Lens cleaning kit and UV filter recommendation

[HiSpec]

What should I look for in a lens cleaning kit?
I have eye glass cleaning solution, can I use that instead along with the eye glass cleaning towel? I have a couple of fresh unused eye glass cleaning towel, so they will be free of particles.

Second, what is consider a good UV filter? I need to buy one for my current lens. Can anyone suggest anything for me?

Thank you

[TDFTW]

Lint free should work. I use fine microfibres for cleaning my lenses. Don't scratch either.

[msommers]

For cleaning I use this (http://www.thecamerastore.com/products/catalog/camera-care/eclipse-optic-cleaner-59ml) cleaning solution and these (http://www.thecamerastore.com/products/catalog/camera-care/pec-pad) cleaning pads.

For UV, I've heard Hoya, Tiffen, Nikon, B+W, Heliopan....really depends on how much you want to spend. For value, I'd take a Hoya.

Oh ya, an air blower is a good idea too!

[freakin]

Buy yourself a lens pen, and a small blower. Your eyeglass cleaning cloth is likely a microfiber one, so it should work well for you. I would be hesitant to recomend you use your eyeglass cleaning solution though. You can buy a bottle of the Zeiss lens cleaner at The Camera Store for $10. Go with that and at least you know it wont strip off your anti-glare coating on the front element.

When cleaning, just get the loose crap off first. Use the blower, then go in with the lens pen's brush, then the cleaner and cloth.

As far as the UV filters go, I'm a big fan of the slim B+W filters. Best thing to do is put the filter on top of a white sheet of paper. If you see any change in color (yellow), then don't buy it. I also find that some of the multi-coated filters leave spots on them when you try to clean them. I haven't had much luck with Kenko or Hoya because of this.

[Pacman]

Perhaps my technique is poor, but whenever I tried cleaning my lens with a microfibre cloth and eyeglass cleaning solution.....the lens would look clean but if I held it at an angle under strong light, you could see that it was full of streaks.

Do these streaks impact the quality of the photos?

My friend used something called a "Lens Pen" which seemed to remove that film/streaks on my lens. Next time I'm at the camera store.....I'll see if I can find one.

James

[Mitsu3000gt]

Blower then lens pen - I've yet to find anything that is easier or works better.

Any of the big brands of UV filters will work just fine, just don't really cheap out or it can have a noticable affect on image quality. I use Nikon's NC filters and I am extremely happy with them. The UV protection is actually unnecessary for digital SLR's, so you can just buy a protective filter without UV protection if you want.

[KKY]

I also recommend blower and lens pen.

For filter, multi-coated ones will have less effects on your images.

[HiSpec]

this lens pen cleans the lens right? or it just pick up the particles then i have to go over the lens with solution + towel after?

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by HiSpec
this lens pen cleans the lens right? or it just pick up the particles then i have to go over the lens with solution + towel after?

Yes, it cleans it. It includes a soft brush to get rid of any larger particiles (although I prefer a blower for this) and then the other end of the pen is a felt pad, with the dry chemical cleaning solution on a sponge in the lid itself so it recharges every time you put the cap on. They work super well.

[clem24]

Lens pens work only when the smear isn't too greasy... I.e. if your face or really greasy fingers like that of a baby touched the lens, then the lens pen can actually smear it around. In that case, I have some cleaning lens cleaning fluid I bought when I was in Japan which comes with this lint free tissue paper for cleaning. Works extremely well. Otherwise, lens pens FTW.

[AccentAE86]

I use Hoya Pro-1 or Hoya S-HMC. It's a good mix of performance and price. (i.e. paying 30% more for a B+W doesn't get you 30% more light transmission or 30% more flare resistance)