Fungus & it's cause.


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Just Mike

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May 31, 2004
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Hello all.

I am curious about the whys of fungus on our lens & filters, also if equipment is more resistant today.

How does Fungus get a start on lens & filters? Just moisture, or moisture, dust & Spores?

What besides very low moisture, can prevent fungus from getting started?

I made a dry box from a 50cal ARMY Ammo can with rubber seal, & the small square disecatant they use in small Gun safes. You can bake this drier @ 325 degrees for 1.5 hrs to return it to blue.

Wondering aloud if their were any chips or wafers, that gave off an antifungal gas safe for plastics & coated glass. I have seen a lot of clean glass on 50s & 60s Cameras for sale today, just kept in a sock drawer in an AC house. Also special plastic bags that keep metals like Guns & Knives, rust free with a vapor given off inside the bag.

The round spots I thought were fungus on my 1950s +2 lens has no spider web effect at all. Any ideas what the round translucent spots are & if I can use a cleaner to remove them? The lens fits a Kodak #55 adaptor for the Zeiss Ikon Contessa, & yet the red & green screw in Waltz filters are spotless, my Dad never used any of them.

Thanks for your help.

Mike
 

well, how to know when there is fungus inside the lens?
i never see one before.
does anybody have picture of lens with fungus in?
 

Hiee....

THere are many ways that fungus on lens could start.....here are some based on my own personal experiences. Cause may vary from lens and environment.

Soem fungus on newer lens are mainly due to the organic coating. These organic coatings may be thinly deposited in its manufacturing process(eg multi-coating). THese lens seem to be more succeptible to lens growth.
Normally, these lens have fungus growing from obvious spots(maybe spores). Spores may be sucked in from time to time in fast focussing and zooming action.

Older lens which have less lens coatings, also does not escape from the risk. From the old lens that i have repaired/clean, fungus may start off from things like e.g the "paper R-rings" which my have been moisted in a damp environment or even organic glue/bonding material. These O-rings seem to be the starting point for edge type fungus.

Using water based cleaning solution which may seep onto the edge of the lens onto the O-ring (if present) may also increase the risk of fungus. Need to be careful ot to pour ....but use swabs.

The best solution to avoid fungus is to USE YOUR EQUIPMENT..!!!!!!! as much as possible.......take them for a walk in the sun.....it helps......and avoid leaving them standing on a non ventilated/circulated air space.....without some humidity and dryness control.


rgds,
sulhan
 

I tried to clean the Kodak +2 insert but then I saw the etching left on the glass. Left from what ever was growing on the front side of the lens. This insert has a front & back it is the front that had the overlapping rings. Fungus?

The rear of the insert was clean & unaffected. Could Kodak have used a Gelatin coating on the front side like a coating on a modern lens? I have seen the same +2 insert on eBay, for $1.00 a piece new so I am just wondering how this insert got so bad. All of the B&W Filters by Waltz look like new, & all inserts & filters like I said, were never used.

I am sure that as sulhan says:
The best solution to avoid fungus is to USE YOUR EQUIPMENT..!!!!!!! as much as possible.......

Thanks for your great answers.

Mike
 

rolling stone gathers no moss
 

In the Cold wet Winters here, I will take my equipment to the tanning salon once a Month :what: I wonder what the owner will say when I tell him I want a 1/2 hour in the tanning bed for my Camera & lenses :dunno:

A coral reef beats a frozen waterfalls for creature comfort, but in the right light a water falls running through a frozen tube of ice looks coool :cool:

Mike
 

mpenza said:
UV kills fungus. so good to sun your equipment once a while :)

Nope... the amount of UV in the sun doesn't kill fungus. In fact, UV is one of the cue needed for some fungal species to sporulate. I personally uses UV lamp when I want some fungal strain to form fruiting structures. :)
 

The best way to prevent fungus is to clean your equipment everytime after you use it. even if you put your lens in dry cabi, also try to clean them often... cos dry cabi dun prevent fungus, it only slow down the process.
 

This might sound crazy but it works. You can use a tiny bit of face cream - like nivea - to remove the fungus. Alcohol alone is simply not sufficient. Then you sweep it up with alcohol. This way, you don't get liquid running into your lenses (which interestingly, blue window cleaners works too).

Try to be careful tho'!

Cheeers
 

OT, but just a curious question.. how come all those second hand shop got no worry displaying the lenses on their display rack? I didn't see it's a special rack.
 

amateur_photographer said:
OT, but just a curious question.. how come all those second hand shop got no worry displaying the lenses on their display rack? I didn't see it's a special rack.

provided they clean them often.
 

amateur_photographer said:
OT, but just a curious question.. how come all those second hand shop got no worry displaying the lenses on their display rack? I didn't see it's a special rack.

They don't care as long as they can sell the lenses. It may be after you have bought the lenses that you start noticing the fungus.

For me, I sun my lenses every week. They are now well-tanned and fungus-free. ;)
 

Most camera shops are air conditioned, so the humidity is much lower than outdoors. Dry cabs would be advisable unless the place you store your lenses are in similar dry conditions, i.e. aircon switched on most of the time in your home.

But then again, I've seen lenses which have been chucked in a drawer or cupboard and still has no fungus...
 

I read of antifungal coating on microscopes which last 30 years. Is there such coating on our SLR lens?
 

Some old birds teach me to wrap the lenses in newspapers if you dun intend to use it for a long time. The fungus will attack the newspapers instead of the lenses. Dunno how true?:dunno:
 

Best is to keep it full-time in a dry box or a plastic bag with silica gel in it, unless you use your equipment very often.
 

I have one lense (FOC when bought camera) got FUNGUS now..I really seldom use it..dunno want to send for service or not...if do not service, it may grow more..
Also I do not where to keep the fungus lens. I have take it out from the dry box..scare it may affect other lenses

Wanna to know is bring the equipment to explore under the sun...it may help? Really? Very worry...worry other lenses also kenna fungus (just I didn't notice)...
 

chickentang said:
I have one lense (FOC when bought camera) got FUNGUS now..I really seldom use it..dunno want to send for service or not...if do not service, it may grow more..
Also I do not where to keep the fungus lens. I have take it out from the dry box..scare it may affect other lenses

Wanna to know is bring the equipment to explore under the sun...it may help? Really? Very worry...worry other lenses also kenna fungus (just I didn't notice)...

Try sending it for cleaning instead. Since there are already fungus inside, exposing it under the sun will not help also.
 

I want to send to Canon workshop to clean the fungus...but it cost me SGD40 ++ a bit expensive...
 

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