how to clean lens

[hartofalyon]

upon inspecting my f30, i've noticed this smudge on the lens itself. i then tried a q tip with a bit of water to wipe it, however, when it dried, i see these spots left on the lens. how do i get the lens to be completely clean? a bit of isopropyl alcohol? also, will qtips scratch the lens?

[sjseto]

If it looks like there are any particles of dust or dirt on the lens, it's a good idea to use a bulb blower (you can find this item at a camera store) to blow them off first. Then, I use a microfiber cleaning cloth (found at camera stores and opticals) that is used for cleaning spectacle lenses. This kind of cloth works great because it won't scratch the lens and it doesn't leave streaks. I spray some spectacle lens cleaner on the cloth (do not spray it directly on the lens) and then gently rub the lens with the cloth.

There are also special lens cleaning tissues that you can get, again, at camera stores and opticals. I've never tried them but they're supposed to work well.

I don't believe that a cotton swab would scratch the lens but because the fibers aren't woven together like in a cloth, I think you'd have a hard time getting the lens spotless.

Stephanie