Can we talk about the shift from manual to automatic lens cleaning

I used to spend 20 minutes with a bulb blower and lens pen for every dirty element, especially on old vintage glass. Then about six months ago a customer dropped off a Nikon with fungus and I started using a ultrasonic cleaner with distilled water and a touch of dish soap. It cuts cleaning time in half and gets into those rear group cracks I could never reach by hand. Has anyone else switched over to ultrasonic for stubborn coatings or am I risking delamination?

2 comments

2 Comments

blair_gibson7821d ago

That's exactly what bugs me too, kai807. I'm not gonna lie, I had a Canon 50mm f/1.4 that I tried it on and a tiny little flake of coating just... came off near the edge. It wasn't a big deal optically, but it made me nervous. I've been sticking to just doing the front and rear elements with a manual swish now, and only using the ultrasonic for the inner air-spaced groups if I can reach them. For vintage stuff with soft coatings, I think I'm just gonna keep using the old bulb blower and a lens pen, it feels safer even if it takes longer.

kai80721d ago

Are you not worried about the ultrasonic vibrating coatings loose over time? I mean, I've seen enough old lenses with paint flakes to be cautious.