Pro tip: Don't listen to that one guy about lens cleaning fluid

Some random on Facebook told me to use Windex on a Canon 24-70mm front element and it stripped the coating off in 30 seconds flat. Has anyone else had a bad repair tip cost you real money?

4 comments

4 Comments

abby_fisher1mo ago

Did Windex leave a hazy residue on the damaged element afterward?

kevinw941mo ago

Yeah a little goo gone and a soft cloth did the trick for me.

keith1641mo ago

Man that sucks! I had the same thing happen with a Nikon 50mm years ago. @abby_fisher yeah the Windex left this weird cloudy film even after I tried to wipe it off. For anyone reading this, distilled water and a microfiber cloth is all you should ever use on coated glass. If you need something stronger, get lens cleaning fluid from a camera shop - it's like $8 and won't eat your coatings. Learned that one the hard way too.

shane_wilson26d ago

Whoa hold on, you used Windex on a camera lens? Dude, that stuff has ammonia in it, that's like the worst thing you can put on coated glass! I'm honestly shocked it didn't eat the coatings completely, you got lucky there. Tbh distilled water and a microfiber cloth is the only way to go, I've ruined a couple of cheap filters over the years figuring that out myself. You just gotta treat lens coatings like they're made of tissue paper or something.