Jst a tip for putting lens back to the mount: before you get it out, place a mark on it with a sharpie, then mark the case too. This will help you to determine the original ANGLE of the lens(matters when it comes to image corrected lenses) But the most important part: It is not advised to just pop back the lens. It may get damaged/chipped by the falling. Instead, hold it like a waiter holds a plate, with your fingers on the front of the lens and turn the assembly upside down, elevate the lens inside the assembly from below. This ensures that the lens won't get stuck in the mount and you don't have to use pressure on it. Also it is best to not rub the lens with bare hands. Instead pour water and some soap in a small container and let the lens sit in it for two days. All the fungus will be gone. Calcified containments will get loose and fall off. This is less harsh for the coating than the acidic treatment. Hope this helps in future lens cleaning.
What illegal substance have you been smoking, Edwinhubble? Any lens that can be substantively changed by rotating individual lens elements isn’t much good to begin with.
If i may add...a good cleaning of the element's seating position and tightening ring is advised before re-inserting the lens. They are contaminated too and fungus will re-appear soon.
@@amp08021 If your lenses have been in an environment that had high humidity and low temperatures (below dew point on any given day) for extended period of time your legacy lenses may easily develop fungi. They are hardly sealed properly. Humidity + condensation create ideal conditions for that.
Fungus spores go everywhere. If they are on the lens then the entire tube should be cleaned before reassembly. It’s just like a loaf of bread: once you can see the mold you can be sure that the spores are spread all over the loaf and you should just throw the whole thing out.
Some other hints: 1) Store lenses UPRIGHT and away from excessive heat. This keeps the lubrication from melting into the aperture blades. 2) Buy a bag of Silica white crystal CAT Litter. It's CHEAP DESICCANT!!!!! Place it in nylon stockings or orphan socks and tie them off in a knot. Place them in the containers with your lenses...stored upright:-) Recharge the desiccant every year by drying at low temp in the oven or in hot sunlight.
Very interesting video. I would be careful of using washing up liquid because it's abrasive (full of salts) and paper towels are also abrasive. I would use a proper lens cleaning solution and a new microfiber cloth.
I have heard that some hand soaps are bad for coatings of lenses of glasses. I feel that they are less delicate than the coating in lenses. Also I have once ruined by glasses by drying them with a paper towel. I do not have a feeling that this is a good advice instructional video.
For fungus removal I use hand cream also called "cold cream". It`s amazing. There is no risk involved by using this method, since there are dangerous acids that might eat into the lens or coating, nor do you have to "scrape" the fungus with it. After the treatment I use luke-warm water to get it off. The final stage is isopropil alcohol to remove any grease and other residue and then I use distilled water for the final clean up. I use ether Q-tips or microfiber lens cloths. Do not use paper towels.
Yes!! I also carefully put a little candle wax on the screw threads to damp seal the inside and protect the iris from damp and dust. I've recovered several lenses this way! I'm experimenting with silicone grease now which lasts much longer. The rear lens needs to be removed also and the barrel vacuumed out from both ends!
forget it... the lens "breath" , by zooming or focusing...the air enters over the heilcoid, or front or back ... its far better to keep it in a bag with silca begs, to desicate the air inside, to prevent mod and fungus forming
The best way to deal with fungus is to PREVENT their colonization. Its moisture that predispose their growth. I live in South California and not a single local lens, even if 100 years old, has fungus as we don't have moisture or humidity. On the other hand invariable I see these fungi colonies on almost every old lens that comes from a humid location, say India or some European countries. So my best advise is to avoid moisture/humidity. Try to pack / store you lens along with dehumidifier package (Silica Gel Desiccants) and don't store you lenses directly when coming from a wet environment, prior to a full dry up. If you have the opportunity of exposing your lens to UV light, every now and then, that is another good solution especially for those living in susceptible environment to stop further growth of small microscopic fungus colony, before they become visible to eye.
2 of my fav lens now have fungus grr.. living in Hong Kong, room humidity is 70-80% most of the time. They grow so quick, I don’t remember seeing it 6months ago. Now it’s there ;( Sure White vinegar is ok? I hope so, I don’t like the smell of Amonia as seen on other tutorials.
I agree with the prevention part! I once had a lens that got totally destroyed by fungus, because I used it skiing, and kept it in the damp pack between ski outings. Yuk. Now living in the Pacific Northwest, I was determined not to let that happen again. I bought an Ikea "Billy" bookcase, with the optional glass shelves and glass doors. I got four halogen under-cabinet lights, mounted two on the top and two on the middle shelf, and removed the glass covers that say, "WARNING! USE COVER GLASS FOR UV PROTECTION!" It is important to use the HALOGEN bulbs, NOT LEDs. And whenever I buy something that has packets of silica gel in them, I sprinkle them around on the various shelves. I put sticky-backed foam weather sealing where the doors contacted the book case, EXCEPT along the top, so warm, humid air, warmed by the halogen lights, could convect out the top. End result: after a lot of use in humid environments (skiing, ice climbing, shooting waterfalls, etc.), I have no fungus or haze after nearly thirty years. (Of course, I make sure lenses go back in the cabinet with the lights on after being exposed to humidity.) There are expensive, ready-made solutions like this, but if you're handy, you can save a bundle by rolling your own. Also worth adding… if you're tempted to buy a "bargain" fungus'd lens, keep in mind that if it has fungus, it was probably improperly stored, and may have other problems lurking, like metal corrosion.
Reinaldo Kevin Maybe... But fungus seed is basically everywhere in the air so a cleaning pad makes no big difference any more. One dirty lens in a humid cabinet could infect all
Sam Sen I live in the UK where we have a tiny bit of moisture occasionally! I keep all my lenses in a drawer and throw any those little packets of crystals you get with electrical equipment in. I also put them in my camera drawer, my speedlights drawer and with my electrical leads.
OK my friend, its been a while sense I had the true pleasure of hearing you speak the kings good English with your wonderful French accent... too long! I was looking into getting a Nikon 105 that has some fungus and saw your video and felt assured of accurate information at you channel!! Love the photos and videos from the Instagram feed but still feel the need to hear you speaking to us again....thanks!!
many years ago when I worked at Swiss Camera Repair in New York we used to use nose grease for fungus. Rub your nose with your finger, then rub the fungus of with your now greasy finger. Then you have to clean the lens. We used windex diluted 50% with purified water for cleaner.
I own a Sigma 18-35 f1.8 ($800) and a Sigma 50-100 1.8 ($1200)... both have developed fungus behind the 1st element after photographing an event where it rained for hrs. I sure hope this works!
I'm not certain if you want to rub camea lenses, with anything including your hands. This is especially true of internal lenses that are protected. It's better not to touch a camera lens and to soak it instead for at least a few mins. One solution I found that works is equal parts of hydrogen peroxide and ammonia. If fungus isn't removed the first attempt soak again for up to 20 mins. Once the fungus is gone then you want to rinse the lens with water without touching or rubbing the lens sides. Once the solution has been rinsed off, use a lens spoofer to blow away all the water droplets. With the water gone, use a clean microfiber cloth to lightly wipe the lens. Then inspect the lens under a bright light. Check from both sides and with different angles of light to be sure that all the fungus is gone and you have no dust or smudges on the glass. If it looks good, set it aside on a clean soft microfiber cloth and cover it up to prevent any dust from settling onto it. Repeat the cleaning process on any remaining elements.
I use an angle grinder on really stubborn bits of fungus then chuck both lens and camera in the washing machine on a nice hot 90 wash with plenty of powder ...sorts it all out ....
Its easy as demonstrated if the fungus is on the first lens element - if the entire optical assembly is infested - then it becomes a problem - thanks for this tip
This is cool! I live in a tropical country and I have this problem on several lenses. My problem is to disassemble the lens: where do you find proper tools like the on you use on the video? I looks so easy...
I've got an older tokina lense and it's got some issues, I can't find any lens removal holes to remove the front lens... you wouldn't by any chance be familiar with them and know how to get the lenses out?
i have a helios version of that from 1963. one of my favorites. Paired with a 66-67 step ring so i can put a hood on it. the only negatives are the weight and tripod mount aligns at 8:00 when mounted on my k3.
In the old days we put lenses out so the sun can shine through the entire lens. UV light kills fungus. However, fungus is eating the lens coatings and fungus that has been there a long time can seriously impact lens performance, even after cleaning the lens.
I'm always struggling a bit with what chemicals I can use on lenses that wont damage the vintage lens coatings. (I did try to ask canon but they just ignored me xD)
@@serena-yu thanks. Probably the best idea really. Metal dissociation in H2O2 is quite low. Also less complicated then the hot IPA setup someone suggested to me.
Hi, Nice video. I also saw a video where somebody in addition to cleaning the lens heats up several kitchen towels for a couple of minutes in the microwave oven the uses a bunch of copper coins (US pennies in this case), wraps them in the hot towel an puts them inside a ziploc bag containing the fungus-affected lens for an hour. Copper is supposed to emanate a fungicidal vapor when heated. Maybe that would be a great addition to cleaning the lens like you did.
Nice, but with a ore advanced lens you could have some "Lego bricks" challenge ) One more question: after washing the lens, have you cleaned inside the metal body of the lens itself?
I would wipe the retaining ring and surrounding area with ammonia or hydrogen peroxide. Both chemicals seem to remove fungus for the times I used them.
and then you put it in a lens collimator to ensure your lens elements are sitting in just the right spot, otherwise your photos are all softer than you had before
I have a few questions concerning this video. 1.) If the lens has a coating, will the coating be effected by the dishwashing soap? 2.) How to get rid of the fungus, that is inside the lens barrel (the part where the lens sits)? 3.) How to be sure, that after you reassemble the lens, the front lens is still having the exact distance to the other lenses? Thanks in advance!
1) coating can be effected if it's a really old lens and you scratch it a lot 2) maybe using something more strong than vinegar inside the barrel would kill the fungus spors like peroxide 3) if it sits back in place it should work , i never had problems with that with my other cleaned lenses.
Generally fungus in lenses look like an ugly dull coating on the elements, but the fungus colonies (is that what they're called?) in your lens actually looked quite beautiful. It's almost a shame that you had to remove them :)
Felipe Figueroa these fungus- are they special type, I mean exclusively found in optics? If uncleaned, do they spread to other house items-and harmful to health in anyway?
good question onzkicg, Im also curious,... however those fungus are kind of cool, on an old pentcacon 135mm lens which Im just about to clean, it created some soft-blury-artistic filter :)
@@MathieuStern The French word for fungus is "Champignons" I believe, and I don't remember the French word for "Haze". Thanks for the video, your videos got me interested in lens harvesting from old cameras, it is my new hobby. 🙂
In my experience, the rubber rings are much better than the spanner wrench, to open up lenses. No risk of scratches and way more effective in difficult cases. And a microfiber cloth is extremely useful to remove last residuals when rinsing.
I Wonder how he can open the lens so easily. I tried once on a fallen Canon lens whose tore was torn, so the engine could not get it in position, but I ended with a mess.
salut Mat. fait gaffe quand-même... le produit vaisselle est efficace superficiellement, j'en ai fait l'amère expérience, surtout que la prolifération semble être localisé sur les bords, donc risque de rechute avec des spores encore présentes dans le fut. j'utilise un mix de peroxyde d'hydrogène (eau oxygénée dispo en pharmacie) et ammoniaque : 2,c. soupe d'ammoniaque + 1,c. cafe d'eau oxygénée . mais merci quand même en tout cas
pour l'instant je n'ai eu aucune " rechute" sur les autres que j'ai lavé avec le produit vaisselle et le vinaigre, maintenant je pense que tu as raison, les spores peuvent être encore présentent dedans, maintenant si il faut 30 ans pour qu'il se développent, ça me laisse du temps pour shooter :)
I have a few manual lenses and love them. Awesome for taking images with character but would my lens with fungus possibly infect my other lenses .. I keep them stored below 40% humidity all the time in a dry box
Prime lenes are much easier to clean, zoom is much more difficult. use 99% alcohol and distill water. Go to a dollar store get those tile plastic sucker to put the lens back into the casing. I wouldn't want to use disk soap instead buy a lens cleaner solution. The wrench is selling at amazon they are around $15.00
Nice, thanks for that! Is that the 'standard' way to open a lens? I know there will be exceptions of course, but it might be useful to get that tool? Where did you get it?
@@dadude4960 I have 5 Canon lenses from which the front-glas element all opens up that way, and some on the back sort of do so as well (but it's more of a ring with indents instead of pinholes, and they can be a little more finnicky because trying to get them unscrewed can be scary because missing the indent is easier and you are much much closer to the lens element. Funny enough being carefull has made me cause more damage at one lens because when losing grip I was bound to "retract" the tool quicker and as a result damage the thread on the frontglass-ring quicker than I would've actually liked.
If you slip while using an adjustable metal spanner wrench (I have 2 different sets of them), the resulting scratch across the surface of the lens will make you much more careful the next time. Until you have done this a few times, try using the hollow soft-rubber tapered cylinders, which grab the edges of the rings that hold the lenses in place. Amazon, among others, has a selection to choose from. With these rings, the pressure on the retaining rings is even all the way around, and it is much more difficult to inadvertently ruin a lens, while unscrewing the retaining rings.
Hi, Mathieu! So if i have a takumar 85 f1.8 i can do the same? i mean, what lenses are "fixable" for a person who never tried it before? do all of them open the way you show in the video? or some lenses are easier to open than others? thanks for your time
Hey Matthew, love your channel as always. I see that it's common to use 3% Hydrogen Peroxide to clean fungus & haze off vintage lenses. Your thoughts on using Peroxide instead of DishSoap and vinegar as you suggest here? I've seen some folks leaving their lens elements in vinegar for a long time and destroying the coatings, so I just want to be careful.
@@MathieuStern thank you. I'm planning to attempt to clean some Konica Hexanon AR lenses (rubber grip) which i discovered thanks to your channel :) I'm not sure what date they are manufactured though. I currently have them under UV LED light to try cure a very subtle yellowing that they have.
Won't petroleum either 40 degrees be better. And flint free paper recommend before insertion. Better still blow nitrogen between lenses before sealing again
I had a lens replaced by Sony in Japan on an ENG lens. The fungus was back on the lens 2 years later! I don't think they cleaned the inside of the lens barrel ... they just replaced the lens with fungus on it ... now, I'm seeking ways to thoroughly clean it myself and perhaps, figure out how to put a thin copper wire in the lens barrel to keep out fungus growth in future!
@@DeanHarringtonimages I am worried about the durability of Sony Lenses. I just discovered ALL my Sony lenses bought within the last 5 years have very bad fungus. But my old Minolta 70's manual lenses were not affected, kept in the same cupboard. Looks like this infestation happened during last summer. Im so disappointed.
Halo i appreciate very much your old lenses review: could the fungus of an old Summar 50mm EXTEND to a DIGITAL SENSOR? I thank you in advance if you manage to answer.
Use a sterilizing uv light (uv-c) to kill fungus use isopropyl alcohol 99% 1 part with 5 part de-ionized water use a small cotton bud around the area to clean, or micro fibre cloth or whatever you have handy
Well I just cleaned my very expensive lens with a micro fiber cloth but there was a peace of sand stuck to it sooo any ways to remove light circles of scratches
(disclaimer - this works for me, but I cannot guarantee it will work for you) - I found that virucidal and antibacterial gels (tnx to covid pandemic) do a really good job on lens "mushrooms". I have really good results with Ecolab Spirigel, but also cheap ones from Aldi & Lidl.
Use athletes foot cream instead. Apply a coating and leave the lens overnight. The cream will literally kill and remove the fungus.. then just clean it off after.
I first clean the lens with Alcohol. Then I let it sit in 14% hydrogen peroxide. Using a cotton swab i start cleaning the lens. Then I use diluted glacial acetic Acid to clean the lens. After that I put the lens in distilled water and dry it. The fungus is gone. BTW I only use that method for cleaning old brass lenses, without any coating because it would get destroyed that way.
Glacial Acetic Acid? Diluted? I hope you're adding drops of the molasses-like Glacial Acetic Acid to a fair amount of water, instead of dropping water into that concentrated acid, which can cause the water drops to heat up so fast they turn to steam and expand with explosive force, and concentrated acid goes everywhere
Martin Spasovski Those can both be fairly harsh already, and depending on the kind of coating it may indeed damage it. If it is available I would consult the instructions for your specific lens. Many now will have some information regarding cleaning of the front element. A one time lens cleaning like this almost certainly won't be a problem but being treated to dish soap and vinegar on the regular may.
Bonjour Mathieu! Bravo et merci pour ta chaîne, elle est super! J'ai reçu récemment un Auto Chinon 135mm, en très bon état extérieur et de fonctionnement, mis à part qu'il est bloqué à pleine ouverture.. Comment puis-je savoir d'ou vient ce souci et comment y remédier? Merci d'avance de ton éventuelle réponse!
Oui, le souci c'est que même une fois monté le diaphragme ne fonctionne pas (j'ai 3 autres Chinon, un 28, un 35 et un 55 qui fonctionnent tous avec la même bague)
dont work on old fungus... tried this tecnic to remove, acetone, alcohol,...the only thin that can remove something is tooth paste...but is a risky procedure...will remove or be abrasive also for coating
How to remove fungus from a camera lens? First and the most important step - get to that piece of glass without completely damaging your lens. In 95 percent of cases, impossible. Try that on Canon 300mm f2.8 L IS. I've tried! Good luck.
my Think Tank StreetWalker HardDrive Backpack is covered by heavy moldy outside and with some spots inside ..how can I clean inside and outside? bleach 100% ? I live in Scotland Thanks Best Regards,
Fungus spores are all around is, just as dust particles can get inside a lens so can the spores. The way to avoid them growing into a fungus is to deny them a suitable climate in which to grow. The spores need moisture and darkness to develop but moisture is the main element. keep lenses in well ventilated areas and if needed store them with moisture removing silica gel bags.
risk of using scissors: cutting your hand, slipping and scratching the lens body and/or the glass, deforming the holes meant for a lens wrench and not scissors, inability to exert enough torque because scissors want to stay closed instead of open
Join the Weird lenses lovers community Here :
facebook.com/groups/169819133710809/
Joined. And thanks for sharing :)
Jst a tip for putting lens back to the mount: before you get it out, place a mark on it with a sharpie, then mark the case too. This will help you to determine the original ANGLE of the lens(matters when it comes to image corrected lenses) But the most important part: It is not advised to just pop back the lens. It may get damaged/chipped by the falling. Instead, hold it like a waiter holds a plate, with your fingers on the front of the lens and turn the assembly upside down, elevate the lens inside the assembly from below. This ensures that the lens won't get stuck in the mount and you don't have to use pressure on it.
Also it is best to not rub the lens with bare hands. Instead pour water and some soap in a small container and let the lens sit in it for two days. All the fungus will be gone. Calcified containments will get loose and fall off. This is less harsh for the coating than the acidic treatment.
Hope this helps in future lens cleaning.
MrEdwinHubble what solution is there in the water soak?
What illegal substance have you been smoking, Edwinhubble? Any lens that can be substantively changed by rotating individual lens elements isn’t much good to begin with.
@@martyzielinski2469says who? You? You seem like a pothead too
If i may add...a good cleaning of the element's seating position and tightening ring is advised before re-inserting the lens. They are contaminated too and fungus will re-appear soon.
Fungus will only grow in moist, warm, and dark conditions. Everything has fungus, but it doesn't grow on most stuff
@@amp08021 like a yeast infection
@@amp08021 youve described the conditions of the inside element
@@amp08021
If your lenses have been in an environment that had high humidity and low temperatures (below dew point on any given day) for extended period of time your legacy lenses may easily develop fungi. They are hardly sealed properly.
Humidity + condensation create ideal conditions for that.
Fungus spores go everywhere. If they are on the lens then the entire tube should be cleaned before reassembly. It’s just like a loaf of bread: once you can see the mold you can be sure that the spores are spread all over the loaf and you should just throw the whole thing out.
Some other hints:
1) Store lenses UPRIGHT and away from excessive heat. This keeps the lubrication from melting into the aperture blades.
2) Buy a bag of Silica white crystal CAT Litter. It's CHEAP DESICCANT!!!!! Place it in nylon stockings or orphan socks and tie them off in a knot. Place them in the containers with your lenses...stored upright:-) Recharge the desiccant every year by drying at low temp in the oven or in hot sunlight.
I was growing some button mushrooms in my lenses....🙃
What does it called the things to remove the lense that's I saw? I need to get it but I'm not sure what is that
JAJAJAJJA
ahhh you must be a botanist!
Me too
Follow me on Instagram @mathieustern instagram.com/mathieustern/
but don't the dishwasher soap destroy the len's coating?
not if it's a good quality coating
Very interesting video. I would be careful of using washing up liquid because it's abrasive (full of salts) and paper towels are also abrasive. I would use a proper lens cleaning solution and a new microfiber cloth.
I have heard that some hand soaps are bad for coatings of lenses of glasses. I feel that they are less delicate than the coating in lenses.
Also I have once ruined by glasses by drying them with a paper towel.
I do not have a feeling that this is a good advice instructional video.
For fungus removal I use hand cream also called "cold cream". It`s amazing. There is no risk involved by using this method, since there are dangerous acids that might eat into the lens or coating, nor do you have to "scrape" the fungus with it. After the treatment I use luke-warm water to get it off. The final stage is isopropil alcohol to remove any grease and other residue and then I use distilled water for the final clean up. I use ether Q-tips or microfiber lens cloths. Do not use paper towels.
See if your cold cream contains sorbic acid... That would be the ticket.
Any particular brand of cold cream? Any particular active ingredients to look for, in addition to the sorbic acid mentioned by Jack Matthews?
since there aren't* dangerous acids
Isopropyl*
@@DarthVader1977*isopropanol
Yes!! I also carefully put a little candle wax on the screw threads to damp seal the inside and protect the iris from damp and dust. I've recovered several lenses this way!
I'm experimenting with silicone grease now which lasts much longer. The rear lens needs to be removed also and the barrel vacuumed out from both ends!
forget it... the lens "breath" , by zooming or focusing...the air enters over the heilcoid, or front or back ... its far better to keep it in a bag with silca begs, to desicate the air inside, to prevent mod and fungus forming
Never use paper towels on any lens
The best way to deal with fungus is to PREVENT their colonization. Its moisture that predispose their growth. I live in South California and not a single local lens, even if 100 years old, has fungus as we don't have moisture or humidity. On the other hand invariable I see these fungi colonies on almost every old lens that comes from a humid location, say India or some European countries. So my best advise is to avoid moisture/humidity. Try to pack / store you lens along with dehumidifier package (Silica Gel Desiccants) and don't store you lenses directly when coming from a wet environment, prior to a full dry up. If you have the opportunity of exposing your lens to UV light, every now and then, that is another good solution especially for those living in susceptible environment to stop further growth of small microscopic fungus colony, before they become visible to eye.
One question. Will they spread onto another lens if you use the same lens cleaning kit (like lenspen) on a lens with fungus?
2 of my fav lens now have fungus grr.. living in Hong Kong, room humidity is 70-80% most of the time. They grow so quick, I don’t remember seeing it 6months ago. Now it’s there ;( Sure White vinegar is ok? I hope so, I don’t like the smell of Amonia as seen on other tutorials.
I agree with the prevention part!
I once had a lens that got totally destroyed by fungus, because I used it skiing, and kept it in the damp pack between ski outings. Yuk.
Now living in the Pacific Northwest, I was determined not to let that happen again. I bought an Ikea "Billy" bookcase, with the optional glass shelves and glass doors. I got four halogen under-cabinet lights, mounted two on the top and two on the middle shelf, and removed the glass covers that say, "WARNING! USE COVER GLASS FOR UV PROTECTION!" It is important to use the HALOGEN bulbs, NOT LEDs. And whenever I buy something that has packets of silica gel in them, I sprinkle them around on the various shelves.
I put sticky-backed foam weather sealing where the doors contacted the book case, EXCEPT along the top, so warm, humid air, warmed by the halogen lights, could convect out the top.
End result: after a lot of use in humid environments (skiing, ice climbing, shooting waterfalls, etc.), I have no fungus or haze after nearly thirty years. (Of course, I make sure lenses go back in the cabinet with the lights on after being exposed to humidity.)
There are expensive, ready-made solutions like this, but if you're handy, you can save a bundle by rolling your own.
Also worth adding… if you're tempted to buy a "bargain" fungus'd lens, keep in mind that if it has fungus, it was probably improperly stored, and may have other problems lurking, like metal corrosion.
Reinaldo Kevin Maybe... But fungus seed is basically everywhere in the air so a cleaning pad makes no big difference any more. One dirty lens in a humid cabinet could infect all
Sam Sen I live in the UK where we have a tiny bit of moisture occasionally! I keep all my lenses in a drawer and throw any those little packets of crystals you get with electrical equipment in. I also put them in my camera drawer, my speedlights drawer and with my electrical leads.
OK my friend, its been a while sense I had the true pleasure of hearing you speak the kings good English with your wonderful French accent... too long! I was looking into getting a Nikon 105 that has some fungus and saw your video and felt assured of accurate information at you channel!! Love the photos and videos from the Instagram feed but still feel the need to hear you speaking to us again....thanks!!
You can also send me your lenses for safekeeping in sunny dry Arizona.
Where the atmospheric moisture content is substantially higher :-/
Vince Roberts It’s a joke
No longer- AZ cities are polluted, grimy and sweltering.
@@WickBeavers all cities are like that. But it must be clean in the desert.
Lol
Great tip. Just did one of mine, can't wait to get out and shoot it now it's all clean. I just hope that the weather holds up.
many years ago when I worked at Swiss Camera Repair in New York we used to use nose grease for fungus. Rub your nose with your finger, then rub the fungus of with your now greasy finger. Then you have to clean the lens. We used windex diluted 50% with purified water for cleaner.
Thanks for that Jacob, I'd forgotten all about the old nose grease trick.
I own a Sigma 18-35 f1.8 ($800) and a Sigma 50-100 1.8 ($1200)... both have developed fungus behind the 1st element after photographing an event where it rained for hrs. I sure hope this works!
That fungus do be vibin tho
I'm not certain if you want to rub camea lenses, with anything including your hands. This is especially true of internal lenses that are protected. It's better not to touch a camera lens and to soak it instead for at least a few mins. One solution I found that works is equal parts of hydrogen peroxide and ammonia. If fungus isn't removed the first attempt soak again for up to 20 mins. Once the fungus is gone then you want to rinse the lens with water without touching or rubbing the lens sides.
Once the solution has been rinsed off, use a lens spoofer to blow away all the water droplets. With the water gone, use a clean microfiber cloth to lightly wipe the lens.
Then inspect the lens under a bright light. Check from both sides and with different angles of light to be sure that all the fungus is gone and you have no dust or smudges on the glass. If it looks good, set it aside on a clean soft microfiber cloth and cover it up to prevent any dust from settling onto it. Repeat the cleaning process on any remaining elements.
Use sandpaper to get the fungus off
your humor is very corrosive ;)
don't be too rough on him Mathieu
Rasp files work well on those stubborn spots that sand paper just can’t remove......
I use an angle grinder on really stubborn bits of fungus then chuck both lens and camera in the washing machine on a nice hot 90 wash with plenty of powder
...sorts it all out ....
Sandblasting it works too. :D
Its easy as demonstrated if the fungus is on the first lens element - if the entire optical assembly is infested - then it becomes a problem - thanks for this tip
This is cool! I live in a tropical country and I have this problem on several lenses. My problem is to disassemble the lens: where do you find proper tools like the on you use on the video? I looks so easy...
philippe reichert ebay or AliExpress I got mine from there. Lens spanner
Lens protective coating is gone
He just smoked weeds so he gave a love on your comment 🙃
protective coating Vs. fungus though
coating is mostly not present on these vintage lenses and even if there is it didn't make any significant difference
I've got an older tokina lense and it's got some issues, I can't find any lens removal holes to remove the front lens... you wouldn't by any chance be familiar with them and know how to get the lenses out?
i have a helios version of that from 1963. one of my favorites. Paired with a 66-67 step ring so i can put a hood on it. the only negatives are the weight and tripod mount aligns at 8:00 when mounted on my k3.
In the old days we put lenses out so the sun can shine through the entire lens. UV light kills fungus. However, fungus is eating the lens coatings and fungus that has been there a long time can seriously impact lens performance, even after cleaning the lens.
I'm always struggling a bit with what chemicals I can use on lenses that wont damage the vintage lens coatings. (I did try to ask canon but they just ignored me xD)
@@serena-yu thanks. Probably the best idea really. Metal dissociation in H2O2 is quite low. Also less complicated then the hot IPA setup someone suggested to me.
Hi,
Nice video. I also saw a video where somebody in addition to cleaning the lens heats up several kitchen towels for a couple of minutes in the microwave oven the uses a bunch of copper coins (US pennies in this case), wraps them in the hot towel an puts them inside a ziploc bag containing the fungus-affected lens for an hour. Copper is supposed to emanate a fungicidal vapor when heated. Maybe that would be a great addition to cleaning the lens like you did.
yes i would have to try that too
I'm pretty sure you should never put metal in the microwave. Maybe wrap them in a towel and put them in the dryer for a cycle.
He did not use a microwave oven, he put the towels and the towel with the copper coins in a clothes tumble dryer
Nice, but with a ore advanced lens you could have some "Lego bricks" challenge )
One more question: after washing the lens, have you cleaned inside the metal body of the lens itself?
no, it could add some dust on the other lenses that were clean when i opened, and the fungus where on the front lens in this case
I would wipe the retaining ring and surrounding area with ammonia or hydrogen peroxide. Both chemicals seem to remove fungus for the times I used them.
I torture fungus with an intense and prolonged campaign of psychological abuse. The fungus will eventually break down and leave.
Who wants to understand what u are just saying now?
Cool, I clean them in a similar way, but the last thing I do, clean them with a sensor cleaning solution and a brand new swab.😊
and then you put it in a lens collimator to ensure your lens elements are sitting in just the right spot, otherwise your photos are all softer than you had before
What is that first tool called? Great video..thanks!
How can I know the results if you don't zoom on the lens after the cleanup?
I just put my lenses in the dishwasher
Does it really work ? I mean won't the lense get damaged.?
@@rinrin9230 I was being sarcastic. Please don't put your lens in the dishwasher.
@@woox200sx Microwave works better IMHO
AJJAJAJA
@@tiberiu_nicolae lol
I have a few questions concerning this video.
1.) If the lens has a coating, will the coating be effected by the dishwashing soap?
2.) How to get rid of the fungus, that is inside the lens barrel (the part where the lens sits)?
3.) How to be sure, that after you reassemble the lens, the front lens is still having the exact distance to the other lenses?
Thanks in advance!
1) coating can be effected if it's a really old lens and you scratch it a lot
2) maybe using something more strong than vinegar inside the barrel would kill the fungus spors like peroxide
3) if it sits back in place it should work , i never had problems with that with my other cleaned lenses.
Thanks Mathieu. Luckily I do not have to deal with it so far :)
Generally fungus in lenses look like an ugly dull coating on the elements, but the fungus colonies (is that what they're called?) in your lens actually looked quite beautiful.
It's almost a shame that you had to remove them :)
well you have this video to remember them when you feel sad about fungus extinction :)
Felipe Figueroa these fungus- are they special type, I mean exclusively found in optics? If uncleaned, do they spread to other house items-and harmful to health in anyway?
good question onzkicg, Im also curious,... however those fungus are kind of cool, on an old pentcacon 135mm lens which Im just about to clean, it created some soft-blury-artistic filter :)
Which fun guy has been taking mushrooms again? 🍄
@@MathieuStern The French word for fungus is "Champignons" I believe, and I don't remember the French word for "Haze". Thanks for the video, your videos got me interested in lens harvesting from old cameras, it is my new hobby. 🙂
In case you cannot remove the lens try to zap the lens with xray. Get help from a radiologist for this. It will kill the fungus.
How......will it work..?!!
@@shebinhome9876 There are multiple ways to kill the fungus, but that won't remove any growth that exists already.
The elements of the lens usually have many coatings and vinegar may isn't the best for these coating. There more safe wet wipes for lenses.
Use Ethanol and paper wipes or gillete shaving gel apply first and clean with wipes
In my experience, the rubber rings are much better than the spanner wrench, to open up lenses. No risk of scratches and way more effective in difficult cases. And a microfiber cloth is extremely useful to remove last residuals when rinsing.
i used sticky tac lol
I Wonder how he can open the lens so easily. I tried once on a fallen Canon lens whose tore was torn, so the engine could not get it in position, but I ended with a mess.
salut Mat.
fait gaffe quand-même...
le produit vaisselle est efficace superficiellement, j'en ai fait l'amère expérience, surtout que la prolifération semble être localisé sur les bords, donc risque de rechute avec des spores encore présentes dans le fut. j'utilise un mix de peroxyde d'hydrogène (eau oxygénée dispo en pharmacie) et ammoniaque : 2,c. soupe d'ammoniaque + 1,c. cafe d'eau oxygénée . mais merci quand même en tout cas
pour l'instant je n'ai eu aucune " rechute" sur les autres que j'ai lavé avec le produit vaisselle et le vinaigre, maintenant je pense que tu as raison, les spores peuvent être encore présentent dedans, maintenant si il faut 30 ans pour qu'il se développent, ça me laisse du temps pour shooter :)
I have a few manual lenses and love them. Awesome for taking images with character but would my lens with fungus possibly infect my other lenses .. I keep them stored below 40% humidity all the time in a dry box
It may affects the other good lenses. Similarly do not place notes/currency (unless it is very new) to avoid contamination.
Prime lenes are much easier to clean, zoom is much more difficult. use 99% alcohol and distill water. Go to a dollar store get those tile plastic sucker to put the lens back into the casing. I wouldn't want to use disk soap instead buy a lens cleaner solution. The wrench is selling at amazon they are around $15.00
If said Lens* had any form of optical coating on it ,would this process remove that?
Great vid by the way :)
thankyou for the advice :)
Nice, thanks for that!
Is that the 'standard' way to open a lens? I know there will be exceptions of course, but it might be useful to get that tool? Where did you get it?
It's a lens wrench or lens spanner... Amazon has plenty and it is the most common method to opening lenses.
i have about 50 lenses in my collection atm and only 3 of them can be opened this way.
so no. it's not the standard.
@@dadude4960 I have 5 Canon lenses from which the front-glas element all opens up that way, and some on the back sort of do so as well (but it's more of a ring with indents instead of pinholes, and they can be a little more finnicky because trying to get them unscrewed can be scary because missing the indent is easier and you are much much closer to the lens element.
Funny enough being carefull has made me cause more damage at one lens because when losing grip I was bound to "retract" the tool quicker and as a result damage the thread on the frontglass-ring quicker than I would've actually liked.
If you slip while using an adjustable metal spanner wrench (I have 2 different sets of them), the resulting scratch across the surface of the lens will make you much more careful the next time. Until you have done this a few times, try using the hollow soft-rubber tapered cylinders, which grab the edges of the rings that hold the lenses in place. Amazon, among others, has a selection to choose from. With these rings, the pressure on the retaining rings is even all the way around, and it is much more difficult to inadvertently ruin a lens, while unscrewing the retaining rings.
Hi, Mathieu!
So if i have a takumar 85 f1.8 i can do the same?
i mean, what lenses are "fixable" for a person who never tried it before? do all of them open the way you show in the video? or some lenses are easier to open than others?
thanks for your time
Hydrogen Peroxide is good for cleaning fungus :)
Hey Matthew, love your channel as always. I see that it's common to use 3% Hydrogen Peroxide to clean fungus & haze off vintage lenses. Your thoughts on using Peroxide instead of DishSoap and vinegar as you suggest here? I've seen some folks leaving their lens elements in vinegar for a long time and destroying the coatings, so I just want to be careful.
HP could work, but I would be careful with lenses older than 1980, dish soap is more safe for all kind of lenses
@@MathieuStern thank you. I'm planning to attempt to clean some Konica Hexanon AR lenses (rubber grip) which i discovered thanks to your channel :) I'm not sure what date they are manufactured though. I currently have them under UV LED light to try cure a very subtle yellowing that they have.
Does that lens wrench work for all lenses or only this particular lens?
How about the coating ? Will it be destroyed? Or coating is always on front lens element only?
I had a lens that had fungus, i kept it in sunlight for half an hour and it was gone
Yep, same here.. sunshine does wonders.
Thank you!
Won't petroleum either 40 degrees be better. And flint free paper recommend before insertion. Better still blow nitrogen between lenses before sealing again
Oui, super, mais j'ai eu le cas de champipis ayant creusé le revêtement et laissant des gravures sur le verre après nettoyage.
Can you just use alcohol instead of vinegar?
có thể tiêu diệt bằng cách chiếu đèn UVC trực tiếp không?
Isn't it recommended to clean the inside tube also? Is it possible that spores are still inside?
1 year later i have still nothing in the lens
I had a lens replaced by Sony in Japan on an ENG lens. The fungus was back on the lens 2 years later! I don't think they cleaned the inside of the lens barrel ... they just replaced the lens with fungus on it ... now, I'm seeking ways to thoroughly clean it myself and perhaps, figure out how to put a thin copper wire in the lens barrel to keep out fungus growth in future!
@@DeanHarringtonimages I am worried about the durability of Sony Lenses. I just discovered ALL my Sony lenses bought within the last 5 years have very bad fungus. But my old Minolta 70's manual lenses were not affected, kept in the same cupboard. Looks like this infestation happened during last summer. Im so disappointed.
Are you sure the vinager and the soap are not destroy the chemical antiUV and anti LensFlare treatment of the lenses?
Halo i appreciate very much your old lenses review: could the fungus of an old Summar 50mm EXTEND to a DIGITAL SENSOR? I thank you in advance if you manage to answer.
Use a sterilizing uv light (uv-c) to kill fungus use isopropyl alcohol 99% 1 part with 5 part de-ionized water use a small cotton bud around the area to clean, or micro fibre cloth or whatever you have handy
I read the title as, "How to Remove Fungus from Aliens"
wow amazing tips
Lens affect washing jell
Hi good day can i ask about the tools you use to open the lens,. thanks😊
You can, but you probably won't get an answer. 😮
How to open and remove camera lens fir cleaning fungus and in Olympus 800uz
Tu m'as donné envie d'acheter un spanner et de nettoyer mes optiques contaminées ^^'
tu verra c'est pas compliqué !
ça m'avait démoralisé de voir que certaines des mes optiques étaient infectées et la plupart des traitements que j'ai pu voir étaient complexes ^^'
does this damage multi coated lenses?
does this works with new lens also ? :D , if yes i might consider to clean it myself
Well I just cleaned my very expensive lens with a micro fiber cloth but there was a peace of sand stuck to it sooo any ways to remove light circles of scratches
I tend to wash with washing up liquid, rinse, let it sit in a puddle of saliva, wash again and rinse with an isopropanol solution
LMAO ! ! !
Worked! My feet are now fungus free.
I have a canon 50 mm prime 1.8 how i will open that and remove the fungus please help
you need to look online for resources, i a sure you can find on forums this kind of tutorials
I'd say just TH-cam it. But make sure you're searching for the exact same model of your lens; whether it's an FL, FD, EF, etc.
I dont found the music, jokull, liked the video and music, is a popular muisician?
совет - когда моешь в раковине - постели полотенце пусть мокрое - за то если выскользнет то не разобьётся
Does it work for anamorphic?
(disclaimer - this works for me, but I cannot guarantee it will work for you) - I found that virucidal and antibacterial gels (tnx to covid pandemic) do a really good job on lens "mushrooms". I have really good results with Ecolab Spirigel, but also cheap ones from Aldi & Lidl.
Use athletes foot cream instead. Apply a coating and leave the lens overnight. The cream will literally kill and remove the fungus.. then just clean it off after.
need to try this one
An interesting idea. Certainly worth a try as a last resort if other steps don't fix the problem.
@@danncorbit3623 other steps might remove it but not kill it.. So it still just regrow. This is the best way
I first clean the lens with Alcohol. Then I let it sit in 14% hydrogen peroxide. Using a cotton swab i start cleaning the lens. Then I use diluted glacial acetic Acid to clean the lens. After that I put the lens in distilled water and dry it. The fungus is gone. BTW I only use that method for cleaning old brass lenses, without any coating because it would get destroyed that way.
Glacial Acetic Acid? Diluted? I hope you're adding drops of the molasses-like Glacial Acetic Acid to a fair amount of water, instead of dropping water into that concentrated acid, which can cause the water drops to heat up so fast they turn to steam and expand with explosive force, and concentrated acid goes everywhere
I just need that tool he used to remove the lens!What is it called so i can ask at a store
Lens spanner. Harbor freight sells them cheap.
Can you tell me where you can obtain a 'lens wrench' please?
ebay or Alli express
Thanks Mathieu.
its called a spanner wrench..usually 10 to 15 bucks on eBay.
Check MICRO-TOOLS for lens spanners and many other essential camera / lens repair tools. Dealt with them for years with zero problems.
It's secure this trick?
I just put it in my washing machine and wait for 15 min on automode.
Wouldn't the dish soap and vinegar both ruin the coatings on the lens?
Nick Jaton no they will not harm the coatings, on the other hand harsh solvents will..
Martin Spasovski interesting, good to know. thank you!
Martin Spasovski Those can both be fairly harsh already, and depending on the kind of coating it may indeed damage it. If it is available I would consult the instructions for your specific lens. Many now will have some information regarding cleaning of the front element. A one time lens cleaning like this almost certainly won't be a problem but being treated to dish soap and vinegar on the regular may.
Bonjour Mathieu! Bravo et merci pour ta chaîne, elle est super! J'ai reçu récemment un Auto Chinon 135mm, en très bon état extérieur et de fonctionnement, mis à part qu'il est bloqué à pleine ouverture.. Comment puis-je savoir d'ou vient ce souci et comment y remédier? Merci d'avance de ton éventuelle réponse!
Salut
ton Auto Chinon est un M42 ?
Bonjour Mathieu,
Oui en effet!
il y'as un petit picot en metal sur le cul de l'objectif, il faut qu'il soit enfoncé poour que le diaphragme se ferme
Oui, le souci c'est que même une fois monté le diaphragme ne fonctionne pas (j'ai 3 autres Chinon, un 28, un 35 et un 55 qui fonctionnent tous avec la même bague)
alors il va falloir l'ouvrir pour comprendre ce qui bloque
How can i clean 18-55mm canon kitlens? how to remove lens?
i loved it
Sir..how clean video camera lenses
dont work on old fungus... tried this tecnic to remove, acetone, alcohol,...the only thin that can remove something is tooth paste...but is a risky procedure...will remove or be abrasive also for coating
How to remove fungus from a camera lens? First and the most important step - get to that piece of glass without completely damaging your lens. In 95 percent of cases, impossible. Try that on Canon 300mm f2.8 L IS. I've tried! Good luck.
How to remove fungus in my canon g7x mark ii lens?
You are just talking about one frontal lens, but what about INSIDE ? ALL OF THEM ?
my Think Tank StreetWalker HardDrive Backpack is covered by heavy moldy outside and with some spots inside ..how can I clean inside and outside? bleach 100% ? I live in Scotland
Thanks
Best Regards,
i have no idea how to clean backpacks :p ./// it's not really lens related
Well, if your camera bag has fungus, mold , most likely your lens will be contaminated.Thanks for the reply anyway
Thanks Matthew. I clean mine with Hydrogen Peroxide-3% cheers
where I can buy lens remover tool?
Ebay :)
what tool u used ?
a Lens wrench
you can`t remove fungus if it grow in between glued to each other lenses.
You dont show us after you clean it
watch the video again :)
i wouldn't recommend rubbing and using vinegar with modern lenses, this will damage the coating on the lens.. it maybe okay on vintage lenses though
how does fungus form in the lens?
Fungus spores are all around is, just as dust particles can get inside a lens so can the spores. The way to avoid them growing into a fungus is to deny them a suitable climate in which to grow. The spores need moisture and darkness to develop but moisture is the main element. keep lenses in well ventilated areas and if needed store them with moisture removing silica gel bags.
can i use scissors instead of a lens wrench ?
risk of using scissors: cutting your hand, slipping and scratching the lens body and/or the glass, deforming the holes meant for a lens wrench and not scissors, inability to exert enough torque because scissors want to stay closed instead of open
exactly what i was going to say !
You can if you feel that it does not require too much force.