Olympus Digital Camera - Getting Lens Cleaned In Bkk

[Khun Bob]

Hi

I'd like to get the lens on my olympus camedia C-750 cleaned. I dont fancy doing the job myself as i have heard a few horror stories. The dirt is not too bad - just some small dried liquid patches.

I've done some searches all ready on TV and came up with the following places :

Canon Marketing (Thailand) Co., Ltd.10th Floor, Bangkok City Tower, 179/34-45South Sathorn Road, Bangkok 10120,ThailandPhone: (662) 344 9999Fax: (662) 344 9910

I'm not sure if they would help me out as i have an olympus

Fotofile in MBK

Dont know anything more about them

If anyone has or knows a good, reasonably priced place - be nice to know the prices too - in bangkok, please let me know.

Thanks in advance.

[Peter-phillips]

I think you may be confusing Sensor cleaning on a Digital SLR (which can be dodgy) and lens cleaning. Lens cleaning shouldn't be a problem - most camera shops sell lens cleaning fluids and special lens cleaning cloths (they are like lint free tissues). Simply put a couple of drops of the fluid on the paper and wipe the lens with a circular motion. Dry with a fresh paper. Make sure you use a lens cleaning fluid and don't apply direct to the lens - you make damage the special coatings they put on modern lenses. Another idea is to use microfibre cloths (same as glasses...wash and dry a couple of times and then use it to clean. If you already have smears though you are probably better to use a cleaning fluid.

[Khun Bob]

Peter - thanks for the reply - it is lens cleaning fluid and paper/cloths i am after - i am just a bit paranoid at doing it myself and would prefer someone who has cleaned a lens and knows how to do it properly, to clean the lens on the camera for me.

Maybe there is not alot to be worried about and you do explain how to do it too - just worried i'll end up with scratches like i have on my glasses lenses from me cleaning them...

Could you recommend a good camera shop in bkk that would have the fluid and cloths and may be able to clean/offer further advice on cleaning ?

Cheers

[astral]

After you clean the lens I suggest you buy a ND (neutral density) filter

and screw this on the lens.

In future you will be cleaning the filter, and not the lens itself.

If it gets damaged a new filter is cheap compared to a lens!

I would recommend this to all camera users.

[Khun Bob]

bump

Could anyone recommend a good camera shop in bkk that would have the fluid and cloths and may be able to clean/offer further advice on cleaning ?

[Khun Bob]

After you clean the lens I suggest you buy a ND (neutral density) filter

and screw this on the lens.

In future you will be cleaning the filter, and not the lens itself.

If it gets damaged a new filter is cheap compared to a lens!

I would recommend this to all camera users.

This is a good idea - Would this work with any camera or only top end camera ?

Wheres a good place in bkk to get a filter and assiste with fitting ? Also what sort of price would they be ?

Could anyone recommend a good camera shop in bkk that would have the fluid and cloths and may be able to clean/offer further advice on cleaning ?

[astral]

This is a good idea - Would this work with any camera or only top end camera ?

Wheres a good place in bkk to get a filter and assiste with fitting ? Also what sort of price would they be ?

Could anyone recommend a good camera shop in bkk that would have the fluid and cloths and may be able to clean/offer further advice on cleaning ?

I think most cameras, except possibly the very cheap ones, have a thread on the lens for filters.

A quick look will tell if yours does.

There is a very good list of shops, complied by one of our members, at the top of the forum.

Look through that. My personal experience is with FotoFile who should have what you need.

[Khun Bob]

i managed to buy a camera lens cleaning kit from big camera in the mall ngam wong wan - was 190baht for a brush/blower, cleaning fluid, cleaning cloth and papers - it seems to have done the job ok. However, in forst using the brush blower seems to spread some of the grease spots - but this was cleaned off later.

I had a look at the lens and there appears to be a series of descreasing cirlces before the lens where it may be possible to put a filter. What sort of prices do the filters you have reccommened come at ?

Cheers

[Kan Win]

I had a look at the lens and there appears to be a series of descreasing cirlces before the lens where it may be possible to put a filter.

What sort of prices do the filters you have reccommened come at ?

Cheers

[astral]

Yes it looks as though you can put a filter on there.

I am not sure of the price, but not very expensive, a few hundred baht,

and certainly better than the cost of a new lens if you scratch it.

[Khun Bob]

Kan Win, Astral - thanks for your help - will check out a filter as I have got a small scratch on there all ready - noticed this as i cleaned the lens - and i dont want any more...

Did the same for my sony cam corder and will see if i can get a filter for that too.

Is it fair to say that with a filter the degradation in picture quality is minimal ? Also, if i get a lens and i know i am going to take pics where there is a greater risk of damage/dirtying the lens then it is better to use it - but if not there is no need. In this case does fitting/removing the lens often pose any risks to damage to the camera in you experience (of course i would be very careful in doing this) - or do you reccomend just leaving the lens in all the time ?

Cheers

[Nordlys]

Is it fair to say that with a filter the degradation in picture quality is minimal ? Also, if i get a lens and i know i am going to take pics where there is a greater risk of damage/dirtying the lens then it is better to use it - but if not there is no need. In this case does fitting/removing the lens often pose any risks to damage to the camera in you experience (of course i would be very careful in doing this) - or do you reccomend just leaving the lens in all the time ?

That depends on the quality of the optical filter. I have an expensive, professional-grade UV-cut filter on my rather expensive lens (for SLR) with multi-coating to minimize the reflection and comes at 1mm thickness (very thin), enabling 99% visible light transmission. You probably won't find a filter like that for the thread diameter of your camera, though. One way to test is to see how dark it gets when placing the protective filter on a white piece of paper. Darker it is, cheaper the filter, generally speaking. I don't think you need to be very sensitive about it though, for point-and-shoot cameras.

Also, I usually leave the protective filters (UV cut filters included) attached to the lens top all the time unless I need to change it to PL filter which I occasionally use.