Hmmmm. Cleaning a sandy lens....

heatherfeather

I was out on a mountain shoot and my 70-200 lens rolled out into the sand. It got sand pretty much all over it..... Since then I haven't done anything to it other than blow it off and shake it a little. I have NOT turned any of the dials or taken caps off.

I am thinking I might first use the shop vacuum to suck most of the sand off the exterior and any cracks... and then perhaps use canned air to get the rest. Then a good cleaning with some pecpads....

What do you guys suggest!? I don't want to make this any worse than it already is! (Note: the lens IS insured, so it isn't the end of the world, but I sure would like to avoid the hassle of making the claim.)

kdog

I'd say it's a good idea to go the vacuum route before doing anything else, maybe with one of those soft bristle furniture brush attachments. That way the bristles will help dislodge any sand caught in the adjustment rings. Not sure what canned air would buy you after that. I'd be nervous about blowing any remaining particles further into the lens. Might be better to just use the lens, and maybe repeat vacc'ing again if the lens seems crunchy. I live in a sandy area, and have felt sand in my adjustment rings before. It goes away, and doesn't seem to hurt anything.

Cheers,
-joel

heatherfeather wrote:

I was out on a mountain shoot and my 70-200 lens rolled out into the sand. It got sand pretty much all over it..... Since then I haven't done anything to it other than blow it off and shake it a little. I have NOT turned any of the dials or taken caps off.

I am thinking I might first use the shop vacuum to suck most of the sand off the exterior and any cracks... and then perhaps use canned air to get the rest. Then a good cleaning with some pecpads....

What do you guys suggest!? I don't want to make this any worse than it already is! (Note: the lens IS insured, so it isn't the end of the world, but I sure would like to avoid the hassle of making the claim.)

jeffreaux2

Vacuum it......brush it......maybe use the sticky side of some masking tape to pull it from tough spots. I wouldn't use the air unless I was sure it wouldn't make the problem worse. At least it's a sealed lens...unlike the 17-55 which has a portion of the barrel that extends when zoomed. It shouldnt be a huge deal.


.....I got a lightstand FULL of sand when I shot my daughters senior photos on the beach. My stand is super crunchy, but I doubt I clean it all out. I have been getting some great smiles from clients when I say.....over and over...."I got sand in my stand!".

Travis

@ Jeff... seeing that most of my sessions are beach scenes, my poor Bogen tripod looks like it has arthritis when being opened.

@ Heather... I agree that you are pretty safe with the sealed lens. It goes without saying to be careful with front and rear elements seeing that they are most vulnerable to scratching. I usually use a blower brush first thing when I return from the beach. I inspect the glass with a magnifying glass to ensure that there are no small grains hiding before I wipe it down with a lens cloth.

heatherfeather

Well after a good vacuuming, it seems to be pretty good. It isn't even the slightest bit glitchy so I think it survived. The caps were still on (phew) so the elements were protected.

I dont' know how you guys do it at the beach all the time! I think I would be a wreck with my gear out there.

Good idea about the magnifying glass Travis. I'll make sure to check before I do the rest of my cleaning on it today.

jeffreaux2

Another great tool for cleaning is a good quality soft bristle make-up brush. My sister-in-law sold Mary K for awhile and got me one that has a cap and opens up like lipstick. It can live in my bag without the worry of it grabbing up dirt inside the bag.

The few times Ive shot at a beach I have been super careful and still brough home a lot of sand.

heatherfeather

jeffreaux2 wrote:

Another great tool for cleaning is a good quality soft bristle make-up brush. My sister-in-law sold Mary K for awhile and got me one that has a cap and opens up like lipstick. It can live in my bag without the worry of it grabbing up dirt inside the bag.

The few times Ive shot at a beach I have been super careful and still brough home a lot of sand.

Ha ha! I can just picture you pulling out a PINK makeup applicator brush... :giggle