lens fungus?

well, I'm pretty paranoid hah?

What happens if you mount a fungus infested lens on a canon camera, will fungus move to the camera and consequently to all your lens collection ?

I mounted two very old lenses today, and I feel the need to research the subject... to satisfy my OCD, and worries about totally ruining my baby.

thanks!

I'm guessing that the fungus is everywhere and every single lens on the planet already has the spores. All that is needed is are the conditions for it to grow in. So I wouldn't worry about your new lenses catching it from old lenses. The new ones probably already have it.

gjl711 wrote in post #11173753
I'm guessing that the fungus is everywhere and every single lens on the planet already has the spores. All that is needed is are the conditions for it to grow in. So I wouldn't worry about your new lenses catching it from old lenses. The new ones probably already have it.

we all gonna die anyways right? why worry?

Just make sure they don't hook up while you're not watching.
AIDS doesn't transfer over the air btw.


As for the fungus: I wouldn't worry too much unless the affected lens is a dust-pump like for example the 100-400.

sth_ wrote in post #11173795
Just make sure they don't hook up while you're not watching.
AIDS doesn't transfer over the air btw.


As for the fungus: I wouldn't worry too much unless the affected lens is a dust-pump like for example the 100-400.

no, I mounted old exakta lenses, 1 wide angle prime has a soft spot on the inner side of the glass near the mount. I shot few test shots and dismounted. I checked if the adapter worked for a friend... 5mins maximum and I took it off. But being paranoid as I'm... now I'm thinking my 17-40L 85L and 50 all have fungus... I'm going nuts...

sandro9mm wrote in post #11173725
well, I'm pretty paranoid hah?

What happens if you mount a fungus infested lens on a canon camera, will fungus move to the camera and consequently to all your lens collection ?

I mounted two very old lenses today, and I feel the need to research the subject... to satisfy my OCD, and worries about totally ruining my baby.

thanks!

Bad analogy. Aids is not air born or transferable through anything except some bodily fluids. Luckily your lenses don't carry any bodily fluids. Sorry I'm being a a stickler, I'm gonna shut up now

sandro9mm wrote in post #11173803
I shot few test shots and dismounted. I checked if the adapter worked for a friend... 5mins maximum and I took it off. But being paranoid as I'm... now I'm thinking my 17-40L 85L and 50 all have fungus...

I don't think you need to worry unless you're seeing fungus in these lenses as well.
The 17-40 is sealed BTW.

gjl711 wrote in post #11173753
I'm guessing that the fungus is everywhere and every single lens on the planet already has the spores. All that is needed is are the conditions for it to grow in. So I wouldn't worry about your new lenses catching it from old lenses. The new ones probably already have it.

This is true. Everything has fungus spores on it.

Fungus spores need 24 hours of 70% relative humidity to being growing. Denying them either keeps fungus at bay.

If you have air conditioning in your home, fungus won't be a problem, except for one thing. Every fungus story I've ever heard starts with, "...I took my lens out of the bag..." Keeping equipment in the bag is more likely to cause a fungus problem than anything else.

sth_ wrote in post #11173838
The 17-40 is sealed BTW.

Sealed does not mean air tight. Fungus spores are very small.

RDKirk wrote in post #11173866
This is true. Everything has fungus spores on it.

Fungus spores need 24 hours of 70% relative humidity to being growing. Denying them either keeps fungus at bay.

If you have air conditioning in your home, fungus won't be a problem, except for one thing. Every fungus story I've ever heard starts with, "...I took my lens out of the bag..." Keeping equipment in the bag is more likely to cause a fungus problem than anything else.

True, and also make sure that you have a few bags of Silica Gel in your camera bag and lens storage cupboards / boxes to keep the humidity to as low as possible.

If you use the silica gel, make sure that you lens is sealed, like in a Ziploc, and make sure you cook the bags at high heat for about an hour before putting the silica into the bag. Those silica gel packets do absorb water like a sponge but they do so fairly quickly and if exposed to air for any length of time, they will become hydrated and useless.

well, I never had a fungus problem... my lenses are all clean. Fungized lens wasn't mine, friend asked to test canon adapter for it. I noticed spores only after the 5min test...

what I want to know is, if by mounting contaminated one, I'm running high risks of spreading it over to other lenses... if this isn't the case, I don't care

realmike15 wrote in post #11173809
Bad analogy. Aids is not air born or transferable through anything except some bodily fluids. Luckily your lenses don't carry any bodily fluids. Sorry I'm being a a stickler, I'm gonna shut up now

bad or not, mounting lens kinda resembles you know...

Silica gel is a non-player as a way of life. As gjl711 has mentioned, you have to maintain a strict life-long maintenance regimen or it can actually backfire on you.

If you can't control the humidity in your home and it tends to stay above 70% continuously, then you have to look at an automatic solution like a dry box.

If you do have home air conditioning, buy three cheap hygrometers from a home store and check out various areas of your home. Humidity can vary enormously even in a single room. For instance, the corners near the floor are often far more humid than the center of the room--any dead-air space will often be a pocket of differing humidity.

That includes many closets and it definitely includes closed spaces like camera bags and cases. Most often, the room air in an air conditioned home will be nicely dry while the camera bag is a humidor.

But if you're truly concerned, getting three cheap hygrometers (maybe a $20 total investment) and actually checking your living spaces is a first step.

Edited thread title, lets try to be a bit more sensitive please.