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01-12-2008, 11:47 PM   #1
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lens cleaning

Hi!
i recently got a vivitar 70-210mm zoom i was hoping to use on my K10D.
it unfortunately has fungus.
oh, well. it cost me almost nothing so no great loss.
i'm reasonably technically inclined so i thought i'd try and disassemble and clean myself.
so far its almost completely apart and the fungus seems to be coming off the glass with no aparent etching.
the problem i have now, is to get each glass element properly clean.

anyone have any suggestions of how to clean all the smudges etc off the glass as i'm reassembling? they look clean, but when you hold them up in good light there is almost always small smudges left and i'm worried that in the final result it will be noticable.

thanks for any suggestions

Mark

01-13-2008, 12:28 AM   #2
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If you have the glasses completely off, you can simply clean them with acetone which will leave no smear. But you have to watch for the painted edges of the glasses because it will come right off if not careful. I myself use plain clean toilet paper and fold each square into a small thick piece, dip the edge in acetone them wipe in one direction, no rewipe. Still, it can only remove smears. Any dust particles will stick on the glasses, a lots of them if the working environments, the table for instance, is not cleaned beforehand. You have to wash your hands too or the glasses will get geasy in no time. Not to mention with lots of patience. But some glasses have permanent smears which will never come off, so if the acetone didn't work, you would have to live with it.
01-13-2008, 07:31 AM   #3
roy
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denatured alcohol is what the shop and i use. i tried acetone but found it just dried too fast. also a lot of the haze is from your finger oils transferring to the cloth and glass. were latex gloves.
i haven't seriously tried a zoom.. if you documented it with pix please post your experience. ehhh, that is if it goes back together and works,, good luck..
01-17-2008, 02:21 AM   #4
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i've just got some alcohol, so i'll see how it goes.
at the moment i'm sort of stumped on one final hurdle. the last module around the aperture blades is being stubborn. it looks like the threaded ring that holds the lens on has been glued on or something. and there is a small bit of fungus on the inside. grrrr......
i'll have to decide to either risk breaking it or leave that last bit in there.

the main question for me, is there ANY chance of this remaining fungus affecting my K10D body?

asuming i reassemble and it has no significant affect on the photos, am i still safe to use it?
its my first contact with lens fungus and i kind of want to err on the side of caution.

Thanks

(btw, asking 'what happens if i take this off?' and then having the sperture blades all fall out on the table, is , er ......fun.)

Mark

01-17-2008, 02:44 AM   #5
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The fungus spores aren't on the lens elements alone but likely to be on the internal lens barrel. You can't see it but they are definitely there. Cleaning the elements alone is no guarantee it won't come back later. Professional camera shops would disinfect the lens. I would recommend you do not keep a lens with clear signs of fungus together with any other unmarked lens.

Denatured alcohol that has been diluted is the best as it isn't reactive. Acetone is too reactive as it might attack the matt paint of the inside of the lens barrel. Frankly if it has too much fungus, you can write off the lens, which happened to me a long time ago with a Minolta MD 300 f/4.5.
01-17-2008, 08:50 AM   #6
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Had the same dilema a while back and read on some site about distilled white vinegar. Stuff works like a charm. Ive also used a 50/50 blend of methalated spirits and bottled or cooled boiled water (something to do with metals in tap water which can leave minute residue?? dont know just guessing..) That also works very well but id recommend a chamois tip to polish out the water marks if you want a flawless finish on the glass.
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