Care of my A1 at DVinfo.net

Piotr Wozniacki · February 3rd, 2007, 03:05 PM

Now, please feel free to move this post to a more suitable area, but since the A1 is such a treasure to me, I'd like to ask these 2 silly questions:

1. With camcorders using touchscreen LCD (like the Sony HC1 that I used to have), the LCD was always dirty and full of my finger prints; now I'd like to keep the A1's LCD as immaculate as possible. What do I use to clean it? I just tried a soft cloth I use to clean my PC LCD monitor, but the result is awful - the LCD still looks dirty! I'm aware of special LCD cleaning kits; do you know what's so special about them? Any specific moistener?

2. The same with the lens glass: what is the best way of safely cleaning it from dust without specialized stuff, which tends to be pricey and not handy at all times? A cloth as soft as only possible will probably do, but should it be wet or dry?

3. I must admit I never was that cautious with my previous cameras - I'm now with the Canon; am I falling in love?

:)

Bill Pryor · February 3rd, 2007, 03:45 PM

I use lens cleaner and lens tissue or one of those lens cleaning cloths. Any camera store has them. It ought to be fine on the LCD too. You might want to get a UV1 or plain glass protective filter for the lens.

Larry Huntington · February 4th, 2007, 12:19 AM

I have always used diluted "windex" or other window cleaner with water and a soft cloth. Mild alcohol solution will rid finger oils from the LCD.

Piotr Wozniacki · February 4th, 2007, 07:30 AM

Since I tried cleaning the LCD for the first time, it never got back to the clean looks it had when new. I tried everything, but the more I try, the more stainy it looks - almost as if the stains were actually under the glass...But no, they must be outside, as they change after each cleaning.

Anyway, if dust is the only thing you have on the LCD, never use wet tissues - it will only get worse!

Pete Bauer · February 4th, 2007, 07:50 AM

In the English language manual, page 146 has the basic cleaning tips. In addition, for the lens I often use an inexpensive graphite-based Lens Pen. They cost about $7 US and are very quick and easy. For the LCD, a clean, lint-free, scratch-free cloth either dry or perhaps SLIGHTLY damp should reduce fingerprint marks and dust.

Piotr Wozniacki · February 4th, 2007, 08:12 AM

Pete, the fingerprints and dust can be done away easily, but what I'm worried about is that after cleaning, the LCD is not deep-black any more; instead it's got his violetish, matte looks. I didn't care so much with the HC1, bacause I was supposed to touch and press the LCD anyway, but here - well, I'll have to get used to it, I guess.

Tom Roper · February 4th, 2007, 10:14 AM

I'm waiting for someone who's got the answer for this too. On my Z1, I had it over a year and managed only one small fingerprint that I never wiped off. In a few months so far I've managed to not touch the A1 screen and I don't dare. Canned air for the dust, nothing else.

Jim Miller · February 4th, 2007, 10:21 AM

Try Hoodwipes from www.hoodmanusa.com. They are made especially for cleaning your LCD. They work great for me.

Boyd Ostroff · February 4th, 2007, 10:30 AM

I've used the "iKlear" wipes on my PowerBook and other LCD screens and they worked great - it's a two step process using one wet cloth and a dry polishing cloth. They have a variety of products for this:

http://klearscreen.com/KlearScreenHD.aspx

Tony Tremble · February 4th, 2007, 10:36 AM

For LCD screens I use a very high quality lens cloth with a little moisture from my breath. I have always steered clear of solvents on LCDs as choose the wrong one and they can play havoc with anti-reflective coatings.

As Tom says it can be better to live with a finger print than risk smearing it or worse.

TT

Piotr Wozniacki · February 4th, 2007, 11:52 AM

Tony, now you scared me! Do you think the violet tint that my LCD has after cleaning, my actually be the anti-reflective coating smeared?!

Please somebody assure me that nothing unrecoverable could happen to the coating just by wiping it with slightly moistured, soft cloth - even if it looks horrible now, or I won't be sleeping tonight!

Thanks:)

Bill Busby · February 4th, 2007, 12:22 PM

I use a cleaner made by Kensington that's for laptop, LCD's & any anti-glare screens for all of my LCD screens. It works very well. No smearing.

My 2 cents

Bill

Bill Pryor · February 4th, 2007, 02:22 PM

Piotr, you probably just smeared whatever was on there and didn't really hurt anything. Get some proper solvent and do it again and you should be OK.

Arthur Kay · February 5th, 2007, 09:43 AM

The recommendation from Boyd is very good.
I am an authorized Apple reseller and we use iKlear in-house as per instructions in the Apple service documents.
We use it to make the showroom models look like brand new.
Highly recommended.

Tony Tremble · February 5th, 2007, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piotr Wozniacki

Tony, now you scared me! Do you think the violet tint that my LCD has after cleaning, my actually be the anti-reflective coating smeared?!

Please somebody assure me that nothing unrecoverable could happen to the coating just by wiping it with slightly moistured, soft cloth - even if it looks horrible now, or I won't be sleeping tonight!

Thanks:)

Piotr

Definitely sounds like you are smearing something round on the LCD. It is important to use the right type of cloth so the grease/dirt is actually picked up rather than just spread around.

I might try some of those products that have been recommended myself. Cheers

TT

February 3rd, 2007, 03:05 PM	#1
Piotr Wozniacki Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Poland Posts: 4,086	Care of my A1 Now, please feel free to move this post to a more suitable area, but since the A1 is such a treasure to me, I'd like to ask these 2 silly questions: 1. With camcorders using touchscreen LCD (like the Sony HC1 that I used to have), the LCD was always dirty and full of my finger prints; now I'd like to keep the A1's LCD as immaculate as possible. What do I use to clean it? I just tried a soft cloth I use to clean my PC LCD monitor, but the result is awful - the LCD still looks dirty! I'm aware of special LCD cleaning kits; do you know what's so special about them? Any specific moistener? 2. The same with the lens glass: what is the best way of safely cleaning it from dust without specialized stuff, which tends to be pricey and not handy at all times? A cloth as soft as only possible will probably do, but should it be wet or dry? 3. I must admit I never was that cautious with my previous cameras - I'm now with the Canon; am I falling in love? :)

February 4th, 2007, 07:30 AM	#4
Piotr Wozniacki Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Poland Posts: 4,086	Since I tried cleaning the LCD for the first time, it never got back to the clean looks it had when new. I tried everything, but the more I try, the more stainy it looks - almost as if the stains were actually under the glass...But no, they must be outside, as they change after each cleaning. Anyway, if dust is the only thing you have on the LCD, never use wet tissues - it will only get worse! __________________ Sony PXW-FS7 \| DaVinci Resolve Studio; Magix Vegas Pro; i7-5960X CPU; 64 GB RAM; 2x GTX 1080 8GB GPU; Decklink 4K Extreme 12G; 4x 3TB WD Black in RAID 0; 1TB M.2 NVMe cache drive

February 4th, 2007, 07:50 AM	#5
Pete Bauer Wrangler Join Date: May 2003 Location: Eagle River, AK Posts: 4,100	In the English language manual, page 146 has the basic cleaning tips. In addition, for the lens I often use an inexpensive graphite-based Lens Pen. They cost about $7 US and are very quick and easy. For the LCD, a clean, lint-free, scratch-free cloth either dry or perhaps SLIGHTLY damp should reduce fingerprint marks and dust. __________________ Pete Bauer The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. Albert Einstein Trying to solve a DV mystery? You may find the answer behind the SEARCH function ... or be able to join a discussion already in progress!

February 4th, 2007, 08:12 AM	#6
Piotr Wozniacki Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Poland Posts: 4,086	Pete, the fingerprints and dust can be done away easily, but what I'm worried about is that after cleaning, the LCD is not deep-black any more; instead it's got his violetish, matte looks. I didn't care so much with the HC1, bacause I was supposed to touch and press the LCD anyway, but here - well, I'll have to get used to it, I guess. __________________ Sony PXW-FS7 \| DaVinci Resolve Studio; Magix Vegas Pro; i7-5960X CPU; 64 GB RAM; 2x GTX 1080 8GB GPU; Decklink 4K Extreme 12G; 4x 3TB WD Black in RAID 0; 1TB M.2 NVMe cache drive

February 4th, 2007, 11:52 AM	#11
Piotr Wozniacki Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Poland Posts: 4,086	Tony, now you scared me! Do you think the violet tint that my LCD has after cleaning, my actually be the anti-reflective coating smeared?! Please somebody assure me that nothing unrecoverable could happen to the coating just by wiping it with slightly moistured, soft cloth - even if it looks horrible now, or I won't be sleeping tonight! Thanks:) __________________ Sony PXW-FS7 \| DaVinci Resolve Studio; Magix Vegas Pro; i7-5960X CPU; 64 GB RAM; 2x GTX 1080 8GB GPU; Decklink 4K Extreme 12G; 4x 3TB WD Black in RAID 0; 1TB M.2 NVMe cache drive Last edited by Piotr Wozniacki; February 4th, 2007 at 12:58 PM.

February 3rd, 2007, 03:45 PM	#2
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	I use lens cleaner and lens tissue or one of those lens cleaning cloths. Any camera store has them. It ought to be fine on the LCD too. You might want to get a UV1 or plain glass protective filter for the lens.

February 4th, 2007, 12:19 AM	#3
Larry Huntington Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Grass Valley, California Posts: 350	I have always used diluted "windex" or other window cleaner with water and a soft cloth. Mild alcohol solution will rid finger oils from the LCD.

February 4th, 2007, 10:14 AM	#7
Tom Roper Trustee Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 1,891	I'm waiting for someone who's got the answer for this too. On my Z1, I had it over a year and managed only one small fingerprint that I never wiped off. In a few months so far I've managed to not touch the A1 screen and I don't dare. Canned air for the dust, nothing else.

February 4th, 2007, 10:21 AM	#8
Jim Miller Major Player Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tampa,Florida Posts: 236	Try Hoodwipes from www.hoodmanusa.com. They are made especially for cleaning your LCD. They work great for me.

February 4th, 2007, 10:30 AM	#9
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,800	I've used the "iKlear" wipes on my PowerBook and other LCD screens and they worked great - it's a two step process using one wet cloth and a dry polishing cloth. They have a variety of products for this: http://klearscreen.com/KlearScreenHD.aspx

February 4th, 2007, 10:36 AM	#10
Tony Tremble Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 451	For LCD screens I use a very high quality lens cloth with a little moisture from my breath. I have always steered clear of solvents on LCDs as choose the wrong one and they can play havoc with anti-reflective coatings. As Tom says it can be better to live with a finger print than risk smearing it or worse. TT

February 4th, 2007, 12:22 PM	#12
Bill Busby Major Player Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 959	I use a cleaner made by Kensington that's for laptop, LCD's & any anti-glare screens for all of my LCD screens. It works very well. No smearing. My 2 cents Bill

February 4th, 2007, 02:22 PM	#13
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	Piotr, you probably just smeared whatever was on there and didn't really hurt anything. Get some proper solvent and do it again and you should be OK.

February 5th, 2007, 09:43 AM	#14
Arthur Kay Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 37	The recommendation from Boyd is very good. I am an authorized Apple reseller and we use iKlear in-house as per instructions in the Apple service documents. We use it to make the showroom models look like brand new. Highly recommended.