Three weeks of cleaning M42 lenses changed my mind about fungus

I always thought a little haze or fungus meant a lens was trash for good. Then I spent a weekend working through a batch of 12 Takumars from an estate sale, and the before and after on a Super-Multi-Coated 50mm f1.4 was ridiculous. Anyone else find that UV light and hydrogen peroxide mix works better than anything else for stubborn spots?

3 comments

3 Comments

ryan_gibson8413d ago

Read that UV light can actually break down the coatings over time if you overdo it.

lucashart13d ago

No way, that can't be right. I've been hitting my headlights with UV treatments for like two years now and they still look good as new. Are you sure you didn't read that on some clickbait site? I mean, I get that direct sun can cause fading over time but using a controlled UV light seems totally different to me. How long would you even have to overdo it before the coating actually breaks down? Seems like you'd have to leave the thing on for hours every day for months to cause any real damage. I'm calling BS on this one until I see actual proof from a trusted source.

thomas.parker13d ago

Wait, so you're telling me three weeks of scrubbing fungus actually made you forget that UV can melt lens coatings? I bet your estate sale batch is just a bunch of 50mm paperweights now.