[TwoUptons]

I do not pretend to be a qualified camera technician, nor a lens expert, so lenses I'll try and fix tend to be simple.
And I don't do that many... usually one or two here or there... I am not Ismael

I've also noticed a number of threads going on in parts of the forum, talking about fungus and what it looks like...

So, these are from this week... three lenses, three examples of fungus...

And yes, I do live in a humid environment, and these lenses all came from near where I am, so they have probably spent the past 50 years in a hot, humid mess... so if you live in the UAE or most of Australia, this is not for you...

Lens #1, Nikkor 135mm f2.8 (Non-AI)
This lens was filthy all over. The front element was dirty, with a little fungus on the outside and a lot of scuffing, explained by the lack of cap or filter
Everyone should put protective filters on their lenses so when I take them off they are clean...
The lens was also covered in sticky yuck. Maybe it had been taped at one point? wrapped in cheese?

The rear element was the big mess, though... this was on the inside of the rear element...
I'll note the yellow blobs aren't fungus... they're reflections of the overhead light at a very different color temperature than the LED flashlight shining up from under the lens.



Yuck. And I have no idea what those lumps in the clumps of fungus are... small bugs that died and fed the fungus? I don't want to know...
Whatever this was, it cleaned off really well, with no real obvious evidence afterwards. The lens is still full of "old lens dust", weird specks of stuff, and everything you expect from 50 years of life... In this case the Nikon habit of putting all the optics in a separate set of things from the mechanism made this a lot easier.

Lens #2 was another Nikkor... this time a Micro 55mm f3.5...



Some of this was fungus, but a lot of it was dust, dirt, and fuzz. It cleaned brilliantly, and it was all on the outside, so I didn't even need to open up the lens.
Still, it looks horrible...

Lens #3 is a Vivitar 100mm f2.8 soft focus lens.

Well, I'm calling it a soft focus lens because it has maybe four elements and one of them looked like this:



I haven't seen anything quite like that since a 1990s-vintage screen saver that did fractals...
I worked hard to clean this out, and the fungus is now gone, but its remains, well, remain...



That's the assembled lens, and if you look, you can still see the trails from the fungus. It isn't as bad as it was, and if you aren't shining a light through it, you may not even see it at all, but it is still there...
I'm really looking forward to seeing what that does to the images, but I really wish I had a pristine copy of this lens to compare with -- somehow I doubt it was super-sharp when it was new...

Anyway, a few fungal experiences this week to remind everyone to keep our lenses dry.

And put caps on your lenses if you're going to put them in bags!

-Eric

[bigted]

This was interesting. I live in a dry climate and fungus isn’t something we typically see here.

[Michail_P]

Very interesting indeed. To my mind, fungi is the absolute lens nightmare. It’s very satisfying knowing that some people can and will clean that horrible thing. Disgusting.

[TwoUptons]

Very interesting indeed. To my mind, fungi is the absolute lens nightmare. It’s very satisfying knowing that some people can and will clean that horrible thing. Disgusting.

Though that Vivitar shows it won't always come off...

-Eric

[35mmfilmfan]

Must admit that none of my lenses live in bags - the ones in my camera bag or rucksack each have their own padded compartment in which to travel, with a thick layer of bubble wrap in the base of the bag to provide protection against sudden attacks of gravity. Other lenses (of which I have too many ) are unwrapped in plastic crates, stored upright with base lens caps resting on bubble wrap.

ALL (and I mean ALL) my lenses are fitted with both a UV filter AND front and rear lens caps - the ones in storage are checked approximately monthly, when I devote (sic !) a day to charging batteries, cleaning contacts on lenses and bodies, cleaning any filters which may need it (including the CPL filters which also travel with me), and any other such essential maintenance - prevention is better than cure.

Climate here in Norfolk (East of England) is generally mild - and now fewer cold winters but hotter summers - but normally a dry heat. Rocket Blower used each time I change lenses, with body laid throat downwards on a flat dry surface before attaching replacement lens. So far, touch wood, I have seen no problems.

[JoelA]

Wow, that's my nightmare.

I live in Florida, USA.

Super humid. Generally the house is closed up with air conditioner on during the hot wet months.

Even walking outside from the cool house can cause condensation.

All I have are manual Tak, K & M lenses, so it it would be an emotional nightmare, vs a financial one!

Still...

[TwoUptons]

Wow, that's my nightmare.

I live in Florida, USA.

Super humid. Generally the house is closed up with air conditioner on during the hot wet months.

Even walking outside from the cool house can cause condensation.

All I have are manual Tak, K & M lenses, so it it would be an emotional nightmare, vs a financial one!

Still...

The Nikons came in a box from Charleston, SC, right up the street...

And the Vivitar was from Savannah, GA...

So yeah... the nightmare is close

-Eric

[ChrisPlatt]

I am always extra careful when buying from humid regions.

On 35mm cameras it's easy to spot rust on film guide rails.
Lenses are tougher and require good photos of the optics.

Chris

[tonyzoc]

Are you using Hydrogen Peroxide to clean off the fungus?

[TwoUptons]

Are you using Hydrogen Peroxide to clean off the fungus?

Yes, Hydrogen Peroxide in "household strength" per Ismael's recommendation and isopropyl alcohol.

-Eric

[junkbench]

I'm in FL and can attest to walking outside and watching my viewfinder fog up. I spent a few bucks and got the right tools for working on lenses, I think buying quality here matters, I find the vintage lenses to be easier to work on, I use a gopro type cam and record from a clip on my lamp so when I forget what-went-where I can usually figure it out without too much of a hassle - I dont do YT sorry. I know its not orthodox but I use naptha (lighter fluid) to clean some lense elements as well as peroxide and windex as well b/c a lot of the time the fungus seems to mask minor haze from the grease letting loose inside there to a degree and being hard to spot in small amounts. I have only worked on a dozen or so lenses restoring them, but its rewarding when it works. I confess, modern plastic lenses are really the worst to work on, I dont even buy AF lenses to do this with.

One thing I will also advise, I took the ends of my tool and coated them in JB weld - just a thin THIN coat - to avoid scratching rings as bad as the raw steel can, its almost inevitable, acetone helps to release locked elements, I dont know the chem they use to lock all the screws but acetone melts it. Lots of great videos on YT.

I keep my lenses in an air conditioned room that never warms up, but I also use a UV bulb to kill fungi in lenses I dont intend to take apart, minor fungi in some lenses isn't worth getting out of there.

It stinks that so many lenses are genuinely not designed to come apart and represent such a pain in the butt to clean, re-grease, etc

I have a whole pile of lens elements from repairs I gave up on, someday I'll build a telescope! someday!

[ismaelg]

I do not pretend to be a qualified camera technician, nor a lens expert, so lenses I'll try and fix tend to be simple.
And I don't do that many... usually one or two here or there... I am not Ismael
-Eric

What is that supposed to mean?
Do you really think I know what the heck I'm doing?
I only work on very simple lenses. I have zero experience with helicoids, re-grease etc. I once took apart a zoom: An old Samyang 75-300. That was the end of that lens.

That's some serious fungus there. Good job tackling those!

Thanks,
Ismael