Photo How To

Do you have a lens that rubs you the wrong way because the degraded rubber on the barrel is faded? If so, you can easily restore it to its former glory by watching this six-minute from the Be More, Do More, Have More channel.

Just to be clear, we're not talking about lenses with sticky rubber that requires a different fix, but what's essentially a cosmetic issue; namely, rubber with a flat, white, unsightly appearance. Today's instructor Shawn Asala has done his research and experimentation with several methods and he finally hit on an effective trick for making lens rubber look spanking new..

Asala is a British pro and describes the quick tutorial like this: "In this video I share my findings and give you a little demonstration that makes my Sigma 16mm f/1.4 lens look better than ever." Best yet, he says his method is safe and provides lasting results.

This episode begins with an important warning about other solutions you may have heard in the past, like using acetone, nail polish remover, or alcohol to get the job done. But be forwarded, because these harsh chemicals do more damage than good by drying out the rubber and will definitely make your problem worse.

Asala also notes that applying plain water may seem to be effective at first. But your hopes will quickly fade like the rubber on your lens as soon as the liquid dries. So what's the magic elixir? Just go into the kitchen, grab a bottle of dish soap and get to work.

Photographers familiar with this trick often use a rag or Q-Tips to clean a lens barrel, but Asala recommends an old toothbrush instead. Just be sure it's one with soft bristles to avoid scratching the degraded rubber. You can speed up the process on oversized lenses by using a soft paint brush instead.

This may sound obvious, but we'll say it anyway: Apply the dish soap to the brush, not directly to the lens. If the rubber is seriously faded you may have to repeat the process for perfect results But as you'll see, Asala's old Sony lens now "looks amazing and almost new."

There are many more simple tips and tricks on Asala's interesting YouTube channel so take a look and subscribe.

And speaking of lenses, be sure to watch our recent review of Tamron's impressive 28-300mm f/4-7.1 all-in-one lens for Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras.