If you haven't used a lens pen, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised -- it works well. The description doesn't make it very clear that this product has TWO different cleaning tools, one at each end. The brush, which retracts, is to take off dust particles. Hidden in the other end is a soft pad with a cleaning agent to remove fingerprints and more serious dirt, hopefully without damaging the anti-reflection coating on your lens.
My only reservation is that this particular "Cleaning System" is a bit overpriced (at the time I wrote this review, Amazon was selling it for about $21). Essentially identical double-ended Lens Pens without the Nikon name attached cost $8-$10 from many sources, including Amazon (search "Lens Pen"), so you're paying quite a lot to impress your friends ;-)
One more thought: another reviewer mentioned cleaning his lens daily with this product. That's not such a great idea. Camera lenses, and especially their anti-reflection coatings, are quite fragile. The more often you clean your lens, the more likely you'll damage the coating, or even scratch the lens due to a small dirt particle on the cleaning pad (likewise, NEVER clean a lens with bathroom tissues, since they contain tiny, hard wood chips).
The fact is, a moderate amount of dust and dirt on your lens does NOT affect the pictures you take, since anything that close to the lens is so out of focus.
PS -- Here's an update: I just got an Adorama Camera catalog that lists this lens pen, WITH the Nikon name, for $6.50! Imagine that. Nikon 7072 Lens Pen Cleaning System
does exactly what it's supposed to, and does it well.
to use:
1. with one end, extend the brush, and wipe debris away.
2. twist the cap on the other end, and take it off. with that end, wipe in a circular motion, and smudges get polished away.
This is a easy to use lens cleaning device.
You use the bush end to remove any debris from the lens, and the pad end to remove fingerprints and the like.
The bush is retractable and soft enough not to damage lenses.
The pad is treated (coated) in such a way as to remove fingerprints without leaving smudges.
I have had excellent results using the Nikon Lens Pen on my Sony DSC F-828 digital camera. However it is important to note that the pad end is much too big to use on the electronic viewfinder (or anything else less than about a half an inch in diameter).
The Nikon Lens Pen appears to be identical to many other LensPens out there (they all seem to be identical except for branding and coloration). Perhaps they are all manufactured by one company (perhaps other than Nikon)?
Of course, this is not world's the most sophisticated lens cleaning system. However, it is one very handy package that takes very little room in your bag and works with reliable and predictable results. I would not use this pen to clean lens that was subjected to what would be considered heavy levels of dirt, but it works well, cleaning those occasional smudges that you get on the lens when a 3-year old decides to touch lens with his finger or a droplet of water dries on the lens.
As an eyeglasses wearer and photographer, clean and scratch free lenses is important to me. This tool sweeps away scratch making surface debris with the soft brush on one end and then polishes away smudges with a suction-cup-like device on the other. I have no idea (nor do I need to know) how this thing works but I know it does.
Hasn't scratched yet - and it's dirt cheap.
For the price, the tool is not bad. The brush works well around the edges of the lens, but take care not to touch it as, even clean hands, will leave a bit of grease on the brush and it does smear the lens. I'm not entirely impressed by the round tip 'polishing' tool. I ordered 2 of these pens and 2 'Lenspens' (by the way - they are absolutely identical and I'm sure they come from the same factory, just with different brands - don't be fooled by the price difference). So far I used one Nikon pen and one Lenspen and both left a bit of 'ghost-smearmarks' on my lenses - not impressive at all. After using the pens I always have to give the lenses a wipe with a cleaning cloth also.
I would approve the use of this tool though, as there is no other way to safely get into the tight corners of the lens area (not with a cloth anyway), and also on the sensor side of the lens where you have even less space to work, this does come in handy.
As closing remark - I will not get anywhere close to a sensor with this pen. It is not being sold as a sensor cleaner, but just in case you were wondering...
This low-priced pen cleaning kit from Nikon is a must-have. I was surprised that it costs less than non-Nikon cleaning pens that do exactly the same.
One end of the pen has a soft brush which is retractable. It's perfect for brushing away dust on the lens. The other end is a cleaning pad, which is used to remove fingerprints and particles that get stuck on the lens. Because this product is small, it doesn't take up any space in the camera bag. It's also very convenient to use.
Of course, if your lens surface is really dirty, you should get a complete cleaning system including lens-friendly cleaning solution and soft tissue paper.
It works prety good specially when you want to clean a small spot on your lens just when you are about to shoot. It's very convenient and easy to carry on.
Be carefull of not pulling brush hairs as they will come off quite easy and will start losing other hairs from then on.
I was skeptical when I ordered the pen because I wasn't too sure how clean it would really keep my lens.
Last week I traveled through out Mexico and visited some beautiful places, along with seeing a lot of family members. With all these family members around, a few accidently touched my lenses. I decided it would be a perfect time to test my new pen. End Result? PERFECTION! The lenses looked like thru were brand new!
I used to carry little paper whipes designed for lenses, but now I use the Nikon Lens Pen and I don't need to worry about carrying whipes and throwing them away. - Lens Pen - Cleaner - Photography - Nikon'
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