What to do with Lenses With Fungus

[RedSun]

From time to time, we come with camera lenses with some internal fungus. I always treat them like they have some diseases and sell them.

Now with the darkroom lenses, I just wonder if the standard is not that stringent. Is it better to use a Schneider large lens with some minor internal fungus than an average lens from Beslar?

How about the lenses with light internal fog. Is that worse than tiny fungus?

Any real impact on the quality of the prints?

[John Kasaian]

I think an enlarging lens is far more critical than a taking lens when it comes to blemishes.
Of course I'm just guessing.

[Leigh]

...we come with camera lenses with some internal fungus. I always treat them like they have some diseases and sell them.

Any lens with fungus is trash. If left in your office or workspace the fungus can infect other equipment.

I would question the ethics of selling one, even with a disclaimer.

- Leigh

[domaz]

If you can get to the fungus to clean it it probably isn't going to spread to any other equipment. At that point you will probably be left with some fungus "etchings" that are not repairable. You can test the lens and decide if it's worth using as-is or get rid of it. As with anything else it's a matter of degrees. If someone says they are injured you usually ask "how bad is it?", you don't just assume the worst and leave them for dead.

[Leigh]

Sorry to disagree, but...

Fungus propagates by spores. If you mess with it, like handling it, brushing it, trying to clean it, etc., you
dislodge spores that can land on other equipment and infect it.

You can't avoid that unless you have a clean room with positive pressure filtered ventilation.

- Leigh

[Lungeh]

Fungi propagate by spores, but only when they are producing spores. That's when they are fuzzy. The flat mycelia of the vegetative stage usually seen on the surface of glass has no fruiting bodies, so the contagion risk is low, lower than keeping things in your kitchen. Damp old lens bags or drawers, that's dangerous...

[Nathan Potter]

Heck, I have a fungus in me called histoplasmosis capulatum. I take Itraconazole to get rid of it. Perhaps that stuff would work on your lens fungus. Maybe talk to an optics expert, optician, doctor?

Damm, maybe I need to start checking my lenses more carefully.

Nate Potter, Austin TX. / Corea ME.

[Jim Andrada]

Our dog had Valley Fever - good thing I didn't let her lick my lenses.

[photobymike]

Seal in a baggie and freeze... freeze for days ... kills all of the spores, so it can be safely worked on. Most lenses are "etched" from fungus so fixing does not work usually. Replacing a lenses element can be problematic, because no access to a lens bench. When high quality lenses are manufactured they get a "tuning" by instruments designed to get the optimum sharpness and performance. Reminds me of the guy who was selling his 2 Leica lenses. He stated that they were disassembled and cleaned by him so they were a ok.... If you have to take a high quality lens apart to clean or fix, it will never be the same unless it is done at the factory, or by a tech with the instruments to test and "tune"

[ic-racer]

Enlarging lenses are pretty easy to disassemble and clean. Practice on some 3 and 4 element lenses first. I have had some lenses that were opaque and make them usable. Also, in some cases lens separation at the outer edges won't be an issue if you stop down and make only small enlargements (the light to the print won't be going through the damaged part that way).
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...larging-Lenses