Help! fungus or separation?

krathognis · Jul 2, 2022

Fungus or separation? and is it salvageable?
Caltar HR 210 5.6

gone · Jul 3, 2022

It looks like it could easily be one or both. Hard to judge from a web image of course. Can you get to the rear element? I'd start there, take it out and see what's up inside

BobD · Jul 3, 2022

Looks like fungus to me

krathognis · Jul 3, 2022

momus said:
It looks like it could easily be one or both. Hard to judge from a web image of course. Can you get to the rear element? I'd start there, take it out and see what's up inside

That top photo is the front element only out. The other elements are clean other than a little dust

krathognis · Jul 3, 2022

Zoomed photo for detail

Tel · Jul 3, 2022

First, can you tell if that's a cemented pair of lenses? If it's not, no separation. But in my (fortunately) limited experience of separation, it always started at the edge and spread inward. The random spread of this and that track in the top photo make me think fungus.

krathognis · Jul 3, 2022

Tel said:
First, can you tell if that's a cemented pair of lenses? If it's not, no separation. But in my (fortunately) limited experience of separation, it always started at the edge and spread inward. The random spread of this and that track in the top photo make me think fungus.

Yeah that's what I thought too, and yes it's a cemented pair for thst front element.

maltfalc · Jul 3, 2022

grime and cleaning marks.

krathognis · Jul 3, 2022

maltfalc said:
grime and cleaning marks.

Any suggestions on cleaning to remove if it is just grime? Normal suspects (iso, vinegar, etc) have had no effect thus far

xkaes · Jul 3, 2022

It doesn't look like fungus or separation to me. Since it is a cemented pair, you should be able to determine if it is on the outside or the inside. If it is not on the outside, cleaning the outside won't help at all.

AgX · Jul 3, 2022

Tel said:
But in my (fortunately) limited experience of separation, it always started at the edge and spread inward.

There have been samples shown of inner seperation.

Seperation and Fungus are worlds apart concerning look.

krathognis · Jul 3, 2022

I appreciate all the info. Any suggestions on trying to clean it other than iso or vinegar?

grat · Jul 4, 2022

To me, looks like fungus. Possibly etched, if the usual suspects aren't working well. I have a lens in that bad a condition, and I've been unable to clean it successfully.

John Koehrer · Jul 4, 2022

another that says it looks like fungus.
depending on the value of the lens, the elements could be separated, cleaned and recemented.
I've done this once or twice successfully it's just a PITA.

otto.f · Jul 5, 2022

krathognis said:
That top photo is the front element only out. The other elements are clean other than a little dust

That could mean that someone sanded/etched the front lens for David Hamilton-like portraits and nudes. It doesn’t look like fungus to me either.

Help! fungus or separation?

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