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Pro tip: A chat with a museum archivist in Boston changed my whole view on cleaning old lenses
She told me their team never uses isopropyl alcohol stronger than 70% on pre-1970s coatings, because the higher concentration can actually dissolve the old, softer layers. I had been using 99% on everything for years, thinking it was the best. Has anyone else run into this with vintage glass, or have a different go-to cleaner for delicate coatings?
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stella_shah891mo ago
My old photography teacher swore by distilled water and a microfiber cloth for his Leica lenses.
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thompson.xena1mo ago
Wow, that's a really good tip. I always figured stronger alcohol was better for cleaning, so I used 91% on an old Canon lens. It left a weird haze on the coating that wouldn't come off. Now I stick with a lens pen and my own breath for anything older than me. That archivist knows her stuff.
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