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Question about storing lenses and oily aperture blades
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 11:14 pm    Post subject: Question about storing lenses and oily aperture blades Reply with quote

I hope this is not too ignorant a question, but I was wondering...

Let's say I want to store a few lenses that I'm not planning on using for a while. In terms of preventing the blades from becoming oily, would it be better to store each lens set at full aperture? or maybe at its minimum aperture? Or it doesn't really make a difference?

Thanks for your help in advance!


PostPosted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 11:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good question. I would say wide open to try to prevent the oil from being sticky, but I might be wrong on this Very Happy


PostPosted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 2:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Trichlorcarbon/Trichlorethan with q-tips was great for cleaning the blades, it is toxic material and now is banned from the market. There is substitute, Industrial Super Degreaser, which works the same way.


PostPosted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 5:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A Zeiss Service guy once told me half-open and this is how I do it since long.
Both end positions are always prone to get stuck.


PostPosted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 5:42 am    Post subject: Re: Question about storing lenses and oily aperture blades Reply with quote

invisible wrote:
I hope this is not too ignorant a question, but I was wondering...

Let's say I want to store a few lenses that I'm not planning on using for a while. In terms of preventing the blades from becoming oily, would it be better to store each lens set at full aperture? or maybe at its minimum aperture? Or it doesn't really make a difference?

Thanks for your help in advance!


Oil has more to do with temperature than aperture. Try to minimize storage temperature. I store my lenses in the coolest room in my home.

Regarding aperture setting for storage:

They deteriorate at the edges. You want to avoid edge-to-edge contact, because two (or more) edges corroding in contact with one another will lock up. Thus, I store my lenses with apertures at minimum, to minimize edge-to-edge contact


PostPosted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 6:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, "coolest room" may be good for the aperture blades, by invites fungus growth - not recommendet at all!
http://www.zeiss.com/camera-lenses/en_de/website/service/fungus_on_lenses.html

I'd rather have oily blades which can be easily serviced, than fungus in my lenses. Hence why mine (500++) lenses are stored warm and dry.


PostPosted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 10:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I store mine in the warmest room of the house, and actually have a heater under the storage boxes set to 20 degrees. But our house is over 200 years old with no insulation and expensive to heat, so we rarely have the central heating set above 22. I also run a small dehumidifier in the area I store the lenses and keep humidity under 60%. I've never had fungus appear on a lens or continue to grow on an already infected lens. And the temperature seems to be good for the lube. I don't bother to set the aperture to open or closed, if the oil is going to migrate from the grease it will do it wherever the aperture is set.


PostPosted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 10:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

kds315* wrote:
A Zeiss Service guy once told me half-open and this is how I do it since long.
Both end positions are always prone to get stuck.


Interesting idea. I will try it.


PostPosted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 1:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

kds315* wrote:
Well, "coolest room" may be good for the aperture blades, by invites fungus growth - not recommendet at all!
http://www.zeiss.com/camera-lenses/en_de/website/service/fungus_on_lenses.html

I'd rather have oily blades which can be easily serviced, than fungus in my lenses. Hence why mine (500++) lenses are stored warm and dry.


Hmmm. Opinions on this appear to differ. I'm with Nikon:

http://nikonasia-en.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/6808/~/prevention-of-fungus-growth-in-a-lens.

Pull quote from that web page:

"Keep your lenses in a cool, dry place."

I specifically mentioned cool in my earlier post. As for dry, I use silica gel, a separate pack for each lens.

Since the OP asked instead about apertures, let me say in my opinion "cool and dry" also works best to impede the edge corrosion which can freeze an aperture. Finally regarding oil, and since many early lenses were lubed with a petroleum-based lubricant, cool also works best to minimize vaporization of this lube.

All in my, and perhaps Nikon's, humble opinion, of course. Very Happy


PostPosted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 2:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's the humidity part that is more important.
If you are worried about the lube separating out, give your lenses a workout every few months by racking the focus a few times.
Some lenses are more susceptible to the lube getting on the blades or into the aperture mechanism, My worst lenses are MC Rokkor 58/1.2 & 85/1.7, I've cleaned and relubed them 2 times and the blades are sticking yet again, I've bought some different lube to try, hopefully this will be the last time...


PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2015 12:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Haha, interesting replies Smile

Cool temperature may prevent oil on the blades but warm temperature is better to prevent fungus. So it's a catch 22 here.

And regarding what aperture is best to store lenses, I'm kinda in the same spot I was before asking... such is the variety of opinions Smile


PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2015 9:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A constant temp is probably more important, less chance of condensation - which is the killer.


PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2015 2:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nordentro wrote:
Good question. I would say wide open to try to prevent the oil from being sticky, but I might be wrong on this Very Happy


Yes you are, as when the aperture is closed all iris elements are sitting on top of each other very close. Closing the aperture lets them have the least contact Wink


PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2015 3:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just to confuse things even more .........

An equally important point that should be considered is what is happening to the aperture spring. With most of the old auto diaphragm lenses the spring is in a relaxed state with the aperture closed right down. If the aperture is left wide open then the spring is under tension and can stretch over time. A lot of the old Flektagon 35/2.4 lenses suffer with this effect, because the spring has lost it's tension there is no difference in the opening size between f16 and f22.