Yearly, sorta, fungus inspection

After putting it off for a while, I've started going through my lenses for the annual fungus and outgassing inspection. Use a penlight from the opposite side. Just did the 4x5. It's been prone to a bit of haze on the inside of the rear group. There doesn't seem to be any visible damage, so maybe it's just lubricant outgassing, but it needs cleaning every couple years. I have enough lenses that see infrequent use that I have to make a conscious effort to inspect them. My Mamiya TLR lenses are also more prone to fungus than anything else.

 

For some reason, fungus seems to love the rear elements far more than the front elements. Maybe the glass type used there just tastes better.

 

You always want to catch this crap early, when it can usually be cleaned off without visible damage. Store your stuff in a dehumidified room if possible.

At first, I thought you were talking about transparencies and negatives.. They need inspection too, Wiping with Edwal film cleaner seems to do the job if you catch the mold soon enough.

 

Lens fungus is another problem and can be especially difficult to clean, depending upon the lens construction.

 

Here is an irrecoverable Zoomar mirror lens and an image taken with it. Sometimes the lens can be usable despite its condition,

if you own many cameras, its a good idea to check them now n again.

 

thanks for the reminder, ive been slacking lately.

I think that the reason that rear elements show grow first is that there are more cemented pairs in the rear than in the front of most lenses. Also, the rear elements are smaller and the growth starts at the edges. This means that the fungus encroaches on the visible portion of the lens sooner.

I thought I was on to something when I saw this beautiful flair from an underexposed shot with the Fuji 18-55mm zoom. It was fungus. The lens is not worth the cost of repair and has been stuck away and forgotten till this thread. I'm going to give it a try today to see it I can harness the "flair" for some effect.