Lens with Fungus


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syrinx

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Nov 5, 2004
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Bartley Rd / Upper Paya Lebar
Hi to everyone. I'm new here. May I just say that this website is really cool! Find myself checking it nearly all the time. Very addictive! :D

I have a question regarding lenses which are starting to grow some form of fungus. Is it possible to get it serviced and cleaned? Or is it unusable already?

Thanks for you help in advance!
 

can clean...

bring it to shops like TCW or alex photo...or camera hospital to get them to clean it for u....

cleaned my lens before...after tt...good as new hehe...
 

Whether it is still usable with the fugus or not is immaterial at this stage. A bit of fungus on the front elements might not really means it can spoile your shots or if only abit of fungus only just start to appear. The problem is that fungus will dissolve the special coating that is on the elements! That is your biggest problem. When fungus left on the lens for too long a period especially when you shot some pictures and it still looks fine and you rather wait it out abit longer since it can be costly to get the lens services might seem a good idea. The problem is what the fungus will do to your lens permanantly as in leaving it without a coating..that means a marking you will see on the lens like some root system of a tree. heheh.. I had that with one of my old Soligor lens which I have not used in a long time..( well gave up but can't find a buyer for it years ago) So fungus got into the lens and I just simply put it in a dry box..suffice to say the fungus persisted in growing! anyway..after like a few months have passed and I decided to open it up and try to clean it myself. Old lens are alot easier to open and service compared to newer lens with all the AF motor and all. Anyway...when I got to the effected elements, I use cleaning liquid to wipe the elements and the fungus was gone but now I see the "foot print" it left behind on my lens. You know how you can see that greenish or purplish hue on your lens element when the light hits it at an angle...well I see nothing in those area where the fungus was. It totally "ate" away the coating!. :bsmilie: I can laugh about it as I considered this lens worthless and junk. But imagine if that was a 70-200 VR zoom!
 

TCW is The Camera Workshop in Peninsula.

BTW, if you have any friends working in the medical line, get them to blast your lense with heavy doses of gamma radiation (x-ray) after it is claned by the workshop.

That way, any residual spores are killed and do not have a chance to grow again. I did that to one of my lenses after I cleaned it and till this day, no more fungus has grown on it.

Sounds extreme? But hey, it works! :D
 

syrinx said:
So a lens without the coating with affect the photo?

BTW, where's TCW?

heheh...well when you have elements with partial coating..it is sure to affect the photo you take to some extend. All lens will have some kind of coating for sure...Even a cheap lens like my Soligor has it. You can't really do without them as they are there to help with light dispersion, chromatic distortion, contrast, clarity...etc.Slight fungus or damage to the lens does not always mean bad out-rightly or immediate as it depend which part of the lens got it and how long you left it to grow. When you have fungus on one element..it is only a matter of time before more will appear on other elements in your lens system. Some of your glass element are not as big as your front ones..they could be really small ones and if a bit of fungus gets there...it is quite a lot and might be enough to casue a blurry shoot to be taken. That is where the damage will really be and also...once you have fungus or there is left over sign that fungus have damaged your lens coating ...say bye bye to trying to sell it! No one is going to pay you alot for it if ever they will be willing to buy from you. Changing a lens element is not cheap!
 

foggin is condensation on the lens...best is send in before something happens...
normally foggin will cause the pic quality to become soft depending on the extent...

cheers..
 

Can anyone enlighten me as to how TCW charges for cleaning?
According to lens or difficulty or fixed?
Thanks =)
 

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