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! 

[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]

Thank you so much for this information. I sincerely appreciate it. Definitely a lesson learned to check my cameras and equipment more often. 

[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. 

[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.

[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]

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. ❤️

[MichaVandiver88]

💯 agree with this statement. 

[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. 

[ebiggs1]

You see it isn't noob or inexperience or arrogant or anything. That's the point. Next time it may never happen or it could be even worse, who knows? And, Rick I have been at the beach in Florida many times and taken lots of photos. I never got fungus. Why?

What you need to take away is associating one occasion to another. In addition photo gear is a whole different situation to a pro that makes a living with their gear. They become tools of the trade and not prized possessions. No different that a wrench to a mechanic. That's not to say sometimes a certina camera can't become more that just a simple tool. My F1n with its 50mm f1.4L lens has such a place in my heart because we went through some difficult times together. Some, well let's say I never want that to happen ever again stuff.  It has an honored spot on a shelf in my formerly stop bath stained walls of my no longer darkroom.