Fungus in Lens - Clean it or should I live with it?

[ipv6ready]

Hi is cleaning fungus out of a lens worth it? Currently it does not show up in any pictures but does fungus get worse if not treated?

How much does it cost on avearge to get it fixed?
It is a 35mm Nikkor

[Matt. K]

It will probably cost more than the lens is worth. Shop around for a price and let the forum members know how you went.

[digitor]

Hi is cleaning fungus out of a lens worth it? Currently it does not show up in any pictures but does fungus get worse if not treated?

Yes it will, possibly the progress can be slowed, but the spores are nearly indestructible. You could try the dust-mite method (worked for me on a film camera, with mites in the prism) putting your lens in a plastic bag with a large DRY sachet of silica gel, then after a day or two, putting the whole lot into a good deep freeze for 24 hours, then remove but don't take out of the bag till it's all warmed up.

How much does it cost on avearge to get it fixed?
It is a 35mm Nikkor

The same price as a new lens

It's probably screwed the coating on whichever surface it's growing on, or could even be in between two cemented lens elements (read: "unfixable")

Cheers

[tnzz]

Hi is cleaning fungus out of a lens worth it? Currently it does not show up in any pictures but does fungus get worse if not treated?

Hi ipv6ready,

Can you tell us under what conditions the lens was kept that might have caused the fungal growth.

[ipv6ready]

Usually my lens are kept in a Peilkan airtight case.

But this one was kept in the garage!!!! for about 4 months in a small camera bag.
I left it there after a shoot.

Well it is an expensive lesson. the lens in question 35mm f1.4

Anyway i will give maxwell a call and see what it will cost for them to look at it!

[Onyx]

Relegate it to portrait duties - fungus softens the image and makes the lens more prone to spherical abberation and flaring. If you can avoid strong contrasts and backlit situations, I'm sure the lens will still be useful in its fungalled state.

[johndec]

Relegate it to portrait duties - fungus softens the image and makes the lens more prone to spherical abberation and flaring. If you can avoid strong contrasts and backlit situations, I'm sure the lens will still be useful in its fungalled state.

fungalled?? I thought the technical term was fungified (or is it fungilated)

[Matt. K]

Try dusting the lens with Military strength foot-powder and then place into the microwave for 1 hour at the highest setting. Fungi will fry!

[mchampio]

On the subject of fungus, where do I get silica gel, to prevent said fungus from appearing

[redline]

i think theres some in your shoe box when you buy new shoes

[Matt. K]

Most good camera stores.

[Alex]

On the subject of silica gel bags. It is a better idea to buy them new or at least know that what you are using is relatively new or has been kept in a dry environment. Once they mop up an amount of water exceeding their capacity they are a source of humidity.

Does anyone keep their camera in zipped plastic bags under normal circumstances or should I only do it when I am in humid environment? If I go to Thailand and go from humid environment to an hotel with A/C, should I place my camera in evacuated bag before entering and open the bag only after a while?

Thanks
Alex

[digitor]

Silica gel is extremely easy to dry out - a few hours at 60-65 deg C and it's dry again, most definitely not one shot! We use various different packagings of silica gel at work for keeping optical instruments dry.

Cheers

[digitor]

If I go to Thailand and go from humid environment to an hotel with A/C, should I place my camera in evacuated bag before entering and open the bag only after a while?

Thanks
Alex

Definitely not - you would be trapping moisture in the bag, which would condense when it got cold from the a/c. Where you will have a problem is leaving the hotel in the morning with a cold camera, when you hit the humidity moisture will condense on the cold surfaces. This is the time to use the bag - it will have dry air in it from the hotel, leave the camera in it till it warms up, and remove. Bingo, no condensation.

Cheers

[Alex]

If I go to Thailand and go from humid environment to an hotel with A/C, should I place my camera in evacuated bag before entering and open the bag only after a while?

Thanks
Alex

Definitely not - you would be trapping moisture in the bag, which would condense when it got cold from the a/c. Where you will have a problem is leaving the hotel in the morning with a cold camera, when you hit the humidity moisture will condense on the cold surfaces. This is the time to use the bag - it will have dry air in it from the hotel, leave the camera in it till it warms up, and remove. Bingo, no condensation.

Cheers

Thanks, so the correct procedure is when going from cold to humid. Put camera in a bag before leaving hotel, then leave it there until all the humidity precipitates on the outside of the bag, not on the camera? Makes sense. Thanks.

Alex

[mchampio]

I bought some Moisture Muncher from p@xtons today.
It doesn't say the ingredients, apart from 'desiccant'

The instructions say it can be rejuvenated twice by heating, so somewhere between Alex and Digitor

[ipv6ready]

There are many Silica gel canisters that can be "re-activated" reused by baking it in the oven. I use them and just ordered more.

Do not try baking "re-activating" the ones that came with your shoes!!!!

But also remember that you need an air sealed case.

No Silica Gel is going to Dry out the WORLD! This is basically what you are attempting to do if you just put it in a normal camera bag.

A cheap airtight case is a sealed marine esky (not the ones you buy from woollies) these have magnetic seals or a PeliKan case.... or Tupperware the large one!!!

And importantly you must use it, not leave it in the garage like me