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How to clean a camera lens
In This Article
If you own a camera and have found your way onto this page, chances are your lens (or lenses) is overdue a clean.
When it comes to more delicate parts of your camera, like the sensor and the optical surfaces inside the lens, it’s probably best to send your kit off to a professional. Brands like Canon and Nikon often offer services for this.
However, while still delicate, the outside of your camera lens is something you can easily clean yourself with the right tools.
We’ve put together this guide to show you how to remove dust, dirt and smudges from your camera lens safely using a couple of tools.
What you’ll need:
The Short Version
Step1
Remove dust using a blower
You can also use a soft-bristled brush designed to clean lenses or blow on the lens with your mouth. Just be careful doing the latter, as you don’t want to get the lens wet or dirtier.
Step2
Grab a lens tissue or a microfibre cleaning cloth and apply a lens cleaning solution
You should never spray the lens cleaning solution directly on the lens as this could cause streaks or even water damage.
Step3
Gently wipe the lens clean
Use circular motions, beginning in the centre of the lens and gradually moving outward.
Troubleshooting
If you’re nervous about cleaning your lenses for fear of causing damage, you might want to consider picking up a protection lens filter to cover your lens. You can then simply clean the filter as you would a regular lens.
If you’ve found yourself caught in the rain during a shoot, you can dry your lens using a dry microfiber cloth. If the rain is particularly heavy, it’s also worth switching the camera off and waiting for it to dry completely before using it again.
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Hannah joined Trusted Reviews as a staff writer in 2019 after graduating with a degree in English from Royal Holloway, University of London. She’s also worked and studied in the US, holding positions …
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Why trust our journalism?
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
