2. Purosol Optical To The Rescue

The other day I was taking some holiday photos of the family using my Canon EOS 5D full-frame digital SLR. I accidentally touched the surface of my favorite portrait lens, a Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, and saw a ghastly 2" fingerprint running right across the middle of the front of the lens. I took a picture and saw a kind of hazing in the center of the image, right where fingerprint fell on the lens. With a few pictures yet to be taken, I had to switch to another lens so the show could go on.

Afterwards, I simply couldn't bring myself to try to clean off the fingerprint - instead, I just left the camera sitting in the bag. Then Marty told me about Purosol Optical. I ordered a bottle over the Internet along with a microfiber cloth; when it arrived, I was still a bit leery about cleaning the lens, but finally forced myself to do it.

I moistened the cloth - never pour cleaner on a lens! - and gently wiped the fingerprint. It seemed to disappear so quickly that I was convinced it was an illusion caused by the light in the room. So I ran around the house checking the lens: no fingerprint. I ran outside in the shade: no fingerprint. Then I went into the sun: no fingerprint! It really was gone.

So, why does Purosol Optical work so well (and Purosol Plasma for that matter)? Let me quote from the little blurb that comes with the Optical:

Purosol was developed for NASA and the space program, as an alternative to solvent-based cleaners that destroy lens coatings, are environmentally dangerous and contribute to health problems.... [Purosol c]ontains no ammonia, alcohol, glycerin or silicone. Completely solvent free.... Purosol Optical [is] an environmentally friendly enzyme-based formula; Purosol cleans at the molecular level, neutralizing the bonds that dust, dirt, oil and grime use to adhere to glass or plastic lens surfaces. This solution is designed specifically for high-end multi-coated lenses.

Conclusions

Those of you who have read my "Who Designed This Crap?" columns know that I'm not easily impressed with many technologies, and I take vendor claims with a ton of salt. I tested Purosol in a number of tough lens cleaning situations and I can vouch for the claims made by Origin Labs about the almost magical ability of this cleaner to remove dust and dirt, and especially oil and grime. Purosol Optical is truly a miracle product. Gad! I sound like one of those guys on an infomercial. But, it's true. Oh yeah: it works great on my plastic eyeglass lenses as well.

Optical comes in 1, 2 and 4 ounce bottles, and it isn't cheap, but it's worth every penny. Purosol products are available from a variety of vendors. If you can't find them, check out the company's web site at www.purosol.com.

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