Took me 6 months to realize I was cleaning lens elements backwards

I always wiped from edge to center, thinking I was pushing dust off. Then a retired Nikon tech watched me do it and asked why I was smearing grease into the center of the glass. Now I start at the middle and spiral out, and my recoat jobs actually look clean.

3 comments

3 Comments

max_brown6d ago

Wait, wait wait... a retired Nikon tech was just standing there watching you clean a lens? That's wild. I didn't know there were people like that, just retired camera techs wandering around observing people. They probably have seen so many messed up lenses. I bet he had a whole notebook of things people do wrong.

ray_williams7d ago

Bought a used 50mm once that had a perfect thumbprint in the center of the front element.

evahenderson7d ago

Wait, you're telling me I've been doing it wrong for like a decade? I always thought starting from the outside and working in was the smart way, like you're trapping the dust and pushing it off. Now I'm wondering how many of my old photos have that weird haze in the center. I guess I owe a few lenses an apology.