Hi All,
I've been away from the forum for quite some time now. I have moved back to India and was very busy setting up a new business. In all the excitement I didn't have much time to spend with photography and as a result my equipment was neglected. They were stored in a cupboard in their Lowepro bags. BIG MISTAKE!!
After about six months or so, I finally opened the bags yesterday to do some cleaning - it is fungus fungus everywhere. I now live in a coastal town in southern India where the weather is hot and very very humid through out the year.
My leather tote bag is almost covered with a greenish fuzz. The focus ring on the my Minolta A2 is in similar condition. (Pics attached). There are traces of fungus on my Sigma 24-135, Pentax-DA 18-55 and Pentax-F 35-70. Thankfully the rest of the stuff seemed unaffected. The Minolta A2 GT lens is also unaffected.
Anyway, I rushed the whole setup into the sun and will dry it out over a couple of days. All the silica gel sachets I put in the bags were completely saturated, I need to get more. I will do some cleaning over weekend and access the total damage. Any tips as to what to look for when checking the lenses & converters?
Let my experience be a warning to those who do not store their photo equipment properly when not in use. I just wanted to share my sorrow with the community and ask for advice on how best to salvage the situation.
What can I do about the fungus on the lenses? The infection is very small and while I am happy that I caught it when I did, I worry if I can stop it from getting worse and spreading to other lenses. I read up almost all the stuff available on the net and will make a plan to tackle the issue. Any and all advice is welcome.
Also, what is the best way to store the equipment? I now know that it is a bad idea to store them in the camera bags. I plan to get an air-tight rubber-maid type box, line it with foam and store unused lenses and equipment wrapped individually in foam casings. Lots of desiccants to absorb any humidity in the box. Leather is a strict no no - it is a breeding ground for fungus. Will this be sufficient to prevent recurrence?
Thanks for listening.
Cheers
Teja
Edit: Hmm... not sure if this is the right forum. Maybe this should be in the 'SLR Lens' forum. Moderators, please feel free to move to appropriate section. Thanks.
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Last edited by Teja; 11-07-2008 at 10:59 AM.