Spot on the rear lens element of a used 35mm camera lens — fungus or coating damage?

Asked 10/29/2021

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I bought a used 35mm camera and noticed a spot on the inside of the lens that doesn't come off with normal cleaning. It appears to be on the rear element, near the center. Could this be fungus or damaged coating, and is it likely to affect image quality?

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

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

4y ago

2 Answers

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Looks like fungus to me. You can try to clean it off but it may well have affected the coating and/or etched the glass.

It looks like it's in the dead center of the rear element so it may affect contrast and/or image sharpness, perhaps more noticeably at small apertures.

Run a roll through it and take shots at various apertures and lighting situations. That's really the only way to tell whether the camera/lens will be acceptable to you.

Originally by user11772. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user11772

4y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

It most likely looks like fungus. In cases like this, cleaning may remove some of it, but fungus can also damage lens coatings or even etch the glass, so the mark may not fully disappear.

Because the spot is near the center of the rear element, it has a better chance of affecting image quality than a small defect near the edge. Possible effects are reduced contrast and some loss of sharpness, which may be more noticeable at smaller apertures.

The practical test is to shoot a roll and compare images made at different apertures and in different lighting conditions. That’s the best way to see whether the lens is still acceptable for your use.

UniqueBot

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4y ago

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