I Take Mine Everywhere I Go
a travel photographer, a Photoshop user, a tech geek, an amateur photographer, a Canon digital camera owner
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AUG
18
2007
Carson - Optical LensPen LP-99 —
When I went back to a digital SLR with multiple lenses, I started wondering how best to care for them. After all, when you shell out a lot of money on a lens, you don't ever want the glass to get scratched. Digging through my really ancient camera gear I found lens tissue paper and a blower and some sort of solution, but I didn't like the idea of using it at all. It just looked like it would scratch no matter how careful I was. So I did a little searching on the Internet and discovered the Carson LensPen, an all-in-one pen-based lens cleaning solution.About the Carson LensPen
First, I find the manufacturer/identity of this product very confusing. If you go to www.lenspen.com you will find an in-depth website about this exact lens pen, but there is no mention of Carson on the site that I can find. I've noticed that if I go to a camera shop online, they'll sell their branded "LensPen", but often no "Carson" lens pen. Well, I ordered the "Adorama LensPen Lens Cleaner" from Adorama's website, and what arrived on my doorstep was a package with a LensPen in it that said clear as day "Carson LensPen LP-99". So for whatever reason, Carson doesn't often associate their name with this product. However, if you buy it from Adorama, or B&H or any of a number of other dealers out there, you'll almost certainly be getting the Carson LensPen.
This is an excellent product, about seven inches long and as its name implies, it looks like a pen, or more accurately, a black marker. However it acts nothing like either. Carson claims that this pen is "safe and easy to use on all lenses" and that it outperforms all other cleaning systems. It also won't spill or dry out. The way the pen works is brilliantly simple:
1. Using the button on the side of the pen, first you extend the retractable brush, using it to wipe off any dust or particles from the lens or glass you're about to clean.
2. Pull the brush back into the pen and then twist the cap on the other side to "replenish" the cleaning tip. Pull off the cap and using the tip, gently rub over any marks or smudges in a circular motion. They magically disappear!
3. Put the cap back on and put your lens away, all cleaned.
How does it work? I'm not quite sure. Even after reading the LensPen site, I'm still not quite sure. The cleaning head is this small black velvety matte disc. I've never actually touched it for fear of messing it up. It appears to have some form of carbon on it, which is "replenished" when you twist the cap according to the package materials, and this is what cleans the lens. No liquid is involved. I've heard that it will leave a black smudge on your skin if the disc touches your skin but again, I've never touched mine. It leaves no residue on the glass, though.
The process is wondrously simple and it all fits easily in a camera bag. A "mini" version is available, which I used for two years before buying this version which is full-sized. The cleaning tip is a circular area about a half inch in diameter and is carbon-based.
How Well It Works
I have used this lens pen on every last one of my lenses and filters. I once purchased a used circular polarizing filter off eBay on the cheap. The seller noted that it had smudges and was marked up. After five minutes with my Carson LensPen, the filter was perfectly clean.
And the lens glass! In two years it has never marked up any of my lens glass! I've used this pen on every lens I have owned and then some, including $800-$1000 lenses. When I first bought this pen I cautiously used it on my ~$95 kit lens for my Canon 300D. I was so nervous about scratching it! It didn't scratch. Eventually I became more confident, using it on more and more expensive lenses. Now, when I sell a lens it doesn't go out the door without one quick check and cleaning with my Carson LensPen. I have never had an ounce of trouble with this lens cleaning device. (Knocking on wood veneer over here...)
Longevity
I don't know exactly how long these pens "last", i.e. how long the carbon-based cleaner stays good. I lost the cap off my first mini version of this pen, which caused me to buy the second one. It was cleaning up until the day I tossed it. Presumably you may have to replace the LensPen at some point, but I can personally attest to the mini version lasting through 100 cleanings.
Maintenance
Be careful with this pen, being sure to keep the cleaning tip capped at all times and the brush retracted whenever you're not using it. If you do that religiously, and don't expose the pen to excessively dirty or dusty conditions, it should work wonderfully and stay clean for a long, long time.
Cost and Where to Buy
I have never found these in stores, only online. I purchased my most recent one from Adorama as noted above, for only $8.95. For that price you can buy two so you'll always have a spare. I've seen it advertised at the LensPen website for $14+, so I think $8.95 is a very competitive price for this product.
Cat's Bottom Line
I love the Carson LensPen and wouldn't take my camera anywhere without one nearby. I've used this product for two years and I would have been utterly lost without it. I highly recommend this product, a full five stars, for its ease of use, its consistently tremendous results, and its extremely low price. If you're a photographer with lenses to clean, run, do not walk, to get one of these. That's how much I love these pens. If you're concerned, try yours out on cheaper glass and filter glass until you're as comfortable with it as I am. It truly is a miracle-worker for my lenses!
Carson - Optical LensPen LP-99 is recommended by Cat
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