Warning: that antique shop in Portland had a whole box of 'for parts' lenses with fungus issues

I was browsing an antique shop on 23rd Avenue last weekend and found a cardboard box labeled 'camera lenses, as is'. Every single one, about eight total, had serious fungus growth between the elements. The shop owner said they'd been stored in a damp basement for years. Has anyone had luck salvaging lenses that far gone, or is it always a lost cause?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_grace17d ago

My buddy tried to fix a fungus lens he found at a flea market. The haze was etched into the glass permanently, so cleaning it was a total waste of time. He said it's usually a lost cause once it gets between the elements.

emery_black17d agoTop Commenter

Has your buddy ever tried a full disassembly to clean each element separately? I've saved a few lenses @the_grace that looked hopeless by taking them apart and using a proper lens cleaning solution. Sometimes the etching is just on the outer coating and can be polished off carefully.

miles_young5916d ago

That sounds like a lot of work for a maybe. If the fungus ate into the glass itself, no amount of cleaning will fix that. Some lenses are just too far gone to save.

milacraig16d ago

Wait, he found a lens with fungus at a flea market and still tried to clean it? That's like buying a sandwich you saw a mouse nibble on and trying to pick off the bites. Once that stuff etches the glass, you're just polishing a brick. I've heard of people taking them apart, but that sounds like a recipe for a box of tiny glass pieces you can never put back together. Some gear is just meant to be a paperweight.