Cleaning Bino lenses

Bertie Leblanc

Well-Known Member
I have been given a pair of Nikon 8 x 50 binoculars from a boat I was working on, there was no case or bag with them so the lenses are a bit dirty.

​Whats your preferred method of cleaning them?

They have caps attached for the business end but nothing for the viewing end, any hints and tips to help maintain them?
 
Thanks WG, yes they are waterproof and have a backlit compass in as well, not sure how useful that will be.

Thanks for the advice.

I have a Bino Harness that hold them close when they are out of my hands abd I remember someone saying something about a cloth attached to the straps that will flop over the viewing lenses when they are not in use but I don't see how that wont be a faff to use. I dont have lens covers for that end.
 
Add to WG notes and say wipe dry with a damp lens cloth; this will reduce the chances of you scratching any protective coatings.
If you use a lens spray that is even better, available from opticians (you don't need the branded Swaro or Zeiss stuff!)
 
Thanks WG, yes they are waterproof and have a backlit compass in as well, not sure how useful that will be.

Thanks for the advice.

I have a Bino Harness that hold them close when they are out of my hands abd I remember someone saying something about a cloth attached to the straps that will flop over the viewing lenses when they are not in use but I don't see how that wont be a faff to use. I dont have lens covers for that end.

A piece of chamois leather as an eye guard actually works pretty well, as it will fall out of the way when you hold the binos up to your eyes. Don't forget to attach it to the strap though ;). An alternative is to use one of the aftermarket eyepiece covers, which you can find on eBay.

willie_gunn
 
Effective means of covering bino lenses has always been a hot topic.

There are a lot of versions of DIY leather flaps that I have seen over the years and we brought out a leather flap sometime ago, however we came up with what we thought was a better product in a Bino-Jacket, the top section can be left down as a flap and then if the bino's are not needed the bottom section can be clipped on to the top enclosing the bino (fully enclosed is also useful when crawling through heather etc). An olive green version should be available in the next 2wks.



Rgds

Rob
 
I've always run mine under the shower with warm water to dislodge dust etc and use a fine brush in the process with some hand soap...works a treat, never scratched a lens! :)
 
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