FOUND a new way to prevent fungus growth!

[DT_]

no oxygen mean no fungus.. :think: ... how about blowing a balloon, and let the air out into the drybox everytime before closing it... for those with good respiratory... :sweatsm:

 

[jOhO]

there's still oxygen in the air we breathe out.. if not wat for give mouth to mouth resus when needed... give more CO2 to the poor victim?? ;p

 

[anka]

no wonder those lens that i use at least 2x a week never grew fungus for 5 years without dry box.

al my lenses never had UV since day1 i got them

 

[Pablo]

Notice shoes that are used often dont have fungus and the formal ones that u dont use often is covered with fungus?

Simple rule to follow: use your camera often (exposing to fresh air and sunlight) and store in a dry cabinet when not in used.

Dont be paranoid about fungal growth and enjoy your lens/camera. I have to admit that areality had a cute idea

Maybe one day they will invent DSLR shoes and name them after Maxwell Smart agent 86 !

If they also incorporate a phone, every private eye will be able to post their pic's on CS whilst phoning their client to let them know their partner WAS cheating them.

All from the comfort of a pair of anti fungal, smart looking, Dunlop shoes :bsmilie: :bsmilie:

Not taking the P!ss topster, just letting my mind wander.

Cheers

 

[Andy Ang]

Yes, copper is quite effective.

But it works the other way on the maintenance issue.
Say if you want to keep your stuffs 'corrosion free', you use copper dusted wraps.
What happens is that the moisture and oxygen will 'attack' the copper in preference
with those things that you wanna protect. (Remember your reactivity series? ;p )

What we use in lab for keeping a waterbath or sonicator bath from 'rusting' is to
drop some copper sulfate crystals into the water.

Another trick is to use a US dime. Ya, its made of copper.

 

[rhizobiume]

OK. Some pointers.

Your dry box is there to reduce the humidity.
So it is already breaking the one of the need of mould.
Now, with the rusty thingy in it... not going to work well, why?
Because for rust to happen, you need water. Which the dry box is trying to get rid of.

UV light box is a no no. Why? Becuase UV basically melts plastic.
Who's lenses dun have plastic parts nowadays?
So you got zero fungus, but melted plastic? ;p

Hope the above helps.

eerrrr... I think UV light wave will deform the plastic's molecular bondings instead of melt the plastic... :sweat:
with UV light box... we can do UV tanning oso?? must get a big dry box in future...:think:

 

[Artosoft]

The easiest way to prevent fungus growth is to use the lens regularly in daylight.

UV rays kill fungus.

You can always sun your lenses for a while after each shoot (say 10 mins). Don't sun your cameras though-- you could burn a hole in your shutter curtains.

Wai Leong
===

You need to use mirror lock function for shutter curtains to expose to the sun :think: .

Regards,
Arto.

 

[yanyewkay]

i wonder why the hubble space telescope can last so long...

OK, vacuum box. ;p

climate in those countries have drier climate and you will hardly hear silica gel or drybox over there.

eerrrr... I think UV light wave will deform the plastic's molecular bondings instead of melt the plastic...
with UV light box... we can do UV tanning oso?? must get a big dry box in future...

in layman terms, some plastics will become brittle and break easy. (ever seen deformed car dash boards?)

Notice shoes that are used often dont have fungus and the formal ones that u dont use often is covered with fungus?

Simple rule to follow: use your camera often (exposing to fresh air and sunlight) and store in a dry cabinet when not in used.

The claim about using your lenses everyday is not akin using your shoes everyday. You don't rub the lens elements inside the lens eveyday like you taking off your shoes eveyday do you? Once the fungus spores settle onto your element coatings, it stays there, you'll just be fueling it with fresh humidity everyday.

 

[waileong]

See http://www.photoethnography.com/blog/archives/2005/03/keeping_cameras.html

eerrrr... I think UV light wave will deform the plastic's molecular bondings instead of melt the plastic... :sweat:
with UV light box... we can do UV tanning oso?? must get a big dry box in future...:think:

 

[Limsgp]

But copper is 1 of the lowest in the series. Probably need to ensure that the copper doesn't come into contact with any metal (especially the electrical contacts) because chances are any metal present will be more reactive than copper (where sacrificial corrosion may takes place). Unless the camera metallic parts are made from sliver or gold ..? ;p

As for the use of UV lamp.. probably it will accelerate any deterioration of the plastic parts..? like make it brittle or cause decoloration.. Also, Ozone may be produced.. which is a highly reactive chemical species that can corrode many things..

Yes, copper is quite effective.

But it works the other way on the maintenance issue.
Say if you want to keep your stuffs 'corrosion free', you use copper dusted wraps.
What happens is that the moisture and oxygen will 'attack' the copper in preference
with those things that you wanna protect. (Remember your reactivity series? ;p )

What we use in lab for keeping a waterbath or sonicator bath from 'rusting' is to
drop some copper sulfate crystals into the water.

Another trick is to use a US dime. Ya, its made of copper.