http://www.digitalcameraworld.com MARCH 2020 DIGITAL CAMERA^129Mini Test
LensPen NLP-1
£7/$8
http://www.lenspen.com
T
he basic LensPen design has been
around for many years. It now comes in
various sizes to suit lenses from large
DSLR optics down to tiny phone cameras. This
NLP-1 variant is the original design, suitable for
larger lenses. Its standout feature is its 12mm
diameter tip. This has a slightly concave surface
to follow the curvature of your lens’s front
element, and is coated in carbon to enable
it to remove grease and fingerprints without
you having to resort to a liquid cleaner.
Amazingly, the system works. Lenses with
lots of fingerprints will require around 10 seconds
of wiping with the carbon tip to achieve a perfect
finish, but more typically marked optics come
up gleaming in moments.
The carbon tip can be ‘recharged’ by rubbing
it against the inside of its protective cover, and
should be good for around 500 cleans. The other
end of the pen houses a retractable brush – useful
for an initial sweep if your lens is particularly dusty.
PROS Gives great results with dry and oily
contaminants; convenient kit bag size;
cost-effective
CONS Not the fastest option for cleaning
very smeared glass
Verdict
Zeiss Lens Cleaning Wipes
£11/$15
http://www.zeiss.co.ukY
ou could clean your lenses with the
tried-and-tested combo of a microfibre
cloth and a specialist cleaning spray,
but there’s a risk the cloth will pick up dirt in your
kit bag, while the spray takes up valuable space.
These pre-moistened lens wipes, on the other
hand, are extremely handy. Each wipe comes
in a small 5cm-square sealed sachet and unfolds
to 15 x 12cm – just the right size for cleaning
a front or rear lens element.
Right out of the pack we found our wipes to
be slightly too moist, leaving some initial streaks
on the lens due to excess fluid. However this does
eventually evaporate to leave a clean, streak-free
and crystal-clear finish. The wipes pick up dust
particles effectively, though it’s advisable to
first blow away excessive amounts of
dust with a squeezy blower.
These wipes are also great value: each
works out at around five pence when you
buy them as a box of 200.PROS Super-convenient; gives a spotless clean;
very cost-effective when purchased in bulkCONS Streaks can take a little while to fade;
wipes dry out quickly once openedVerdict
Five things to
look out for1
Add a protector filter to
a frequently used lens
to protect the front
element from excessive
dirt and scratches.2
Just need to clean
some dust or light
fingerprints? Try
a blower, tissue, or
microfibre cloth.3
To shift fingerprints,
smudges and oily
residue, you’ll need
wet wipes or perhaps
a liquid spray.4
Nobody wants to carry
unnecessary bulk.
Consider wipes or a
microfibre cloth for
on-the-go cleaning.5
Don’t use any old
cleaning fluid on a lens:
only products designed
for precision-coated
optics will do.Zeiss Lens Cleaning Spray
£6.99/$7
http://www.zeiss.co.ukW
hen a simple microfibre cloth just isn’t
enough to perform a perfect clean, try
pairing it with a lens cleaning spray. There
are many available, but if you’re going to trust a fluid
on your prized optics, you can be fairly sure a spray
from Zeiss will be a safe bet. You get two 120ml
spray bottles in this pack, though capacity and
bundle options may vary according to retailer.
Of course, a spray on its own isn’t much good,
so you’ll need to combine it with a good microfibre
cloth. With this combo, Zeiss’ spray works a treat.
One or two squirts onto the cloth is enough to clean
a larger-diameter front lens element, and the final
result is flawless. No streaks – and no residue
left from the spray itself.
The only downside is that even at a modest 120ml
capacity, each bottle still takes up valuable space
in a smaller kit bag, and we’re not overly keen about
storing a bottle of liquid next to sensitive electronics.PROS Gives a superb clean when paired
with a cloth; best used in a home studioCONS Bulky and a potential leak risk on
the go; requires a microfibre cloth to useVerdict