Fungus on lenses of a Mamiya RZ67 ProII I'm looking at.

[Apjcphoto]

Hi everyone.

Im looking for advice as I'm unsure what to do. There's a guy local to me that's selling a Mamiya RZ67 ProII kit. It's a beautiful looking and fairly comprehensive kit with a 50, 110 and 210mm lenses. WLF, AE Prisim Finder, Prism Magnifier, second focusing screen, 2xbacks, Winder II, LGrip and Instant back. So as you can see its a lot.

Pictures looked great and and after talking with the guy everything seemed fine. Camera hasn't been used in years and is/was stored in a lowepro case with a large bag of silica gel. Ironically it looks like this care to keep it from physical damage has led to a dark and obviously moist environment for fungus to breed.

On on looking at the camera initially everything looked great. Padded cases, lens cases, cases within cases! I was getting very excited until I looked at the 210 lens. The filter had very obvious fungus/mould on it. Removed that and it was the same with the actual lens. Both the front and back elements along with on the inside of the glass. (Had really hoped it was just condensation but not at all)

I quickly checked the other two lenses and it was unfortunately the same story. I was gutted. I could on the other two wipe away the surface fungus as if it was just condensation however a quick breath on the glass element and you could still see where it was on the surface. The camera strap also had some light mould spotting on it to. The prism magnifier also had spotting on the glass too.

As ive never had to deal with this before and everything I read seems to be very divided on what to do I'm turning here for advice.

Can an I get rid of fungus? It's no small amount of cash either and would probably have been in total perfect condition if it had actually benn used a few times a year! Is this kit worth buying or is it just going to break my heart like rust would in a classic car.

Thanks in advance for your time and advice.
A.

 

[paul_c5x4]

Is this kit worth buying or is it just going to break my heart like rust would in a classic car.

Personally, I'd walk away from it. Plenty of other RZ67 kits out there, some going for peanuts and still in great condition.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

Personally, I'd walk away from it. Plenty of other RZ67 kits out there, some going for peanuts and still in great condition.

My thoughts are the same.

Pass on this and get yourself something without issues.

 

[jimmyklane]

Can you take some test images? I've always understood that fungus....IF it has an effect at all...would reduce contrast and increase flare (overall veiling flare and source specific flare). If it has no effect, and you can kill it then you've gotten lucky and have a great kit (coincidentally it is exactly what I have with the addition of the 50mm). If it already causes a problem then even with a complete CLA and fungus treatment you'll never get rid of the pitting in the glass.

one nice aspect is that you can now beat the owner up on price a little bit.

 

[one90guy]

It would have to be a great deal considering the lens and fungus. You may not be able to make them useable would have to spend more on lens. My only fungus dealings was a old Nikon zoom that had internal fungus, after many different removal methods it looked like the fungus had etched the glass. There are lots of great medium format kits to be had without the problems If your open to other cameras the Mamiya TLR's can be had at a decent price, the deals are out there. Good luck.

David

 

[Alan Gales]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uqBTzfcIk4

 

[marton]

Walk away

Plenty of kit out there so you'll find another

 

[250swb]

It would be a bargaining chip if you wanted to try and get the price down, but as soon as fungus has etched the glass that's it. On the other hand you can kill it by leaving the lenses in the light (UV kills fungus), and if it isn't bad it won't have an effect on the image quality anyway.

Steve

 

[John Koehrer]

It would be a bargaining chip if you wanted to try and get the price down, but as soon as fungus has etched the glass that's it. On the other hand you can kill it by leaving the lenses in the light (UV kills fungus), and if it isn't bad it won't have an effect on the image quality anyway.

Steve

Yeah, What he said.
With fungus damage the resale is peanuts.
With what the prices are for RB lenses though, it would have to be a REALLY, REALLY great deal.

 

[Apjcphoto]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I've gotten a few pm's too and almost everyone is saying the same thing. Avoid like the plague!

Because im really holding onto straws here I'm trying to understand how bad it can be for the equipment. Is it still worth buying everything but the lenses or is it a case of its all contaminated as it was stored together? I don't even know as of yet if he'll split it up or just hang on to the lovely looking paperweight that it's become.

The going price for everything listed above was agreed at €1000 but this was before finding the fungus. I had said to the seller that I'd be unlikely to pay even half that, given its current state.

Many more opinions on moving forward or still just avoid all of it?

 

[Theo Sulphate]

€1000 sounds like a lot even if it were in good condition, but I may be wrong since I know only RB67's.

But, I have to wonder what the condition is of the mirror and groundglass - fungus there, too? Did the humid conditions that caused the fungus also cause corrosion somewhere or affect lubricants?

Honestly, I'd walk away from it. Too many other better RZ's out there with no issues.

Cameras, like cars, are best when kept in use rather than stored.

 

[jjphoto]

... or still just avoid all of it?

Just avoid all of it. All this stuff is abundant and cheap on the net. There's no need to buy stuff with mould.

 

[paul_c5x4]

€1000 sounds like a lot even if it were in good condition,

Indeed. I've seen a couple of RZ kits going for a couple of hundred pounds recently (under €300). Have a look on ebay and you'll get some idea of the current value - Use the 'sold listings' as a guide, not the inflated prices some dealers hope for with their BIN numbers.

 

[Apjcphoto]

Guys thanks again for the info. Really appreciate it.

Paul the €1000 for that kit in the condition it was advertised as (minus the fungus of course) is pretty much on par what I see them going for on eBay and other sites.

I have aves missed out on two listings locally that went for €500-€600 for the body, metered prism, 2x backs, instant back and a lens. The Pro 1 model does go cheaper.

But I'd be delighted if you happened to come across the type of kit I've listed in my first post for the money you're talking about and let me know about it.