AmazonBasics Lens Pen Cleaning System

• Soft brush retracts into pen body to stay clean
• Removes fingerprints, dust, and other debris

The lenspen has been around for a while it's rebranded like nobodies business: LensPEN Lens Cleaning System, Nikon 7072 Lens Pen Cleaning System, Lenspen LENMPII1 Minipro II Lens Cleaner For Digital Cameras, Camcorders, Scopes and Eyepieces (color may vary), Sima Lens Pen, Barska Lens Pen to name a few.

And the thing is, these have all been the SAME product with a new color and label printed on it.. which isn't necessarily a bad thing, since IT WORKS. But the Amazon one is a little different (reasons below).

First, about the lenspen it's similar in size to a "paint marker" or a beefy Sharpie. It's even got a clip to go onto your pocket. It's got 2 ends one is the brush-end which retracts into the pen by default (see the yellow switch on the photo? slide it up to make the brush come out.. slide back down to hide it when not in use).

The other end is a circular disc this side has a cap on it to keep it clean.. the cap also has some "magic" in it that keeps the disc ready to clean. To use, put the cap on, give the pen a twist or two and then un-cap it. Wipe the lens with the disc to clear off any smudges, fingerprints, dust, etc.. then re-cap it until needed again.

So why is this so great? Well..

* It's compact (fits in a bag, your pocket, anywhere).

* It's got 2 tools (brush and cleaning piece)

* It's cheap! 5-10 bucks

* It's been "tried and tested" for years, recommended by almost all that try it.

I tried the lens papers before and was always terrified the paper would scratch my lenses. I tried the microfibers, but they often made things worse (if you got a fingerprint on the lens, the cloth would often just smudge it around and not really get rid of it). I've heard horror stories with the liquids. The air-blowers (Giottos AA1900 Rocket Air Blaster Large (Black) ) are great, but hardly something you want to carry around all day because of the size.

So whats the difference between the LENSPEN and the AMAZON LENSPEN?

The LENSPEN is a bit longer and thicker than the AMAZON version. The original LENSPEN also has a slightly wider "disc" end (helpful for bigger lenses). The AMAZON LENSPEN uses a smaller disc which can work better for smaller/compact camera lenses that the original LENSPEN might be too big for. More importantly, the AMAZON LENSPEN's disc flips around to have a triangle-tip.. this lets you get into small areas like the cameras viewfinder to clean that out.. for that alone, I bought 2 of these. The downside is that since the tip-piece is reversible (opposed to the original LENSPEN which uses a built-in tip) is that the tip sometimes comes off with the cap.

See what's important to you a bigger "disc" area or one that can be used for smaller lenses and viewfinders and choose either a regular lenspen or amazon one from there.

These are usually rated to last a year or regular use, but I end up getting a couple a year to keep them "fresh", clean and in all my bags.

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I'll preface this by saying that I've owned cameras for over 60 years, so I've had plenty of experience with fingerprints and dust on lenses. I'll also tell you that I purchased a lipstick-sized badger hair brush for a half-a-buck in 1957 and still carry it with me, so what really interested me in this "cleaning system" was the chamois which supposedly will take off fingerprints without scratching the lens.

Sorry, Amazon (and Nikon), but this was not well thought out. It may be inexpensive, but it's supposed to be a LENS cleaning system, and I certainly wouldn't trust an expensive lens to the chamois and a rather "sparse" brush! Others may have found a use for it cleaning iPhones and LCDs, but that wasn't the advertised purpose.

It comes in a box that's much bigger than necessary, and inside that box was a 20 page limited warranty in five languages. But not one word about the product. Do you wet the 3/8ths inch chamois disc before using (NO!). When it wears out or gets filthy, how do you replace or clean it? I guess this will be one of life's little mysteries.

It gets worse. The chamois does not remove fingerprints. "Conveniently," I had a fingerprint on my Canon SX10IS, carelessly left from yesterday's shoot. I brushed first, and then used the chamois. Simply put, the fingerprint didn't even smudge though it felt as though the disc was applied with sufficient pressure. And the brush left a couple of bristles behind!

I ended up doing what I've been doing for the past 5 years, using a 3 square-inch microfiber cloth from my optometrist (you can get them anywhere including Amazon) which got rid of the smudge quickly and easily. SEE PHOTO. A similar brush albeit without a cap is available through Amazon: Giottos Retractable Goat Hair Brush.

The chamois on this AmazonBasics, by the way, remains exposed so I wouldn't store this in a camera bag or purse for fear that something will get on the tip and then really scratch a lens.

Sorry that I have to disagree with all the other reviews, but other than using it to remove dust from negatives or old slides, I just can't recommend this "system."

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There really is nothing negative to say about this product. I was perplexed to get my hands on this item as I noticed it was 'Amazon Branded' and thus it could've been anyone's guess regarding quality.

The size is compact enough for it to stow away nicely and it has a shirt pocket clip if you need to add it to your plastic pocket protector, ahem.

While I usually use the chamois that comes with my lenses to clean them, this is useful for other surfaces that collect specks, junk or debris of any kind. The rubber tip for smudges is not something I'd consider a 'go to' or even a 'must' so to speak, but it's good to have. The bristles on this are very soft and aren't abrasive at all. I don't think it would dislodge something stuck on a surface, but it definitely won't scratch anything either.

Frustration free packaging though? Really? Would this frustrate an environmentalist? More than likely. Check the pics I posted for this. I'm not removing any stars because of the packaging, but I did find the current packaging configuration a bit wasteful. I never remark on this in reviews, but just take a peek at the photos.

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The brush side is pretty cool as it retracks into the shaft, but the 'pen' side cap doesn't fit well. It keeps popping off.

The Lens Pen is a nice product and performs well. However, I typically keep it loose in a backpack on inside a case with my camera, and when I retrieve it the cap is invariably lost somewhere in the bag. Often times, the felt tip will have fallen off along with the cap. Other than this issue it works fine, but this is a major annoyance and I am afraid that the felt tip's life will be seriously decreased due to this.