Properly Clean and Maintain Optical Filters

1. Optical filters are not only protective lenses

Some optical filters are only installed on the lens when they are used, such as polarizers, grayscale filters, while some are installed in front of the lens for a long time, such as UV lenses. At present, many people use UV mirrors as lens protection lenses, so they don't take good care of UV mirrors when using them. In fact, this is wrong. The main function of the UV lens is to absorb the ultraviolet light entering the lens first, and then to protect the lens lens. If we do not pay attention to the protection when using the UV lens, the surface will be dirty or worn, which will also affect the shooting.

2. Installation and removal of optical filters

Commonly used optical filters, take the UV lens as an example, there is a thread engraved inside the frame, and screw it on the front of the lens when using it (determine the diameter of the lens used in advance, and match the optical filter of the same diameter). Be careful not to tighten the filter too tightly, because after a period of use, due to changes in the surrounding environment, temperature and humidity, the optical filter will be more closely integrated with the lens. If it is too tight, it will not be easy to remove it.

When disassembling the optical filter, be careful not to touch the surface of the lens with your hands or hard objects, pinch the frame of the filter to screw it. If the filter is too tight to unscrew, you can find a piece of clean rubber, press it flat on the filter frame, and rotate it as a whole. Generally, you can loosen the screwed filter. Do not place the disassembled filter with your hands, and put it in the filter box or moisture-proof box in time.

3. Clean the optical filters by yourself

Under what circumstances do we need to clean the optical filter? If you accidentally get watermarks, handprints, dust, oil stains, etc. during use, which affect the actual shooting effect, you need to clean the optical filter in time. First of all, we must prepare cleaning tools, including lens pens, lens cloth, wet and dry lens paper, air blower, lens water, soft brush, etc.

Remove the optical filter from the lens, pinch the frame part of the lens with your hand, blow off the floating dust particles on the surface of the filter with a blower, and then use a soft brush to brush off the dust that has not been blown off. After that, it can be divided into two parts.

If you have a lens pen in your hand, it is more convenient. It is recommended to have a double-headed lens pen with a brush, which is constructed with a spongy carbon particle brush on one side and a soft brush on the other. When using it, first use a sponge carbon particle brush head and rotate it in the same direction to wipe the surface of the filter. Don't use too much force, otherwise the carbon particles will remain on the surface of the filter. If there are dry stains that cannot be wiped off, you can breathe a sigh of relief on the surface of the optical filter, then wipe it with a carbon particle brush, and then clean it up with a soft brush. Remember not to blow into the filter with your mouth, it is easy to blow saliva on it, making cleaning more difficult.

Friends who don't have a lens pen can put some lens water on the lens paper to wipe the filter, and then wipe it again with dry lens paper or lens cloth. Lens water can only be used with lens paper or lens cloth, not lens pens, which can only be used on relatively dry filter surfaces.