It can infect every other lens you own.I cleaned an enlarger lens of fungus once and I am not the sort of person to tackle such things. Give it a try. What's the worst that can happen?
I have an El-Nikkor 1:56 80mm enlarger lens that came with my enlarger. Sadly, it has fungus that I didn't see before buying. I'm just wondering if this is the kind of thing that a handy person would be able to use for parts. If so, I'd probably offer it for the cost of shipping since I'm not going to be able to use it.
You're violating some laws of physics and chemistry here.I've done several that have gone from totally spider-webbed to pristine.
or just ditch itI would clean it, try to kill the fungus, and then let it sit somewhere far away from your other lenses for a few weeks, to see if the fungus comes back. If it doesn't, then maybe you can assume it's gone and you're clear to use the lens?
Do you have a link concerning fungus excreting hydtofluoric acid from a biological website rather than a website of photographic old wives' tales. It seems highly improbàble.You're violating some laws of physics and chemistry here.
As I mentioned earlier, fungus excretes hydrofluoric acid, which etches glass.
If you catch it early enough you might clean it before it eats through the coating.
But those wouldn't be "totally spider-webbed".
- Leigh
Fungus is contagious. The spores spread through the air and will land on any lens.
It eats the magnesium fluoride coating on lens elements and excretes hydrofluoric acid, which etches glass.
+1 Once it's etched it's done. It looks like a tunnel as the fungi consume the balsam and glass. A lot of time what looks like fungi is really dirt on the outside of the lens.You're violating some laws of physics and chemistry here.
As I mentioned earlier, fungus excretes hydrofluoric acid, which etches glass.
If you catch it early enough you might clean it before it eats through the coating.
But those wouldn't be "totally spider-webbed".
- Leigh
Looks like someone took it off her hands. #13
Yes and sorry. I need to review all posts before asking the question. I remain curious about what success that member had with the lens however, if he/she would care to share it with usYes, that's right. I sent it to another member who wanted to have a go with it.
Just out of curiosity, what's the point of coatings on enlarger lenses? On a taking lens, I can understand due to lens flare and all of that fun stuff. But on an enlarging lens (outside of macrophotography, in which case it becomes a taking lens) , you're really only using it in a dark room with a single, on axis light source, so I wouldn't imagine flare would be much of an issue. Maybe it has something to do with color correction. But it would seem to me, based on the nothingness that I know, that an enlarging lens with a damaged coating, but pristine glass, should work fine enough for B&W work. Obviously, if you're obsessive enough to the point where you're only using APO lenses for B&W work, then it wouldn't cut your mustard, but I would think a 7 element enlarging lens with some minor coating damage would still out perform one of the older 4 element tessar type lenses, correct?
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