Best Method to Store Lenses?

[ben_johnson10]

<p>I wanted to get folks' opinion on the best way to store lenses to prevent fungal growth. </p>

<p>This comes about because over the past few years I've been buying more used lenses from KEH.com. When I receive the used lenses I thoroughly check the lenses under a very strong light, and use a magnifier to inspect for any signs of fungal growth, and to date I have found none.</p>

<p>However after a few years, those previously fungal-free lenses, show signs of the beginnings of fungal growth!</p>

<p>In general I store my lenses either in my photo backpack with silica gel, or in Lowepro padded lens cases with silica gel. For lenses that I have purchased new, I have never had fungal growth (I live on the west coast, so we rarely have long spells of humid days), but only with used lenses I'm having this problem.</p>

<p>Usually cleaning lenses of fungus by a professional technician, is expensive proposition (is it about $200 - $300?, so that is usually out of the question. I've read on the forums that fungus likes the dark and the damp, so some folks suggested to store them so they are exposed to light. To me this sounds like a risky proposition to store expensive, delicate glass, with the lens caps off so that the lens glass is always bathed in some intensity of light.</p>

<p>What is the best way to store these used lenses (knowing that there is always chance a previous owner lived in a humid climate)?</p>

[JosvanEekelen]

<p>First the use of silicagel seems useless to me. I know the stuff from my laboratory days; silicagel will absorb water till it is saturated, after that it doesn't do anything. How often do you dry/regenerate the silicagel? In laboratories it is used in closed containers, I don't think a backpack qualifies as so.<br>

To me it looks more important to keep the lenses in a well ventilated space so that moist will disappear through ventilation.<br>

One word of warning, the affected lenses - if they contain moulds/fungus - can contaminate the good ones. I'd keep them apart from each other.<br>

Exposing a lens to light will not harm it, that's what they are made for. Possibly with the exception of UV light, which will not harm the glass or coating but I have doubts about the glue/oils etc.</p>

[todd_angood]

<p>I store all of my Leica and Nikon equipment in their own hard Pelican cases. Inside of each case is a moisture absorbing canister that changes color when it is no longer operational. At that point I put it in the oven at 300 degrees for three hours to "recharge" it if you will.<br>

I live in SW Michigan so there is humidity to deal with. I've not had any problems with moisture and my equipment.</p>

[gary_star1]

<p>I keep my lens in a safe. I put them in zip lock bags with small heat-able silica alum. canisters (re-useable). The silica canisters can be bought on the site we all love to hate.</p>

[chriscourt]

<p>I keep everything in a large Pelican case, with one of <a href="http://www.eva-dry.com/products/eva-dry-500-mini-dehumidifer/">these puppies</a> to keep any moisture at bay. I've never had any fungus issues since using this setup.</p>

[Sanford]

<p>Due to the somewhat damp & gloomy area I live in, my apartment comes equipped with a dehumidifier. I keep my cameras and lenses in bags near this thing. It pulls an unbelievable amount of water out of the air each day.</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>If you're getting fungus growing in/on your camera gear that's stored in your house, it sounds like you have moisture issues in the house. The only cameras I have seen this problem on were my father's, and his house had fungus/humidity issues to the point where we had to have the area under the foundation treated, but that is very rare. Cameras and lenses do not normally require protection against fungus unless you are living in some place like the tropics with constant high heat and humidity and no air conditioning. If living conditions are comfortable for you, they are fine for your cameras. Cameras are meant to be carried around and used, not locked up in hermetically sealed containers like a moon rock or precious antique.</p>

[robert_hooper1]

<p>I would use a dry cabinet. Pelican cases seal in ambient moisture which was in the air when you last closed the lid on the case. Silica gel needs constant maintenance and you need pounds of it to be effective. Plastic Ziploc storage bags are not air tight, they are semi-permeable polyethylene and will let moisture in over time. Air conditioning cycles on and off, and when it cycles off, humidity can rise quickly. Lenses absorb moisture faster than they disperse it or dry out, especially if kept in cases or in areas of low air movement. There are instructions for building your own dry cabinet on Photo.net but I cant get the link function here to work. Do a photo.net search for " Storing cameras and lenses - Is a dry box essential?"</p>

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[cc_chang2]

<blockquote>

<p>my photo backpack with silica gel, or in Lowepro padded lens cases with silica gel.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>This is your problem right there, storing lens in backpack, which tends to absorb moisture. The silica won't help unless you change it frequently. The simplest way is to leave all your lens open in a well ventilated area. If they are to be sealed, silica must be present and make sure you change it very frequently. I live in Houston for 10 years and it is hot and humid. However I never have fungus problem.</p>

[luke_kaven]

<p>And of course, no plastic bags.</p>

[mark_stephan2]

<p>I store my gear in a closet with a low intensity eco friendly long lasting bulb with the light on 24/7. I live in an old house in east Tennessee and when it's real wet in the summertime I sometimes get a musty smell but so far mold/fungus hasn't been a problem. However, when I lived in my apartment a few years ago I lost two manual focus lenses to fungus in a ice cold well ventilated apartment. Go figure.</p>

[gary_star1]

<p>It's only if the lens is repeatedly removed from the zip lock bag does the silica canister require heating. The silica canisters are inexpensive so several fresh ones can be on hand to replace the spent one. I wait and heat several at the same time. I am now living in Thailand where the heat and humidity rivals my home town Corpus Christi Tx. on the gulf coast Since I have been using this method I haven't had any problems with fungus. As far as zip lock bags being semi-permeable if moisture does penetrate it must do so on a very gradual bases besides you can use more the one. I have one lens stored this way for over 6 months the silica canister still shows dry in its window. </p>

[Spearhead]

<p>I toss my lenses into a bin in the closet. I use them, there's no value to having any kind of specialized storage methodology. It's far better to own only what you need and not have to worry about things that have nothing to do with using them.</p>

[don_essedi]

I keep cameras and lenses in what I think is a 'lawyer bookcase' -- three shelves with glass doors. Central air and heat seem to deal with humidity, as they are both drying. They sit there bare naked, no cases. The house is a 100 years old, and therefore dusty, so I line the shelves with tissue paper and put a sheet over the kit because I usually keep the cabinet doors open. No fungus or other such things. I keep a 20 and a 105 for interiors and portraits, which I don't do often. Keeping them seems more reasonable to buying them, shooting, then immediately selling because I don't use them much. If I were a real photographer, I guess I'd own a zoom covering 20 and 105 so I'd use it more often, it having 28-50 capability which I use regularly, and thus not worry about the fate of the 20 and 105 just sitting there uselessly except a few times a year.

[Brad_]

Aquariums (without fish/water) work great.

[sarah_fox]

<p>Ben, the first thing you should do is to order some humidity indicator cards from the Drierite Corporation. They're very cheap, and you can stash them wherever you want a read on the humidity. I keep them stuck up in rooms, in camera cases, in cabinets, etc. I do this because humidity is a big problem where I live. For instance, the hygrometer on my wall is currently reading about 80% RH, well above the 60-someodd% mark where lens fungus becomes a problem. During the winters and summers, humidity will fall to a more reasonable 50% inside. As you might imagine, I have to treat this issue very seriously where I live.</p>

<p>My solution is to seal all my optics inside a large, insulated, hermitacally sealed food carrier (Cambro), which is similar in many respects to a Pelican case. I have approx 1 kg of silica gel inside to buffer the humidity. Anyone will tell you this is a very excessive amount of gel. However, I use enough gel to keep my optics between 30% and 40% RH throughout the year, with only 1-2 refreshes of the gel in any given year.</p>

<p>During the winter, I usually have a small electric radiator running beside my desk. I dry out my gel by placing it atop the radiator for maybe a couple of days. Once the gel has given off enough moisture to stabilize at 30% RH, I allow it to cool and then place it back in the food carrier with my optics. If I need a refresh at any other time of year, I heat the gel in a warm (not hot) oven. However, 1 kg is generally enough to see me through a year, provided I don't leave the food carrier open excessively.</p>

<p>There are various misconceptions about silica gel. Among these is that it absorbs until it's exhausted. It doesn't simply absorb, but also gives off moisture. It actually stabilizes RH swings, even in the face of temperature swings. This is why it is so easy to dry out, either with a little bit of heat or by exposing it to dry air. Its ability to stabilize RH is the reason it's used in the most demanding museum preservation applications. For instance, our Constitution and Declaration of Independence are preserved behind UV-blocking glass in a hermetically sealed compartment with silica gel to stabilize the humidity at a constant 40-something % RH. If it's good enough for our Constitution, it's good enough for my lenses!</p>

<p>One important note: Excessively low humidity can also be potentially bad for lenses. Zeiss recommends their lenses not be exposed to humidity below 30% RH. I suspect (but can't confirm) that this is because excessive dryness causes shrinkage in lens coatings, which can cause them to crack and separate from the glass. I never found this to be a problem for the decades that I lived in dry West Texas, but I'm certainly willing to abide by Zeiss' recommendations in this regard. That is why I let my gel absorb enough moisture to buffer at the 30% mark before exposing my optics to it. (Note: You will need the humidity indicator cards to determine when this point has been reached.)</p>