Lens Care: Cleaning and Changing Lenses

For those of us who use interchangeable lens cameras, changing lenses soon becomes habit, something we do without thinking about it. For those new to such tools, it can seem intimidating, and even for us habitual users, a change of system can bring out new problems. It is an area where not all systems are equal - I’ve worked with numerous different marques over the years and in different formats, moving from Leica and Pentax screw systems to 57 varieties of bayonet. Two systems seem to me to have stood out from the rest as giving fast, easy and positive changes. Not surprisingly, one is the Leica M system, and the other the Olympus OM series. Both have sensibly placed lens release buttons and positive locking systems, enabling fast lens changes, even one-handed. It’s only now I do most of my lens-changing on Nikon or Hasselblad XPan, neither outstanding in use, that I really appreciate their good design. I can’t quite work out why, but several times I’ve found an XPan lens falling off in my camera bag or coming off in my hand.

Rear Lens Caps

Camera lens and body flanges are generally fairly well engineered, with machined metal surfaces, but a third important element in lens changing is the plastic lens end cap. Some of these - even from major manufacturers - are poorly thought out and produced, and they often soon begin to suffer from wear. Sometimes I feel the manufacturers treat these small plastic pressings as unimportant, even almost disposable, when in fact they are a vital part of the system. If they do get too worn or you lose one, good dealers will stock replacements, though it is galling to pay $9 or so for a poorly designed few cents of plastic.

Visible Markings

To ease the changing of lenses, you may find it worth putting a clear white (or other colour) spot on the plastic end caps. It would help if all manufacturers marked these clearly, preferably with a clear raised mark that could easily be felt in low light. Some - including Nikon - have the kind of mark that you can see if you know where to look in perfect lighting, frankly pretty useless. Since most caps are black, a small spot of white paint, or, perhaps better, a line down the edge, helps greatly. Mark it precisely where it needs to line up with the spot on the lens.

Digital Differences

Moving to a Digital SLR (dSLR) system has caused particular problems, as lens changing allows dust to enter the system. A much more careful and systematic approach is needed to cut down the chances and thus avoid either the need to clean the sensor or the tedious job of retouching all your images in Photoshop or other imaging software.

Cleaning sensors

I’ve dealt previously with the problems of dirt on dSLR sensors (see Digital Dirt and Noise in Related Resources), with some suggestions about simple and cheap methods of cleaning them. You take the advice in my feature entirely at your own risk, and it may well invalidate your warranty, but it has worked without problems for me. Recently I’ve been using a new and apparently safer cleaning method involving a specially designed brush which is prepared using an air blast. This is said to be safer and more effective and my review of the Visibledust Sensor Brush(TM) (see Related Resources) confirms that it works. Source : www.articlephotography.com