How do you clean your cameras/lenses?
What methods and products/diy solutions do you use to clean your camera body and lenses? I am mostly interested in the outside of the body and lenses, and not so much the sensor or taking apart the camera.
I've read a few articles that mentioned some cheap solutions you can buy that are safe on the lenses/body, and using that in combination with different kinds of clothes. This article even has some DIY solution you can use: https://shotkit.com/how-to-clean-camera-lens/
I received a very dirty old digital camera and two lenses. It almost looks like it was left outside, but somehow still works. Maybe a moisture ridden garage. It wasn't disclosed how bad shape it was, so I went to return it and I just got all my money back rather than shipping it back. I figure someone needs to clean it up instead of tossing it, so might as well be me.
So far I'm thinking microfiber clothes, and glasses cleaner or an alcohol/water solution. Some Q-tips for those hard-to-reach crevices. But I'm curious if you have any suggestions.
Quote from James Warner on May 24, 2022, 10:00 pmWhat methods and products/diy solutions do you use to clean your camera body and lenses? I am mostly interested in the outside of the body and lenses, and not so much the sensor or taking apart the camera.
I've read a few articles that mentioned some cheap solutions you can buy that are safe on the lenses/body, and using that in combination with different kinds of clothes. This article even has some DIY solution you can use: https://shotkit.com/how-to-clean-camera-lens/
I received a very dirty old digital camera and two lenses. It almost looks like it was left outside, but somehow still works. Maybe a moisture ridden garage. It wasn't disclosed how bad shape it was, so I went to return it and I just got all my money back rather than shipping it back. I figure someone needs to clean it up instead of tossing it, so might as well be me.
So far I'm thinking microfiber clothes, and glasses cleaner or an alcohol/water solution. Some Q-tips for those hard-to-reach crevices. But I'm curious if you have any suggestions.
Isopropyl alcohol and Q-tips/ microfiber cloths, and soft cloth style shop towels such as blue rolls in automotive stores or Viva you can find in grocery stores. Just sparingly apply in small dabs, and work it in gently. It evaporates very quickly, steak free. We use isopropyl as a cleaner in aviation alot, it's great for removing oil/grease and dirt. Works wonders. Cheap soft dollar store nylon tooth brushes work well for small cracks and crevices. This is what I use to clean my old film gear I salvage.
Isopropyl, lots of cloths and patience. I'd love to see the before and after shots of this swamp camera.
Most of what accumulates o my camera is dried sweat and skin oil. I never let it get to disgusting levels.
I just use windex or diluted Simple Green or Dawn (basically whichever is closer at the time) then wipe it off with clean damp towel.
From cleaning the DNA from previous owner of used records I found alcohol  particularly ineffective at removing dried fingerprints.
Dried skin oil is really, really tenacious.
You have to figure out what the offending substance is soluble in.  Example, a coffee stain maybe resistant to MEK but water might clean it right off.  I've seen YT videos I've seen where guys try to remove window tint film adhesive using gasoline, which is incredibly dangerous. Ammonia and water takes it right off.
Just because a solvent will cause brain damage , light you on fire, cause chemical burns does not make it the right solvent.
Interesting- I had Nikon D200, that I was told was in a house fire. It was pressure washed in DI water and then dried in a special oven. Looked like a new camera and worked great.
What you have sounds like a totally different issue chemically. I'm thinking dried minerals and mold or mildew. Â That can be a lot harder to fix.
Post a pic.
Quote from KankRat on May 25, 2022, 10:53 pmWhat you have sounds like a totally different issue chemically. I'm thinking dried minerals and mold or mildew. Â That can be a lot harder to fix.
Post a pic.
I think it's a mixture of both. For instance, the lenses look dirty, scuffed, and smeared, but there's also definitely fingerprints on there so some of that is human handling.
Here's a few pictures. The whole kit is like this. That brown goopy grime is everywhere. Some corrosion on the battery. Battery charger is filthy. It's hard to tell if the lenses are scratched underneath or just dirty. They look scratched to me.
I think I'll start with the light cleaning and see how hard some of this stuff is to get off. I washed my hands thoroughly after touching it I was so grossed out, lol (I am a little sensitive though 😉 )
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Oh man, glad to see they nabbed that camera from the scene of a crime. Lots of skin and oil on that camera. I'd still recommend Isopropyl to get the initial grime off. Then spray your cloth with something like Windex as described above. Obviously don't use gasoline like the dudes trying to remove their tint haha.
Isopropyl is handy because it's A. it's extremely low conductivity. B. It dries and evaporates into the air pretty quickly. C. It's relatively safe compared to many cleaning compounds and other cleaning spirits and alcohols.
Especially when talking about a digicam, I'd recommend using Isopropyl as much as you can to clean it, as ammonia can be extremely corrosive on electronics. (I was a hardware technician for many years. I've seen accidental water and chemical corrosion for cleaning way too many times)
Forgot to mention, scraping tools work well too like spudgers and plastic pry bars. Stuff you'd get in a phone repair kit.
@james-warner-b Saw your vid! It looks so much better, one thing I could recommend that'll sparkle up that back screen is maybe some turtle wax. Just rub it in circles for a while, they also say that brasso does a good job if you have that around the house (if push comes to shove the clear coat fixer they sell for cars may also work but that would be my last resort because I think that could leave some film and remove any protective coating that's in the screen perhaps making it more reflective or less legible outdoors). That should breathe a little more life into that poor back screen.
Quote from HeggenDazs on May 28, 2022, 6:04 pm@james-warner-b Saw your vid! It looks so much better, one thing I could recommend that'll sparkle up that back screen is maybe some turtle wax. Just rub it in circles for a while, they also say that brasso does a good job if you have that around the house (if push comes to shove the clear coat fixer they sell for cars may also work but that would be my last resort because I think that could leave some film and remove any protective coating that's in the screen perhaps making it more reflective or less legible outdoors). That should breathe a little more life into that poor back screen.
I didn't even think anything could be done for it, that's a great idea! I am going to shoot with it a little bit to see if it has any faults, and if it's good to go I may try that. Don't really want to invest any more time if it doesn't work reliably ... since I did have some trouble getting it turned on lol
Quote from James Warner on May 26, 2022, 2:34 amQuote from KankRat on May 25, 2022, 10:53 pmWhat you have sounds like a totally different issue chemically. I'm thinking dried minerals and mold or mildew. Â That can be a lot harder to fix.
Post a pic.
I think it's a mixture of both. For instance, the lenses look dirty, scuffed, and smeared, but there's also definitely fingerprints on there so some of that is human handling.
Here's a few pictures. The whole kit is like this. That brown goopy grime is everywhere. Some corrosion on the battery. Battery charger is filthy. It's hard to tell if the lenses are scratched underneath or just dirty. They look scratched to me.
I think I'll start with the light cleaning and see how hard some of this stuff is to get off. I washed my hands thoroughly after touching it I was so grossed out, lol (I am a little sensitive though
)
Eeeeew. Â On second thought go with the gasoline.
