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Fungus on lens
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PostPosted: Mon May 07, 2012 5:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks.


PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 9:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
and yet another fungus question... Rolling Eyes

I picked up a Soligor C/D 35-200 and just took a closer look at it. I find it hard to capture, but maybe its enough to get an idea.
Do you think this is fungus or rather glue coming off? Its more or less all around the edge unterneath the front element...



PostPosted: Tue Aug 27, 2013 4:01 pm    Post subject: Is this fungus? Help, what to do? Reply with quote
I purchased this from ebay (shipped from Poland to Hong Kong, my place) and the overall condition is nice and excellent- however I noticed that there's a super tiny "whiskers-like" along the inner circumference (it's inside the lens body, I can't touch it). My first time to get an M42 lens, Please advice what's the best thing to do. Should I keep it or return it?

(photo taken using Iphone 4S.. it might appear larger on this photo that actual.)
Thanks a lot!



More photos of this lens on my Flickr set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37760334@N08/sets/72157635246832104/
My Youtube video for this lens:
http://youtu.be/ZYvElZg6Uvs

Last edited by onzkiphoto on Thu Aug 29, 2013 2:39 am; edited 3 times in total


PostPosted: Tue Aug 27, 2013 4:57 pm    Post subject: Re: Is this fungus? Help, what to do? Reply with quote
onzkiphoto wrote:
I purchased this from ebay (shipped from Poland to Hong Kong, my place) and the overall condition is nice and excellent- however I noticed that there's a super tiny "whiskers-like" along the inner circumference (it's inside the lens body, I can't touch it). My first time to get an M42 lens, Please advice what's the best thing to do. Should I keep it or return it?

(photo taken using Iphone 4S.. it might appear larger on this photo that actual.)
Thanks a lot!



PostPosted: Tue Aug 27, 2013 4:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
normal amount of dust , keep it not harm anything.


PostPosted: Mon Sep 23, 2013 7:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
trifox wrote:
guys!!

first of all -- forget any chemicals when cleaning lens=optics even from fungus ...

You need only 2 things:

1 - 100 per cent cotton cloth very fine, i.e. underpants Smile (it must be clean, of course)
2 - clean water

nothing else..

yours

tf


Interesting. I think I'd like to avoid the use of chemicals when possible. Some people apparently use a vinegar/ water solution. Do you think that's safe?


PostPosted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 8:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I just cleaned my first fungus-stricken lens element, using 95 % Ethanol and a microfiber cloth. No vinegar, hydrogen peroxide or cold cream. Some mild rubbing was all it took, and no trace of the fungus afterwards. If all fungus cleans off this easily, I´ll start buying fungus lenses left and right, clean them up and sell for a profit...


PostPosted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 8:47 am    Post subject: Re: Is this fungus? Help, what to do? Reply with quote
onzkiphoto wrote:
I purchased this from ebay (shipped from Poland to Hong Kong, my place) and the overall condition is nice and excellent- however I noticed that there's a super tiny "whiskers-like" along the inner circumference (it's inside the lens body, I can't touch it). My first time to get an M42 lens, Please advice what's the best thing to do. Should I keep it or return it?


Old, but I want to answer: Looks more like defective black lens paint - often calles "Scheideritis". This name went popular for large format camera users who love to use older Schneider lenses, and there seems some to have this black paint no longer been firm onm the glass surface. No big isse for the IQ, probably a bit contrast loss.

sceptic wrote:
... If all fungus cleans off this easily, I´ll start buying fungus lenses left and right, clean them up and sell for a profit...


No, I have fungus cleaned several lenses. And for example the fungus in my Canon FD 300mm/2.8L lens has permanent etched the glass. In on other lens the fungus is inside a glued together element. I am not able to open this up to now.
On some few other lenses the fungus left permanent destruction as well.
Probably I have to try lens polishing the defect away - but this is likely to degrade lens quality.


PostPosted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 6:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The old Canon Serenar lenses also often have black paint flaking off the sides of the elements.

And also not all fungus is easy and fun to remove, I have a Serenar 28mm that has some etching of the glass or at least all the coating has been removed. It was very difficult to get clean when I had it apart.

UV-C light has been mentioned, I now have a light source but haven't tried it yet. These have become popular for fish aquariums to help control growth in the water. Water is pumped out of the tank, through an external container with the UV-C light source, and back into the tank. I bought a big 36 watt unit and when I plugged it in it definitely starts to create ozone so I know it is doing something. The ozone may help kill the fungus too.


PostPosted: Wed Jan 15, 2014 12:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Any 1 can help me identify the brown spot on the bottom. Whether it is fungus growth or ....

there are some fair amount of dust inside the lens. but no visible fungus grow yet.

Should i keep the lens. Thank you very much.

[img]
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 16, 2014 9:42 pm    Post subject: how bad can it be? Reply with quote
One of my lens has a milky way inside. I appeciate how it can deliver photos with these scratches, dirt and fungus like objects all around the front element.




PostPosted: Sat Apr 12, 2014 9:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
http://www.zeiss.com/camera-lenses/en_de/website/service/fungus_on_lenses.html

Great advice on dealing with fungus from Zeiss, and they should know a bout such things.



Quote:
Service Info:
Fungus On Lenses

Fungus means an Infestation of optical instruments with fungus spores which germinate and produce more spores.
Lens surfaces are irreparably damaged by metabolic products of the fungus (e.g. acids). Its damage ranges from cloudiness to opacity caused by the film. The Carl Zeiss T* coating has no significant influence on fungus growth or generation of spores.

Where does fungus come from?

Fungus spores are everywhere and germinate under suitable environmental conditions:

Growing conditions
Relative humidity of at least 70% (more than 3 days)
No or little airflow
Darkness
Nutrients (textile lint, traces of grease, varnish, dust and dirt)
Temperatures between 10 and 35°C

How can fungus be avoided?

Reduce the relative humidity to less than 60% (never under 30% as it is dangerous for the instrument) by storing:

in climate-control cabinets in which hygrometers maintain environmental conditions
next to driers (e.g. silicagel orange packs) in the containers
in a special cabinet whose interior is heated to 40°C (max. 50°C) using a fan heater/ incandescent lamps, thereby reducing the relative humidity
in hermetically sealed cabinets with fungicides with high vapor pressure (fungicide depot must be replaced at regular intervals)
in an dehydrator above driers

After the work is done, Immediately clean the instruments. If possible, you can use a fan to facilitate evaporation of surface moisture. Do not use containers made of leather, textiles or wood for storage. Short solar radiation or irradiation with UV light may also help avoiding fungus.

How can fungus be removed?

Note: In general, Carl Zeiss does not accept instruments infested by fungus.

Clean affected surfaces with a cotton wiper that has been soaked with a disinfectant. You can build your cotton wiper, using cotton wrapped around a toothpickin such a way that a ball with a peak forms on the pointy end of the stick. Use pure cotton, no prepared or impregnated cotton. Strongly rub slightly corroded optical surfaces with an optical cleaning cloth, cigarette ash can be used as a polishing aid. Heavily corroded optical surfaces must be replaced. Fungus infestation in the interior of an instrument can only be eliminated through disassembly of the instrument.


PostPosted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 6:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi guys. I got a Olympus zuiko 50mm 1.8 which is new.



If they used it was to remove it of the camera and that was it. They stored it and it got fungus, I could clean most of it but not this web in the front element.... Is there a way to get there?



Thanks!

Sorry for the shaky picture but that is the only way I could show the fungus web.


PostPosted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 10:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
and yet another case in my recent hasty ebay purchase (auction was ending in less than a minute after I stumbled upon it...)
Nikkor 35-105 AIS - Fungus or bacteria?





I got it in a set with two cameras and two Beroflex lenses which seem to be fine. Altogether it was under 20$..
Not sure if its woth to try fixing it or if I should just let it go to the lens sematary...


PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 7:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
what do you use to clean fungus and or haze?


PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2016 7:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
This is the rear element of a Steinheil München Quinon that I recently purchased on eBay. I think this is fungus. Any opinions?



PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2016 7:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
lucaspix wrote:
This is the rear element of a Steinheil München Quinon that I recently purchased on eBay. I think this is fungus. Any opinions?



Welcome lucaspix!


PostPosted: Sun Mar 06, 2016 9:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
@lucaspix -- yes, that is classic fungus presentation, good photo too.

@vanylapep -- there is a sticky post for cleaning fungus: http://forum.mflenses.com/take-care-when-cleaning-lens-from-fungus-t6442.html

basic is use a solvent (spit) first before gentle gentle wiping (sometimes fungus has chitten, harder than glass growths)


PostPosted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 12:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yes, fungus. but it's not too bad and should clean. I've had good results using cold cream - the stuff used for removing makeup. Cover the element and leave it for 20 minutes and then wash off with lighter fuel or dish soap. I have no idea how it does it, but it works.

It's long term infections that seem to do the damage when secretions from the fungus etch the surface of the glass - like this extreme example, which has had the fungus removed, this is the etching.



PostPosted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 1:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
visualopsins wrote:
@lucaspix -- yes, that is classic fungus presentation, good photo too.

@vanylapep -- there is a sticky post for cleaning fungus: http://forum.mflenses.com/take-care-when-cleaning-lens-from-fungus-t6442.html

basic is use a solvent (spit) first before gentle gentle wiping (sometimes fungus has chitten, harder than glass growths)


Thanks @visualopsins. I had that confirmed and cleaned at a local shop here in Atlanta. It took a bit of the lens coating, but I am very pleased with the results. If anyone needs a CLA service, I recommend Peachtree Camera Repair in Marietta.


PostPosted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 5:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
This is fungus, right?



I mean the filaments in the bottom left. There's a bit more around the edges of lens elements both at the front and the rear, but this is the worst spot. It doesn't appear to affect image quality much.

My questions:

1. Is this cleanable?
2. Should this be cleaned?
3. If so, then how?
4. If not, will it grow?

I took the lens apart, it was super easy, but the lens elements are encased in two units (one in front of the iris, one behind it) that seem to be completely sealed and there's no easy way to open them, so I didn't. I don't know if any of this fungus is inside the lens units or only on the outside facing surfaces. To me it looks like it's somehow embeded inside the glass and doesn't wipe off. However it does appear there's less of it after I cleaned the easily accessible lens surfaces (using only ordinary glass cleaning fluids and lens tissues), though I didn't take any photos before cleaning. But aynway this last bit won't go away with a simple wipe.

Any help much appreciated. Smile


PostPosted: Sat Nov 16, 2024 6:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Ok so here's a silly question.....

Given UV can halt or kill fungus in lenses has anyone any thoughts on using a UV lamp?


PostPosted: Sat Nov 16, 2024 7:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Vintage_Photographer wrote:
Ok so here's a silly question.....

Given UV can halt or kill fungus in lenses has anyone any thoughts on using a UV lamp?


You might take a look at the Sticky posts in this subforum https://forum.mflenses.com/equipment-care-and-repairs-f6.html
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