My Collection Of Lenses Are Getting Ruined

[KhunDennis]

I have a fair number of good SLR lenses, which are getting fungus growth between the lenses. Anyone know of a solution to this problem?

I have heard the UV rays of the sun will slow it down. I really hate to see them all go bad, I don't use them much , but they are quality lenses.

[ozsamurai]

If fungus has gotten inside the prisms of the lens the only solution I know of is to have them proffessionally cleaned (when I asked about this it was cheaper to buy new ones). The fungus will eat through the coating on the glass and leave a nasty spot and it will not stop. Lenses are best kept in a dark cool dry place, I also like to put in some moisture absorbing packs, you can find at most good camera shops, or shoe stores. I would have the lenses looked at straight away, they are not going to fix themselves for sure and IMHO only get worse to the point of having to throw them away as camera shops will no longer buy them.

[photojourn]

If fungus has gotten inside the prisms of the lens the only solution I know of is to have them proffessionally cleaned (when I asked about this it was cheaper to buy new ones). The fungus will eat through the coating on the glass and leave a nasty spot and it will not stop. Lenses are best kept in a dark cool dry place, I also like to put in some moisture absorbing packs, you can find at most good camera shops, or shoe stores. I would have the lenses looked at straight away, they are not going to fix themselves for sure and IMHO only get worse to the point of having to throw them away as camera shops will no longer buy them.

I agree with the above. Fungus on the internal elements needs to be professionally cleaned immediately or else the multi-coating on the elements will be eaten away by the fungus. Cool and dry is the way to go. While it's cheaper to get the lenses serviced here than in a Western country's service centre the dismantling and reassembly of modern auto-focus lenses with all of their complicated electronics, motors, servos, etc is still a complicated and time consuming task and somehting that few places outside of the manufacturers' service centre have the equipment for.

I also agree that lenses subject to fungus infestation have no re-sale value at all and rapidly become nothing more than expensive paper-weights.

Sorry to hear you are having this problem. It's extremely frustrating when this occurs on high quality lenses.

[TheWalkingMan]

Dumb question here... but is storing camera lenses in a refrigerator an option? I suspect it would be the coolest and driest place during the hottest parts of the year.

TheWalkingMan

[astral]

This has been discussed before and the consensus was a sealed plastic box with packs or Silica Gel to make it dry.

Your fridge is not a good option.

There are firms in Bangkok who will clean lenses, at quite reasonable prices.

Check with your local photographic shop.

[The Vulcan]

I had this exact problem with a couple of very old Canon L lenses last year.

Off to Canon - 300 baht each and as good as new. Took about a week though still better than forking out for new lenses.

Everything else correct ref cool, dry and silcon gel packs.

Good luck

[KhunDennis]

Thanks all for the advice, sounds like I had better get them into a shop in Bangkok on my next visit there. I will meanwhile put them in a plastic box with silica Gel.

Don't know where to find a cool place in Thailand though.

[hughden]

Easiest option (but not the cheapest) is to buy a dry cabinet which will maintain the humidity level at the right percentage (not too wet, not too dry). The temperature is not important. If you keep your lenses in a very dry, cool place; then there is a different type of fungus that will attack them.

I bought my cabinet in Fotofile BKK and it has seven lenses and two cameras stuffed inside it. Costs a few thousand baht, but worth it for piece of mind and no need to keep replacing/re-charging gel packs.

[j0rd]

http://www.powerdry.co.th/index_en.php

These guys sell Bulk Silica gel in Bangkok.

They sell online and ship anywhere in Thailand for 50 THB. Not bad.

http://www.powerdry...._Product_en.php

[villagefarang]

I agree with hughden. I know someone with a lens humidor, for lack of a better word. I believe it is even fireproof to some extent. If you are serious about protecting your camera bodies, lenses and backup hard-drives then it seems like a reasonable investment. Even if you are not a professional you may have a lot of time and money tied up in your pictures and your equipment. Take care of them.

[labik]

About how much does an internal cleaning run? I have a Sigma 10-20mm, (for my Canon) with very noticeable fungus deep on the inside. Especially shows up in night photos. I see someone above stated a price at 300 baht but I'm not sure all what it includes, as well as location.

I am living in Cambodia, and the few places here that will do it said $35, with a couple down to $25 but seemed a bit shaky. Didn't seem to be any warranty and likewise didn't feel too trustworthy, even though it's all I got. Won't be back in bkk for months.

Incidently I used a mini screwdriver set and took the lens apart for a ways, got some screws and components out, but finally had to stop when I ran into a part with lots of ribbon cables that were dug in deep.