Is This Lens Fungus?

[perkeleellinen]

The lens went back this morning. I did consider keeping it and just using it, but the marks / fungus would effectively stop me from ever selling it on.

I managed to get a better look at the marks when the sun came out this morning. The "three pronged patterns" I saw are only present toward the centre of the lens, around the edges the pattern becomes far more dense and resembles a spider's web. The marks looked white in the light. Anyway, after the new inspection, I'm pretty sure it's fungus and the shop have accepted it back.

I once read that fungus can spread and infect other lenses and even cameras. Any truth in this?

[Excalibur2]

****I once read that fungus can spread and infect other lenses and even cameras. Any truth in this?***

Fungus spores are everywhere anyway, they are probably on your skin and clothes too...just make sure you don't give them the right conditions to start and thrive. But if you had a clean laboratory with lenses and put an infected lens amongst them, then it could pass to other lenses if the conditions were right.

Some guys carry food in their camera bags, don't make sure equipment is dried properly when used in wet conditions, store in a damp dark place for the winter and wonder why, when in the spring they get the equipment out, have fungus.

[perkeleellinen]

A couple of those silica gel bags in the camera bag?

[Ian Grant]

The reason it often infects other lenses is they are stored in the same place under the same conditions

Ian

[perkeleellinen]

I've got to start another search for a 105/2.5 now...

[Excalibur2]

The reason it often infects other lenses is they are stored in the same place under the same conditions

Ian

LOL well in that case the lenses would get infected anyway without placing a fungus lens amongst them.

I've seen a camera with the lens and camera body (inside) covered in fungus, kept in an attic with no other cameras around.

[Ian Grant]

In another thread yesterday I mentioned how I'd stored some vintage cameras in a dry cellar, nothing particularly valuable then, an early Rolleicord, an Agifold, a very nice Exacta VX1000 plus 3 lenses.

The cellar was very dry in the winter, when I stored the cameras in a cabinet,but I didn't realise very damp in the summer due to condensation, all the cameras were a total write off the corrosion was quite severe, there was also fungus, the Triotar lens off the Rolleicord & the Pancolor on the Exacta were OK, but the Zeiss 35mm Flektagon & 135mm Sonnar have slight fungus, they may be cleanable, I've not tried yet (18 years later) but they have been stored in the dry since with no further ill effects.

Ian

[Excalibur2]

In another thread yesterday I mentioned how I'd stored some vintage cameras in a dry cellar, nothing particularly valuable then, an early Rolleicord, an Agifold, a very nice Exacta VX1000 plus 3 lenses.

The cellar was very dry in the winter, when I stored the cameras in a cabinet,but I didn't realise very damp in the summer due to condensation, all the cameras were a total write off the corrosion was quite severe, there was also fungus, the Triotar lens off the Rolleicord & the Pancolor on the Exacta were OK, but the Zeiss 35mm Flektagon & 135mm Sonnar have slight fungus, they may be cleanable, I've not tried yet (18 years later) but they have been stored in the dry since with no further ill effects.

Ian

So where did the fungus come from? It was either in the equipment before you placed them in the cabinet or floated in from the air maybe thru a keyhole or whatever.

[Ian Grant]

The spores are airborne, so they'll penetrate just about anywhere. The cameras where in an ex MOD metal filing cabinet. I cured the condensation by installing a night storage heater in the cellar. It's not only damp thats the problem it's lack of fresh air, so a small fan can be almost as effective.

Ian

[Excalibur2]

The spores are airborne, so they'll penetrate just about anywhere. The cameras where in an ex MOD metal filing cabinet. I cured the condensation by installing a night storage heater in the cellar. It's not only damp thats the problem it's lack of fresh air, so a small fan can be almost as effective.

Ian

I've never found an answer to how long fungus can live i.e. if you have fungus in your len elements and store the lens in perfect conditions (dry, plenty of moving air etc)....does the fungus eventually die or stay dormant. If it does die then is it months, years, or what.