was about to buy a pack when I noticed they contain alcohol.

Doesn’t alcohol damage the different costings Nikon adds to lenses to make them dust and water repellent?

I just want to be 100% sure before I purchase any. Until this point (30 years of photography) I only cleaned with dust blowers and a clean dry microfiber cloth.

Thanks in advance and happy weekend!
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Real pros use Red First Contact Polymer. https://www.photoniccleaning.com/Kits-s/112.htm
 
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