Zeiss lens wipes sold in Walmart - a professional photographer's opinion

[Hi there]

I went to a meeting held by our local camera club and the speaker (a professional photographer) said that we need to be VERY careful what lens cleaners we use.

The reason: lens wipes can actually wipe away the increasingly sophisticated coating.

I have actually seen a Steve Perry video in which he demonstrated how to use a lens wipe. I did not know if that is a Zeiss lens wipe.

Anyone out there who can address this question? I've been using Zeiss lens wipes on Nikon z lenses but haven't noticed any adverse effects - although I do not use lens wipes if I can clean the lenses with a blower or soft brush.

 

[Palouse]

Been using Zeiss wipes on all my lenses, cameras, binocs and spectacles for about 25 years. No problem. Very very good product.

 

[DRwyoming]

I think your approach is fine. I've used both Zeiss and Nikon prepackaged lens wipes for years but I reserve them for oily fingerprints or other things that I can't blow off with a bulb blower or gently wipe with a dry micro fiber cloth.

I have seen some folks that seem to aggressively clean their lenses and filters every time they use them and IMHO it's not really necessary and could lead to the kinds of coating problems you heard about. When you need these for stuff that won't blow off and if you use them lightly and sparingly they're a good thing but some folks seem to obsessively scrub their optics a lot more than is probably needed and that could definitely lead to trouble over time.

 

[TurtleCat]

I use a giottos rocket blower for the most part but when I clean a lens element I’ll use the same stuff I use for telescope optics. Special lint free paper and the best optical cleaning fluid. I use StellarVue’s formulation. I will occasionally use a sensor cleaning swab to get something that is a bit difficult to get otherwise.