Mould and condensation

GetBusyLiving

GetBusyLiving

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Caroline
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I sent a couple of lenses to a famous trade-in company and they were rejected on the basis that they had fungus/mould and/or condensation. Now I've got the lenses back and I can't see anything at all in these lenses; I've looked at them from both directions with the lens held open and into a bright light. I have taken pictures of a featureless blue sky and detected no aberrations in the results. One of the lenses is quite old but the other, a very long Sigma zoom, is less than two years old has been kept in a warm house (24-hour heat in the winter due to solid fuel fire) and has either been on the camera or in a bag with both lens covers on. They have never been out in the rain nor by the sea.

Oh yes, I also left the lens in the sun for a couple of hours to see if any condensation formed inside: it didn't.

Can lenses so well-kept develop these things, if the mould/fungus/condensation was ever there at all?
 
Wex have done this to me twice.

I can only imagine the boxes were straight off the delivery van and no time for the lenses to warm up.

I got mine returned and they were perfect too.
 
I have found Wex to be more fussy than the others. I once had a lens rejected by them for something other than mould. Another major player accepted it without issue.

This was a one off. On other occasions Wex accepted without finding fault and sometimes offer a higher price.

Good news if you are buying from them.
 
On the rare occasion I sell kit to a dealer, I take it in with me so they can examine it while I'm seeing what I'll take for it!
 
I think this is a problem with sending lenses in the winter. They spend the night in a cold warehouse, then a cold van before being delivered to a warm warehouse where condensation forms before they are checked.

Really you would think that the "famous trade in company" would realise that and allow the lenses to acclimatise before checking them.
 
I've had this and another dealer rated the lenses to be VGC. Genuine mistake, incompetence or an effort to get you to accept a reduced offer? Who knows?
 
woof woof said:
I've had this and another dealer rated the lenses to be VGC. Genuine mistake, incompetence or an effort to get you to accept a reduced offer? Who knows?
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I'd take a reduced quote but they didn't want it at all. I wouldn't mind if I could see the faintest sign of any contamination, but there is just nothing there. I wonder if the guy who looked at it had floaters in his eyes :)
 
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GetBusyLiving said:
I'd take a reduced quote but they didn't want it at any all. I wouldn't mind if I could see the faintest sign of any contamination, but there is just nothing there. I wonder if the guy who looked at it had floaters in his eyes :)
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I've had exactly the same. I checked the lenses before I sent them and when they came back with a torch and with a magnifying glass. Nothing there, at all.
 
Maybe, if we do send lenses and kit back to the likes of Wex that we add a fresh silica gel sachet or two with the lens enclosed in the plastic wrapping it could potentially prevent such issues. I've had no issues when I have sent lenses to Park or MPB, but I know of people who have humidity problems in their home that have resulted in their entire collection of lenses to be rejected by Wex....
 
I have only traded in lenses once and it was with WEX who gave me top price. Though I normally only buy new, I am glad to hear that WEX is very fussy, so it is where I would go if I did want to buy a used lens.

At my camera club we are sometimes give free kit by the relatives of former deceased member and one day I went to an address in the countryside to collect a box of SLR's and lenses. The initial signs were poor when the relative went to an old outhouse to search for the box which had clearly been there for a long time. The mould was obvious and I did not want any of this kit anywhere near my kit so gave them to a member who had himself suffered previously from mouldy kit. He took one look and threw the lot into his dustbin.

Dave
 
welshwizard645 said:
Maybe, if we do send lenses and kit back to the likes of Wex that we add a fresh silica gel sachet or two with the lens enclosed in the plastic wrapping it could potentially prevent such issues. I've had no issues when I have sent lenses to Park or MPB, but I know of people who have humidity problems in their home that have resulted in their entire collection of lenses to be rejected by Wex....
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I'd hope they can tell the difference between condensation and mould.
 
Should do, but if the contents of the package are moist through condensation then the assessors are going to be far more picky.

Did get some moisture in my 24-120G Nikkor during a rain shower last year, lens has been bagged up since with some sachets, hopefully that has prevented long term damage. Has to go to India in 3 weeks!
 
Trading in the reverse direction - I've bought two used lenses in recent times, both from established dealers, and both described as free of haze amongst the other descriptions. Both were distinctly hazed! Needless to say, I sent each one back for a full refund, but it does make you wonder ...
 
welshwizard645 said:
Should do, but if the contents of the package are moist through condensation then the assessors are going to be far more picky.

Did get some moisture in my 24-120G Nikkor during a rain shower last year, lens has been bagged up since with some sachets, hopefully that has prevented long term damage. Has to go to India in 3 weeks!
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Leave it out with sunlight going through it (MAKE SURE IT'S NOT FOCUSSING TO A "HOT" SPOT!) which should help reduce the chance of fungus taking hold.

And enjoy your trip!
 
I've had a couple of rejections with camera bodies..... One claimed there was an irremovable mark on the sensor of a D200 and the other was rejected for a miniscule crack near the grip on a D90. Checked the D200 sensor and there was nothing wrong with it. Sold both on eBay with no complaints from the buyers...

I always store my lenses with packs of silica gel...
 
Further to my original post:

I sent my lens to WEX and they have paid me what they quoted, so no evidence of mould, fungus or condensation; I knew the first company (LCE) was wrong. In fairness (heavens, I'm such a diplomat), their check was done by eye in a shop so perhaps he was just covering his arse.
 
GetBusyLiving said:
In fairness (heavens, I'm such a diplomat), their check was done by eye in a shop so perhaps he was just covering his arse.
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Or just wasn't in a buying mood, at least for that particular item - but since he's been rumbled as an apparent liar, it doesn't do their reputation much good, does it?
 
droj said:
Or just wasn't in a buying mood, at least for that particular item - but since he's been rumbled as an apparent liar, it doesn't do their reputation much good, does it?
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Liar is probably a bit strong as they were very good holding back on receipting the camera I bought with the exchange. They could have just let me go on my merry way but phoned me up to say that Olympus had a promotion coming up and they'd delay the invoice so I could get extra money off the camera; they didn't have to do that. It was £55 off so better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
 
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