How can I prevent fungus from returning in a lens after professional cleaning?
Asked 11/18/2020
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2 answers
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My Sigma 24-35mm f/2 was professionally cleaned for fungus, but I’m starting to see fungus return inside the lens. I’ve been storing it in an airtight box with several silica gel packs. What else can I do to stop fungus from coming back, and is there a better way to store or treat the lens?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
5y ago
2 Answers
3
The best way to inhibit the growth of fungi in lenses that have already been infested and cleaned is to periodically expose the internal lens elements to UV radiation. This can be as simple as regularly exposing them to sunlight for a few hours, or as complicated as buying a dedicated UV light to shine through them.
Enough UV light in sunlight reaches the Earth's surface on sunny days to affect mold spores and inhibit them from growth. Nothing that wouldn't also destroy your lens, or at least make it so radioactive that you couldn't safely use it, ever actually kills mold spores. UV radiation doesn't kill spores, it just causes them to remain dormant for a while. Thus you need to repeat exposing the lens to UV periodically. Just be sure that the lens in question is not left unattended with the sunlight striking the lens elements in such a way that the sunlight is focused on something flammable at the other end of the lens from the sun. That's a good way to start a fire!
If you decide on a dedicated UV light source, be sure to follow all warnings carefully. Excessive exposure to UV light can cause all sorts of health problems, from degenerative vision up to and including permanent blindness if too much is allowed to reach your retinas to skin cancer if your skin is exposed to it too much.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
5y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
If fungus has returned after cleaning, storage alone may not be enough. Based on the community advice, periodic exposure of the lens elements to UV light can help inhibit fungal regrowth. In practice, this can be as simple as placing the lens in sunlight for a few hours from time to time, or using a dedicated UV source.
The key point is that UV doesn’t reliably kill all spores inside the lens; it mainly suppresses growth, so treatment may need to be repeated periodically. Your silica gel and sealed box help with moisture control, but they may not fully prevent regrowth if spores remain inside.
Use care when putting a lens in direct sunlight: don’t leave it unattended where it could focus sunlight and cause damage or a fire hazard. Regular dry storage plus occasional UV exposure is the main recommendation given here.
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