Need advise, area around lens looks wet.

[EgoAge]

Hi, I am new here. I recently purchased a Canon EOS Rebel T4i/650d. It came with the 18-55mm kit lens, But I went ahead and purchased a Sigma 18-200mm and a Canon EF-S 55-250mm 1:4-5.6 IS II Lens..... I have only owned this camera and gear about 3 weeks, and received the 55-250 mm lens just last week.. But to get to the point.. The plastic at the front of the lense where the wording is, looks damp and has what apears to be hair line areas where moisture has soaked in? It is only happaning on the canon lenses and the sigma looks dry. Can anyone tell me what is causing this problem and how to prevent it? These lenses have never gotten wet from rain and such and 90% of the time have been in doors either sitting in a dry camera bag or mounted on the camera. I never noticed this problem before i started keeping hoya C-PL and FDL filters screwed on the ends. Could the filters be the issue? Should I be worried about this? I have 5 silica packs in the top mesh of my camera bag to prevent moisture... im new so any advice would be awesome. Cheers

[ScottyP]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

It sounds like it could be condensation forming on the lens. It is cold outside this time of year and warm inside. If the camera gets cold outside and you bring the camera inside, water droplets form on the cold glass and it may be oozing out from between the front lens element and the filter.

Good timing on your part, as Canon has recently published this advisory on the subject. http://www.the-digital-picture.com/News/News-Post.aspx?News=9026

You want to avoid this because if the water forms inside the lens, you can get algae or fungus junk growing on the glass inside, where it is basically impossible to remove, and it can hurt image quality and resale value.

Good luck!

[ebiggs1]

"what apears to be hair line areas where moisture has soaked in?"

Just what exactly does this mean? Is there "hair line" cracks there or not?  If there is and this is a brand new lens, it needs to be returned immediately.

Otherwise, I bet it is just condensation and you should take measures to avoid this as reported above it can be disastrous and not covered by warranty.

[EgoAge]

I looked at the plastic are under a magnifying glass and it does not appear to be cracks, but scratches... The state of the lens has not changed even after leaving it out with the cap off for 24 hours. I am now thinking they might be pressure marks from the filter being screwed on too tightly. I took my kit lens out and put the filter on it as I usually do but made it a bit more snug, took some shots from my sun room for about 15 minutes and took the filter off to check..... And there were twice as many of these "wet" looking marks on it. So i am now thinking it is due to the metal threads rubbing and applying pressure on the plastic ring causing this look... not moisture. I decided to start cleaning the plastic ring with a qtip barely damp with alcohol hoping it would dry it out if it was water but has made no difference. That is another reason its making me think pressure marks instead of moisture. Thank you both for the replies and will continue to keep an eye on the lens.... Cheers

[ebiggs1]

"I took my kit lens out and put the filter on it as I usually do but made it a bit more snug ..."

A filter does not need to be tight. Actually you don't want it too tight.

[MikeSowsun]

I looked at the plastic are under a magnifying glass and it does not appear to be cracks, but scratches... The state of the lens has not changed even after leaving it out with the cap off for 24 hours. I am now thinking they might be pressure marks from the filter being screwed on too tightly. I took my kit lens out and put the filter on it as I usually do but made it a bit more snug, took some shots from my sun room for about 15 minutes and took the filter off to check..... And there were twice as many of these "wet" looking marks on it. So i am now thinking it is due to the metal threads rubbing and applying pressure on the plastic ring causing this look... not moisture. I decided to start cleaning the plastic ring with a qtip barely damp with alcohol hoping it would dry it out if it was water but has made no difference. That is another reason its making me think pressure marks instead of moisture. Thank you both for the replies and will continue to keep an eye on the lens.... Cheers

Yes, you are correct. It is not moisture. It is just your filter rubbing against the plastic name plate. It is nothing to worry about and you could even replace the name ring yourself for $15 or less.

The ring is just held on with a weak adhesive backing and can be peeled off very easily.

Here is how you can do it: Use a toothpick

Here is an example of a replacement ring you can buy on Ebay: Canon front name ring 55-250MM

Canon should also be able to sell you the correct ring as well.