Lens Fungus Tanning Bed Test

[David]

I read a post on here a while back about putting a lens in a tanning bed to kill fungus. Sounded like a good plan, and I still think it does. So I took my Tokina 28-200 F mount and Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/2 to the tanning place across the street. The lady there must have thought I was kidding about the lenses because she kept trying to explain how tan I could get from each of the different beds. When I selected a bed and actually put the lens and camera on it, I think she realized I wasn't kidding.

Regimen: 7 minutes on a 140-watt bed. Kept the fan on to keep the lenses cool. At the end, the lenses felt warm to the touch, but not as warm as they would after an hour stroll in the sun. So the tannin bed did not, insofar as I can yet tell, damage the gear. It also did not damage the fungus. The Zeiss has a small area in the center of the lens that looks like a swoosh. The Tokina has two small bits that look like fan coral. They're all still there. My hope that with some use, the Tokina fungus will turn to dust and disappear. I'll know more later this week after I take it on a hike.

[agent_cooper]

HI David,

I believe, even if you kill the fungus with this method, it will not vanish and disappear, as the dead fungus will stay on the glass.
So the best you can achieve this way is stopping its growing.