Cleaning internal lens elements

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RichieRich

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I've noticed recently that both my Tamron 17-50mm and Sigma 70-300mm lenses seem to have what I can only describe as soom form of mold growing on their internal elements. At a first glance I thought they were scratches but on inspection it's clear that they are organic. This doesn't really surprise me given that I live in a very humid tropical climate, but it's still annoying as I believe that they are starting to affect picture quality.

So, I was wondering how easy it would be to take the lenses apart to clean them. Is this really a service centre job or is it worth having a go myself. I actually have a dead Tamron 17-50mm which I could use to practice on...it got smashed when my tripod blew over in the wind last year.

Any advice greatly appreciated.
 
Do you keep them in the dark?
 
Definately something a professional repairer needs to look at - even if you able to take the lens apart, you need to be able to put it back together again, with all the elements aligned correctly, with focusing checked against infinity.

I personally would definately not attempt to do this myself.
 
Is keeping lenses stored in the dark a problem ?? All mine are stored tucked away in a camera bag
 
Think about it,mushrooms grow in the dark, mushrooms are fungus, what's growing in the lenses is fungus, it's only really a problem in humid locations.

I went to look at a lens once which had fungus in it, the guy was a pro photographer who shot fishing events so his gear was very cold all day, he came in from the car and left it all in a dark bag in a humid kitchen, must have been the perfect conditions because the lens hadn't been anywhere else
 
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