Is this fungus in my lens?

Hi,

 

Still fairly new to film photography. Bought a Nikkor lens from KEH rated in BGN condition to find this hairy, white outline along the rim of an inner element. Could someone with experience view the image and tell me if it is fungus or separation?

 

Thanks,

 

John

 

It doesn't look like fungus to me. It might be separation.

 

By the way, I was interested in a KEH bargain lens, the description of which says "Glass may have marks or blemishes, but should not affect picture quality." I wrote them, and they said yes, it could include separation and fungus. So, no more KEH bargain lenses for me LOL.

It doesn't look like fungus to me. It might be separation.

 

By the way, I was interested in a KEH bargain lens, the description of which says "Glass may have marks or blemishes, but should not affect picture quality." I wrote them, and they said yes, it could include separation and fungus. So, no more KEH bargain lenses for me LOL.

 

Wow, did not know that. I've always bought BGN from them, and now I may look through a few more lenses...

EMERGENCY: I need to clarify something about what I said about KEH!

 

I asked if the bargain lens I was interested could have haze or fungus, they DID NOT say it could have fungus!!! They merely said their records indicate that the lens I was interested in could have slight haze. I subconsciously assumed that other lenses "could" have fungus, therefore.

 

I'm really sorry for the confusion! That's what happens when your brain has been toasted by decades of untreated bipolar disorder.

Here are some more photos. I'm thinking it is fungus... the "hairs" look to be coming out of these botches along the sides.

 

It looks more like the start of cement separation to me.

Fungus rarely grows in straight lines, it usually looks more like miniature tree branches.

 

Whatever it is, it's only going to get worse, but at the moment it almost certainly won't affect image quality (noticeably).

 

From the slot-headed screws I'm guessing it's an ancient pre-AI lens. Some of which have an undeserved 'cult' following. In which case, just use it until the image quality becomes noticeably affected - maybe a matter of months or many years, who knows. Or return it and get something more recent.

 

Your call.

Still fairly new to film photography.

Ah, well. It'll help you to appreciate how reliable and good digital cameras are.;)

Edited March 5, 2021 by rodeo_joe|1

It doesn’t look like fungus to me but rather a poor lens cleaning job. I’d try a swab moistened lightly with isopropanol and dried with light dabs of a microfiber cloth for cleaning eyeglasses. In any case it should have very little effect on your photos except when shooting directly into a light source.

ancient pre-AI lens. Some of which have an undeserved 'cult' following.

 

I am uncertain of whether this is fungus or not. Don't much care either. If you didn't pay much for it, I'd follow the advice to use it and forgetaboutit.

 

But rodeo_joe makes this "undeserved 'cult' following" comment on every pre-AI lens post as often as I post my 'racoon-in-office' pictures.

 

I'll stop, if he will.:confused: You have no idea how painful this offer is to me....

Edited March 6, 2021 by JDMvW

I have an absolutely unconfirmed suspicion that fungus can follow deposits left by cleaning, which looks like it might have happened here, but it also looks like there's something all the way around the rim which could mean fungus or something got into the glue or the lens is starting to separate. If you're handy, I'd try cleaning it. Many Nikkors are pretty easy to get apart. If not, just use it. One stop down and the stuff around the edge is, no pun intended, out of the picture.

 

BTW, AFAIK, cult followings don't have to be deserved. I just use what I find interesting. ;)

Looks like your lens has spiders.

 

Seriously, I had a Canon EF Tamron 10-24 with something similar, an appearance of cracking or crazing around the edge of an inner element. I think the lens was too new for it to have been fungus, probably it was something going on inside a cemented pair. I just stopped the lens down a little. But It wasn't a very good lens anyway.

But rodeo_joe makes this "undeserved 'cult' following" comment on every pre-AI lens post

Not true!

As far as I can remember, it's the first time I've used the phrase in connection with Pre-AI Nikkors.

 

But I still maintain that there are some real stinkers among Nikon's early lenses (long telephotos especially), and nobody can deny that their single coatings are quite flare prone. So don't let their quaint scalloped focus ring and hefty build-quality seduce you into thinking that they're all optical masterpieces. Because they ain't.

Alas, I had a brand new 50 mm f/1.4, maybe 1972 or so, that was beautiful to look at and built like the proverbial brick s*** house, but there was no pop to the images. I sold it and eventually got a later AiS that was optically far better. It's not the only manual Nikkor prime that failed to impress me.

EMERGENCY: I need to clarify something about what I said about KEH!

 

I asked if the bargain lens I was interested could have haze or fungus, they DID NOT say it could have fungus!!! They merely said their records indicate that the lens I was interested in could have slight haze. I subconsciously assumed that other lenses "could" have fungus, therefore.

 

I'm really sorry for the confusion! That's what happens when your brain has been toasted by decades of untreated bipolar disorder.

 

I actually reached out to KEH and a sales rep said:

 

"For future reference, our Bargain grade does state there may be mark and blemishes (including fungus and or haze) so if you want clean glass then EX+ grades and above have clean glass."

 

Looks like there can be fungus or haze. I think the BGN guarantee is that the fungus/haze will be at a level that won't affect photos.

 

Will definitely keep this in consideration when buying from KEH's BGN selection.

Will definitely keep this in consideration when buying from KEH's BGN selection.

 

I think their position is fair enough, but I have to say that in my personal experience, every BGN item I've bought from them has apparently been placed in that category for other than condition reasons. Most would be more-or-less accurately described as "minty" on eBay.

 

But, I do buy kinda odd items...:rolleyes: