Tried a lens cleaning trick I saw on a 2006 forum post

I was working on a Canon FD 50mm f1.4 with some haze between the elements. Figured I'd try this old tip using distilled water and a drop of dish soap instead of my usual lens cleaning fluid. Worked way better than I expected, the haze came right off after a gentle swab with a Q-tip. I'm wondering if anyone else has had luck with homemade solutions for stubborn haze, or if I just got lucky this one time.

3 comments

3 Comments

davis.olivia3d ago

That "if it ain't broke" attitude usually applies to everything else in life too.

susan813d ago

Tbh I'm surprised the dish soap trick worked that well. I've always been paranoid about residue left behind with homemade stuff like that. White vinegar sounds sketchy too since it can eat coatings if you leave it on too long. But hey if it works it works, just rinse it really good after.

eva_moore3d ago

I actually remember reading a post from a guy on the old Photo.net forums who swore by using a mix of distilled water and a tiny bit of white vinegar for cleaning haze off older glass. He claimed it worked better than anything he'd bought, especially for that yellowish haze that shows up on lenses from the 70s. I've never tried it myself, but your story makes me think I should give it a shot on a beat-up 35mm I have sitting around. Just be careful not to let any liquid seep into the barrel, that's where the real trouble starts with these old lenses.