birdsoup

Birds look better through binoculars and every bird lover owns binoculars. I recall one participant on my bird walk who was very proud and boastful of his binoculars. And he should have been. He had super-expensive, top-of-the-line binoculars. He smugly allowed everyone to look through them to appreciate the image quality. And the image was great, much better and brighter than average. However, what struck me most was the fact his lenses (both objective and ocular lenses) were dirty. Absolutely filthy. Filled with smudges and fingerprints. Cloudy. If the inherent optic quality was not so good he probably would not have been able to see anything.

After that experience I began to observe everyone’s binoculars. Whether they are old or new, top-of-the-line or bargain basement they all have one characteristic in common — the lenses all need a good cleaning. It always surprises me that people will spend hundreds or thousands of dollars for the very best optical quality, but never clean the lens. Cleaning the lens on even average, run-of-the binoculars greatly improves their image. You don’t need to buy better binoculars, you just need to clean the ones you already have.

I have become a fanatic on clean lenses. A simple task with great rewards

The Wrong Way to Clean Binoculars
I am sure you have seen birders trying to remove dust from their binoculars by breathing on them to create a fog on the glass and then rubbing them with a sleeve or handkerchief. That is the worst thing you can do. The major ingredient in dust is silica— or, in other words, tiny rocks. Silica is harder than glass. If you are too vigorous rubbing dust across your eyepiece, you gouge microscopic scratches into the glass or the ultra-thin coatings on lenses. You can’t see the scratches. They are really tiny. But they effect the light transmission. And so over time the image in your binoculars is not quite as crisp and sharp.

The Right Way to Clean Binoculars
In order to clean binoculars correctly you need either a Lens Pen (for quick cleaning) or a full Lens Cleaning Kit. I stock both of these inexpensive items in the store. The first step is to remove all the loose dust and debris from the lenses. Hold the binocular upside down so any dust and dirt detached will fall down away from the lens. Then use a soft brush to gently brush away any loose dirt. Don’t use your breath — it includes minute droplets of water that will spot your lens. And, unless the binoculars are truly waterproof, could fog up the inside of lens.

Moisten a Q-tip or a lens tissue with photographic lens cleaning solution and float off any remaining dust. Do not use cleaning sprays designed for cleaning eyeglasses or windows, which may contain chemicals that could attack the coatings on the lens.

When the dust is gone, wipe the lens with lens tissue or a special micro fiber lens cloth. Start in the center of the lens and work your way in a circular fashion to the outside of the lens. Do not use paper towels or facial tissue, which will be too rough. They often include wood fiber that will scratch your lenses or the coatings on the lenses.

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