Hi. I just bought my first film SLR, and I was just wondering about how to clean dust and possible smudges on a lens. What cloth/wipe would you recommend, and is it bad to clean it too often? Also, I hear filters are good. What kind of filter can you put on without affecting the image, how do you know if they'll fit your camera, and where can you find them? I appreciate the time. :)

The less you touch the lens, the better. Even if you don't scratch it, modern lenses have a number of invisible anti-flare layers on them to improve contrast and light which you will be affecting with each wipe.
Use a blower, compressed air or a pen-like instrument with a special tip that the dust sticks to (usually sold as digital cleaner).
Failing that, gently use an anti-static brush.
If you are going to use cloth and liquid for tough jobs, be certain to use the right kind and put very little liquid on the cloth NOT on the lens and use it very gently.

Less is best when cleaning lenses.Use a blower or canned air to get rid of the dust and use a microfiber cloth (not lens tissue) to clean the front and back elements.Soft,slow,circular rotation from the center to the edge is best.
Get a skylight or UV filter.Use a ruler (mm) and measure across the center of the lens.That will give you a rough estimate of the filter size.I have tons of filters/cleaning cloths/etc.Drop me a line if you'd like.

Guess we posted at the same time arigram.

Hi, and welcome to the forum. Is the camera new and clean? If so, use a soft lens cloth which can be picked up from large chain opticians (usually free) or any camera shop or a few quid.

If the camera is very dirty and has been left unloved. You can pick up lens cleaning kit with a blower brush. If you have grit on the lens, use the blower to avoid scratching the lens. Once clean, avoid over cleaning as the lens has coatings which can wear off with excessive cleaning.

A decent quality UV filter will help keep the lens clean and protect the lens although there is thread debating this of course!

My breakfast is ready.....

Guess we posted at the same time arigram.
Our posts completed each other, so its a good thing!

If you clean the lens once as Ari suggests using a glass cleaning fluid then stick a UV or skylight filter on you should need to clean the lens itself again. Multicoating is pretty tough and with care the lens will clean easily.

You can buy a filter in most good photo-stores, you need to see what filter thread the lens has, it's sometimes marked but the store will usually know anyway.

Oh and welcome to APUG.

Ian

Btw, it would be nice if a moderator changed the thread title to something relating to cleaning lenses, to make it easier for others to find this information.

Good point, arigram. I should've thought about that before posting.

Thanks for the help! Good to know there's friendly people on the board. Looking forward to posting more.

Also, just in case it a lens from an older SLR system be careful not to rub TOO much as older lenses had a protective coating that over time can be rubbed off. I the lens is older, it's that much closer to the end. Word to the wise.