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]

"Is this something that Canon will fix / can clean or am I just screwed?"

My experience is the latter. Sorry. I doubt Canon will even touch them.

"I have a dry room where I have kept my lenses (inside a Pelican Case) while in Costa Rica and the humidity"

So why did you think this was a solution?  You still exposed them to the humidity when you were using them. Correct? Wasn't the Pelican case also open to the same humidity? Perhaps sealing it up and evacuating it somehow replacing it with clean dry air but otherwise it was of no protection.

[MichaVandiver88]

So why did I think that? 🤔 Well because the case has always been in the dry room and I take them out and put them back in after use. So the case hasn’t been opened in the humidity. Regardless, I asked the question here and then spoke with someone this morning. They said they would take a look when I sent them in. 

[ebiggs1]

"Well because the case has always been in the dry room and I take them out and put them back in after use."

But the lenses themselves had the humid air already inside. Lenses are not airtight. Putting them in the Pelican case only trapped the humid air inside the case. You would of had to evacuate all the air in the case and replace it with dry air. At any rate, kido, it did not work!

I am glad for you that Canon said they would check them out but don't be surprised if the refuse to clean them. You see once fungus gets on the lense coating it cannot be removed and the coating can not be replaced as a repair. The coating is applied as a gas at the factory which is beyond what a repair facility has. Let's hope for the best.

[jrhoffman75]

What constituted your “dry room”? 

[MichaVandiver88]

Yep, all true but when you travel and live in high humidity areas, what else should I do? I was a high end wedding photog in the Florida Keys for 16 years and never had this issue. This last few months we have had epic rain storms in Costa Rica .. more so than normal. Sometimes I let them warm up in the sun prior because that was what the last Canon tech told me to do. Let the UV light kill any spores trying to grow. Anyway… $60k worth of equipment and we shall see. 

[MichaVandiver88]

Another room that is sealed off completely from the outside elements, air conditioning and humidity controlled temp. Same as I had when I lived in the states in the Florida Keys. 

[ebiggs1]

"Let the UV light kill any spores trying to grow. "

I agree with the Canon tech. The case was probably not a good idea for his and my reasons.

[jrhoffman75]

That’s what I figured. Fungus can grow almost anywhere. I live in New England. Home is air conditioned in the summer. And I still had two lenses develop fungus. 

If you could get a UV light source and shine it through the lens light path it might work. You can Google some discussions on the topic. 
https://www.diyvideostudio.com/how-to-get-rid-of-camera-lens-fungus-prevent-it-from-coming-back/

[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. 🤔🤣