Fungus on my lenses

[MichaVandiver88]

Hi, Long time Canon Pro but first time having to deal with fungus growth on my lenses. I recently bought a B&B in Costa Rica and so I am part time in Costa Rica and the States. I have a dry room where I have kept my lenses (inside a Pelican Case) while in Costa Rica and the humidity was so bad that my lenses now have fungus. Is this something that Canon will fix / can clean or am I just screwed? Hasn't affected the quality of the images... just yet but wanted to send them all in for a good cleaning anyway. Not cheap, I am sure but wanted to ask if anyone has had issues with this themselves. As a nature photographer traveling the world, I am sure I am not the only one.  Thanks so much for your help! 

[MichaVandiver88]

I’ve always had them in the cases back home so I didn’t see an issue. I totally understand your point but when I lived on my sailboat without ac and stored them in my case, no issues. Just a perfect storm (literally) with the elements and how I stored etc. In the 30 plus years I’ve been a photographer it’s the first time I had this happen. Funny enough my old canon film camera and lenses are still in great shape. Makes me wonder. 🤔🤣

[ebiggs1]

Well, kido, if you and I knew how this happens and how it doesn't happen we would probably be very rich and not need to work for a living. Ya just gotta do what you think is best at the time.

[MichaVandiver88]

I think that is a very true statement!  Haha! Thanks for your insight. Everyone! I figured if anyone would know or have empathy for me… it would be here. Than you again. ❤️

[rs-eos]

Possibly for the future you could look at a heated cabinet or one with a dehumidifier.  When I lived in Hawaii, we made a box (approx 1.5 x 1.5 x 3 feet) and installed a piano heater bar it in.  This was for storing floppy disks and preventing mildew on the surfaces.

[MichaVandiver88]

We do, and that’s why I thought I was doing everything correctly. We have a 15x10 sealed room that has air conditioning and a dehumidifier temp control. Crazy but it still wasn’t enough. 

[jaewoosong]

I think Ricky was suggesting a more specific cabinet solution vs room based humidifier.  I think he's suggesting a dry cabinet. 

For portable solution to use within your pelican cases, you can use something like this (you can reuse by microwave) 

[ebiggs1]

The room itself or box or whatever isn't the solution, it is the fact you used the gear out in the open.

Now sometimes something turns out to look like it works so people automatically think that they have the solution. No fungus on my lenses so the clean room works. No mold or fungus on my floppy disks occurred so the box prevented it. I wore a mask all the time and I didn't get COVID, so masks prevent COVIAD. Perhaps it did and perhaps not. Correlation and causation. Causation means that one event causes another event to occur. It is human nature to associate these occurrences but it is not any proof that they are the cause.

[MichaVandiver88]

💯 agree with this statement. 

[shadowsports]

Only 1 experience with lens fungus.  I was 18 or 19.  Mine was just total noob experience.  I went to the beach and took photos.  I don't recall getting hit with any spray.  Day was calm and still.  Saw nothing on the lens that would make me think it had picked something up.  Came home, put it away (in a case) and took my film in to be developed. 

3 months later, I take my lens out to use the camera.  I am immediately horrified as I can see fungus on the inside of the lens objective.  Lens coating definitely attacked.  My heart sank.  That was the death of my Vivitar Series 1 70~210mm Macro Zoom.   My grandparents gave me that lens to take photography in HS.  It served me well. 

A UV light sounds like a great idea, but I'm not very optimistic.  Fungus has to be caught early.  Once it takes hold, the glass is done.  I hope you will prevail.        

[MichaVandiver88]

Where I made the mistake… or many is that I have been a professional photographer for 16 years on the beaches of the Florida Keys. I was rough on my equipment and never did I have issues then. So I just figured I was always doing the “right” thing… which in fact I think I was just lucky. No noob or rookie mistakes here. Just a more arrogant, “it’s ok it’s how I have always done it”, response since its the first time in 30 years. 🤣 It’s kinda like in the scuba diving world… we say don’t ever go diving with scuba instructors because we ALL think we know best. Well I’m an instructor and a pro photographer and I think I thought I know more that I did. Lol 😆 Lesson learned in an expensive way.