How do I clean deposits off camera lens?

[djc1001]

I've just got back from an amazing trip in Manado - great photos too

But my Inon wide angle lens has some deposit marks on it than are not coming off after a long soak and using a light sunglass cleaning solution. Any advice on how to get the lens clean. And then how to take care of it better to stop deposit build up?

 

[phillybob]

Are you sure they aren't light scratches/ nicks ? My Inon has a few, but they disappear underwater and don't affect the pics at all.

 

[djc1001]

There is definitely a light scratch and I wonder about 2 of the marks - they look like rubbing on the screen surface. But there are also some deposits, I'm sure.

Thanks for the quick reply!

 

[phillybob]

The only thing I can think of is salt. And a warm water soak should do that in. I don't think you have barnacles growing on your stuff.

 

[bvanant]

If it is hard water spots, you might try one of the abrasive glass cleaners like BioClean or GlassWax. I would go with GlassWax first then BioClean (you need to be careful to not ruin the coating). If it is really bad you might try one of the crystal cleaning/polishing systems like you would for a dome port. In a pinch, you can use toothpaste and rub with a clean cloth (not paper) towel.
Bill

 

[JackConnick]

Umm, I doubt they really are harming anything. I like a product called a Lens Pen. it is a retractable brush, but then has another sort of sponge pad end that cleans lenses very well. It's also great for getting the inside of ports. Other than that I'd just use lens cleanner and tissue and let it go at that. Underwater, that film doesn't show.

Jack

 

[gert7to3]

Lime Away or a similar product might remove hard water deposits. I would just dab it on the spots, don't soak your housing with it. Vinegar, followed by regular lens cleaner is another thought.

Any kind of scrubbing or abrasive cleaning compound might give your port a slight haze.

 

[rickcavanaugh]

Rinse your lens better and dry after every dive. Salt water is high in calcium and many other minerals. It also has a pH of 8.3 and is corrosive.

 

[Nemrod]

I go to the store and buy deionized, distilled water in gallon jugs. Cut the top from the jug and set the lens down in there and swish it around and then let it soak for several hours. Pat or very gently rub it dry with a soft, microfiber towel. Let the lens set in a dry, place out of the light and dry overnight. Then, using a commercial lens cleaner intended for delicate optics and using real lens tissue, go over the lens and in particular the "spots" and if at that point they are still there --then--what you have is an etched area in the coating or lens glass that is permanent.


I try to rinse my lens after a dive but I do not leave my camera banging around in the camera "bucket"---hell no. After a dive, rinse or not, I pat the lens dry with a clean microfiber towel and then keep it out of the sun if possible until back to the base where I rinse it in freshwater, again pat dry with microfiber and then allow to dry without the covers in place. If during transit from the dive site you need to put the covers on make sure there is no sand in them and that they are dry, remove them as soon as back to base and clean the lens.

There are some optical polishing cloths and compounds but those are best left for "experts" as a little bit is enough and a bit more then the lens is ruined.

BTW, the Inon lens is a coated lens, the coating is fairly durable but it is not beyond damage as you have found out. It is there to increase optical transmission and reduce glare and increase contrast.

N

 

[bvanant]

Rinse your lens better and dry after every dive. Salt water is high in calcium and many other minerals. It also has a pH of 8.3 and is corrosive.

Not so high in Ca only about 400 PPM (parts per million). As for pH most likely places you dive, the pH is about 8.0 or so down quite a bit in the last 40 years. GO to Composition of seawater and you can see data on mineral compositions, as well as pH around the world. In any case, even at pH 8.3 it is not highly buffered so its corrosivity is quite limited to most optical glass (thankfully)

Bill