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Re: [OM] ( OM ) Precautions against fungus on lenses

Subject: Re: [OM] ( OM ) Precautions against fungus on lenses
From: "C.H.Ling" <ch_photo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 5 Jun 2010 09:14:04 +0800
Unless the air conditioner is operating at 24hrs a day otherwise I don't 
think it works, may be the RH is always not high in your areas, we have 
70-95% in summer time (and it is long) I always have my lenses put inside 
electronic dry box. Before I purchase the dry box I have to clean my lenses 
once a year due to fungus, fortunately I only had less than 10 lenses that 
time but unforutnately all the fungus were inside the lenses so it take time 
to disassembly and clean them. My first bad experience in purching camera 
gear was a set of Pen FT from Australia 10 years ago, it seems came from a 
fungus farm.

C.H.Ling

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chuck Norcutt" <chucknorcutt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Olympus Camera Discussion" <olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, June 05, 2010 4:49 AM
Subject: Re: [OM] ( OM ) Precautions against fungus on lenses


>I think air conditioning where the relative humidity is 60% or less is
> sufficient protection.  I lived in south Florida for 10 years which is
> considered sub-tropical.  None of my lenses have ever shown signs of
> growing fungus but everything has been in an air conditioned environment
> since 1985 and for the 5 year period 1971-1975.  From 1976-1985 I lived
> in an non air conditioned house that was cool but deep in shady pine
> woods and humid in the summer. (Woodstock, NY).  The lenses didn't
> suffer since they were stored elsewhere but a fair number of K64 and
> other slides stored in Carousel slide trays inside their cardboard boxes
> and stored in a dark closet did suffer substantial damage.
>
> I have a few lenses I have acquired (cheaply) that do show substantial
> fungus infection.  However, since I have owned them they have been kept
> under air conditioning and don't appear to show any further damage.  I
> think the dry conditions have kept the fungi at bay.  I have also kept
> uninfected lenses in the same vicinity as the obviously infected ones
> with absolutely no ill effects.  I have heard some people say that's
> utter lunacy but I think the lunacy resides elsewhere.  Fungal spores
> are everywhere by the millions or billions not just on the infected
> lenses.  But if the conditions aren't right they won't grow.
>
> Chuck Norcutt
>
>
> Brian Swale wrote:
>> Last night I was browsing auctions and this one from Auckland
>> http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=294463290
>> mentions that the lens has always been kept in a low-humidity case.
>>
>> This would be as an anti-fungus precaution.  Auckland has a sub-tropical
>> climate, surrounded by ocean, and such a precaution would be a very good
>> idea.
>>
>> To recap, fungus (on lenses or anywhere else) is a microscopic plant
>> without chlorophyll. It spreads through the dissemination of microscopic
>> spores; for example the blue dust from mouldy bread is millions of fungal
>> spores. Some species of fungus can and do grow on the surface of camera
>> lenses.
>>
>> Fungi need water in order to grow; not much, what comes in through the
>> atmosphere is enough. So having lenses in a dessication cabinet is a very
>> good idea. In the tropics it is mandatory - microscopes stored outside 
>> such
>> cabinets are rendered useless within months due to fungous growths on the
>> glass, for example.
>>
>> Who amongst us stores their lenses in such a cabinet?
>>
>> Brian Swale.

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