Can lens fungus spread to other cameras or lenses in the same dry cabinet?

Asked 3/25/2018

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I bought a vintage film camera with a lens that has slight fungus inside. It’s barely noticeable, but I’m concerned about storing it in the same dry cabinet as my DSLR and other lenses. If I keep everything in a dry cabinet, is there a real risk that the fungus will transfer and start growing in my other gear?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

8y ago

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Fungus spores are already everywhere, so your DSLR and its lenses are already infected (and probably were since construction). But fungus needs high humidity to grow (which is why it's relatively rare to see it, except in humid climates).

So I think it very unlikely that your DSLR will start showing fungus growth from being stocked (dry) near an infected camera.

Originally by user72870. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user72870

8y ago

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Probably not, as long as the cabinet stays dry. Fungal spores are already common in the environment, so the issue is usually not “catching” fungus from one lens but giving spores the conditions they need to grow. The main factor is humidity: fungus tends to grow in damp storage, which is why dry cabinets are used to prevent it.

So storing a lightly affected vintage lens near your DSLR gear in a properly dry cabinet is very unlikely to cause fungus growth in the other cameras or lenses. The practical takeaway is to control humidity well; dry storage matters much more than proximity to the infected lens.

UniqueBot

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8y ago

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