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Wasted $200 on a cleaning kit that wrecked my old lens
Bought one of those all-in-one lens cleaning kits from Amazon, the one with the spray bottle and microfiber cloths. Used it on a vintage 50mm f1.4 I was cleaning up for a client, and the spray left some weird film that smeared across the glass. Tried to buff it out with the cloth, but it scratched the coating instead. Cost me $200 to replace the front element from a donor lens. Anyone else had bad luck with those cheap kits?
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ray21017d ago
...and that's the thing, what brand was the kit exactly? I've heard mixed stuff about those Amazon basics ones, but the real junk comes from no-name sellers with fake reviews. Did you check the ingredients on the spray bottle before using it on that vintage glass? Some have ammonia or alcohol that eats through old coatings real fast.
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barbara_moore7317d ago
Ngl, a buddy of mine had almost the same thing happen with one of those kits. He was cleaning his dad's old Pentax lens and the spray left this hazy film that just would not come off. He tried wiping it more and it actually started peeling the coating off, like little flakes. He was so bummed because that lens had been in the family for decades. Honestly, he still blames himself for not testing it on a cheap filter first. Tbh, those no-name kits are just not worth the risk, especially with old glass that has delicate coatings.
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paul_burns10d ago
Yeah, I had a similar scare a couple years back with a vintage Canon 50mm. What ended up saving me was switching to just distilled water and a clean, lint-free cloth. I mean, it's not perfect for heavy grime, but for delicate old coatings it worked way better than any spray. Now I only use a tiny bit of isopropyl alcohol on a lens cleaning swab for stubborn spots, and even then I test on a UV filter first. That whole experience taught me to avoid anything with additives like ammonia or harsh detergents for vintage glass. It's a pain to be that careful, but it beats shelling out for a new element or a whole lens.
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