Lens Decay

[Garbz]

Cure? Cleaning is the only I know of. Should cost you some $70 by a trained professional to have him disassemble the lot and buff it clean.

 

[Battou]

You can clean them your self as well....but that is going to cost you....in lens performance, trust me I know that one for a fact.

My 80 - 200 had a bad case of athletes lens when I bought it (it cost me ten bucks so I was willing to try) I tore it down and cleaned it out, the lens is useable but....dreadfully lacking in sharpness.

I could prolly clean out this 135mm with out dramatic ill effect because it's mostly behind the retainer ring. However as I learned with the 80 - 200, once the lens in infected all the elements need to come out, be inspected and be cleaned on both sides, otherwise you may be doing it again real soon.

 

[Overread]

Ok hold up, so I keep all my cameras and lenses in my lowepro bag at all times (unless I am shooting of course) and the lowepro bags sits in my cupboard when not in use.

Is this good enough? I dont want fungi - looks nasty!

I think this might be more of a problem for lenses which are being stored for months to years at a time, rather than those in regular use (least that is my understanding otherwise shops would be selling mold and fungie insurance!)

 

[PushingTin]

Ok, so got no need to stress just yet

Thanks!

 

[Battou]

I think this might be more of a problem for lenses which are being stored for months to years at a time, rather than those in regular use (least that is my understanding otherwise shops would be selling mold and fungie insurance!)

Even, regularly used lenses (and camera bodies even) are suseptable to it, most notably in warm humid environments. For the most part the actual glass itself is not moving or being touched inside the caseing where the fungi tend to grow, there is little that regular use is going to do that will prevent fungus development.

 

[Jedo_03]

(Tongue in cheek) But microwave will effectively dehisce fungal spores by 'splitting' the cell... DON'T TRY THAT...
I have several lens(es) with fungal-spore growth that actually have NO effect whatsoever on the image...
Obviously, really BAD infestation may affect your image, but 'average' or 'low' infestation does not seem to show itself on produced images ...
Fungi are everywhere...
More rampant than bacteria...
Probably coating your Image Sensor too...
And your flip-up mirror...
And your fingernails...
Uhhgghh...
Jedo

 

[peterbj7]

Are there any members from SE Hawaii Big Island, the Hilo area? How do you keep your lenses? I've worked there and it's the closest thing to being in a sauna that I've ever experienced.

 

[RyanLilly]

(Tongue in cheek) But microwave will effectively dehisce fungal spores by 'splitting' the cell... DON'T TRY THAT...

Microwave is one thing, but I bet a small dose of radiation would do the trick, Anyone friends with a radiology tech? Or dental assistant? But seriously It probably would arrest the fungal growth.

 

[soylentgreen]

I came across a de-humidifier case somewhere. will track down the link for you to look at. Basically, it's like a wine refirgerator, but for camera equipment. In theory, it should fix the problem of humidity.

 

[Ben-71]

Yes, and the same applies to room temp into sub freezing and back as well.

Only one way creates condensation: from cold to warm.
You take something cold from the refrigirator, there's condesation.
You put something that's at room temp. into the refrigirator, there's no condensation.

In humid envierments, except for keeping it dry and not too warm, UV is an excellent preventive measure.

Any quartz or fluorescent (spl ?) bulb emits enough UV to kill any fungus that fancies your lens.

If the camera has been in very humid conditions, or there's a bit of condensation in or on it, when you get back, 'expose' it to UV for, say 10 minutes, under the bulb if it's close, an hour or so if the bulb is at cieling height. (Don't "cook" it with a too close a bulb...)

The lens -
Position the camera so the lens points to the bulb, w/o the lens cap or any filter.
If conditions were real "nasty", expose the back of the lens to UV as well.

However, except for two times that I exposed a lens to UV, after being in real nasty (from my camera's point of view...) conditions, I never worried or did anything to prevent fungus, and never had had it on any lens.

I never had the problem. That's either because I use Nikon lenses ,
or because it takes profound negligence to allow it to happen...

 

[Mystwalker]

I believe Pelican cases are sealed - toss in one or two of those rechargeable silica gel packs and you are good.

I think I need to start putting my camera/lens back into case when I'm done.

 

[soylentgreen]

Here is the link to the humibox if you want to t take a gander: http://www.luckybrotherstrading.com/humibox.html
it seems interestimg if not too expensive. Dunno if completely sealing a lens up will solve th problem, since it still needs to be re-acclimated to the ambient temperature when in use. Otherwise, condensation and etc. will be a real issue.

 

[Battou]

(Tongue in cheek) But microwave will effectively dehisce fungal spores by 'splitting' the cell... DON'T TRY THAT...
I have several lens(es) with fungal-spore growth that actually have NO effect whatsoever on the image...
Obviously, really BAD infestation may affect your image, but 'average' or 'low' infestation does not seem to show itself on produced images ...
Fungi are everywhere...
More rampant than bacteria...
Probably coating your Image Sensor too...
And your flip-up mirror...
And your fingernails...
Uhhgghh...
Jedo

My 80 - 200 was bad, 2/3 of one of the inner elements (Second I think) was covered over at what I would estimate to be about forty five to fifty percent opacity. The lens I photographed is useable and likely not to affect the image noticably, but that does not negate the fact that one should maintain their glass well and do every thing possible to prevent it. Especially with some of us spending more on a single lens than was spent on the car in the driveway.

It's like rust on a car, The car has some rust on the fender...it still works, gets you from point A to point B same as it always has...but before long you have a hole in the fender, eventually whole the car is a rust bucket and won't pass inspection and on it's way to the junk yard DEAD. Once it starts it has to be stopped, witch can prove difficult at times....it's best to just do everything possible to prevent.

 

[Garbz]

I have several lens(es) with fungal-spore growth that actually have NO effect whatsoever on the image...
Obviously, really BAD infestation may affect your image, but 'average' or 'low' infestation does not seem to show itself on produced images ...

Entirely irrelevant. I have never seen an infestation get better, only worse. And the longer you leave it the more than chance it rips through those delicate coatings on the lens surface. By the time the fungus does effect the image your lens may be a throwaway. Like I said above $70 to get it professionally cleaned is a small price compared to a new lens.

Microwave is one thing, but I bet a small dose of radiation would do the trick, Anyone friends with a radiology tech? Or dental assistant? But seriously It probably would arrest the fungal growth.

I think a hard dose of radiation may be just as bad for the lens electronics as the microwave.

 

[Judge Sharpe]

Funny, the only lens fungus I have dealt with was the normal lens on a Nikon in the 70s. Shop ruined the lens cleaning it- took all of the coating off.
The "best" storage is in a cabinet with a golden rod dehumidifier. The worst is a water proof bag as it hold humidity. It will also cause corrosion.
Rifle scopes are sealed and gas filled and do not fog inside or grow mold even variable power. It seems like camera lens builders could do as well.
Mold will grow on the inside of the camera- yes, even digitals and will really screw up the electronics. The best idea is what the older pros did- send their lens and bodies in for a through cleaning every few years. of course their livelihood depended on their equipment. The dessicants the were mentioned, often come in new camera boxes. They need to be dried out once in a while by putting in a warm oven.
I play with me equipment to often for mold and mildew to grow- my camera equipment that is.
JS