Canon 200mm 1.8 Fungus

Ace0fClub5

Ace0fClub5

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Apr 12, 2010
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Well, this is bad.
I was checking a couple lenses for internal dust when I noticed something on my biggest baddest lens: small yellow green hair-like branches coming off the edges of one of the rear elements.
Looking closer I noticed that held up to the light, I could see the little branches very lightly crossing the element.
Called Canon usa and they won't even touch it because service was discontinued in 2005.

Anyone have any ideas on what to do from here? Help, please!
 
Dont worry, sounds like you caught it early and itl likely clean up nicely. Weird that Canon wouldnt service it and seems a shame also regarding their servicing..
 
Canon has to be one of the worst companies to support their legacy lenses. Getting that fungus cleaned off should be no big deal. Any competent repair person can do it.
 
Here is what John Van Stelton says about fungus:

"Fungus can be a real problem, and even though we have several ways to remove the damage, some are not economical. What you see is not the fungus but what the fungus left behind. It usually looks like a cotton seed or spider web and may even take on some very unusual patterns. The appearance can be due to corrosion, staining, or even a destructive etching. The fungus arrives in your lens with moisture in the form of condensation, and as it lives in this environment, it secretes hydroflouric acid. This starts the corrosive action that can form on the surface. It attacks the coating or the glass and may etch it beyond repair. We need to perform a test to know if it will clean up without extensive polishing and recoating."
 
Hopefully I'll hear something back from John, but I'll try essex as well tomorrow.

Here's what it looks like under a macro lens with a flashlight beaming down the other end. Yikes.

DSC02096 by Ace0fClub5, on Flickr
 
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chrishayton said:
Dont worry, sounds like you caught it early and itl likely clean up nicely. Weird that Canon wouldnt service it and seems a shame also regarding their servicing..
Click to expand...

Canon drops lenses, even the best pro lenses, about 8 years after they are discontinued. Won't touch them with a pole. Shame on them!
 
venchka said:
Canon drops lenses, even the best pro lenses, about 8 years after they are discontinued. Won't touch them with a pole. Shame on them!
Click to expand...

Sad... Sent a "To Whomever it may concern..." email to Canon about the matter. Don't expect much of a reply, but any reply from them is sure to be interesting.

Heard back from John at focal point. He gave me an estimate and said they would try some "exploratory" cleaning. But before I send it off to him, I'm going to stop by a place tomorrow that my friend recommended called H&K Camera Service which is in Irvine (about an hour away) and is Canon authorized.
 
I'd be interested to hear what Canon says in reply to that letter. I can't believe they'd just neglect a $7000 lens because it's just a decade old... One of their best lenses too...
 
I don't know if it is way you took the photo or not, but that doesn't look like fungus damage that I have seen before. It seems too "regular" with the straight lines. What I have seen are patterns that look almost like frost on a window, but I am sure I haven't seen every possible pattern fungus can make.
 
gdi said:
I don't know if it is way you took the photo or not, but that doesn't look like fungus damage that I have seen before. It seems too "regular" with the straight lines. What I have seen are patterns that look almost like frost on a window, but I am sure I haven't seen every possible pattern fungus can make.
Click to expand...

Fungus is the only thing I thought it could be.
I've never actually ever had a lens with fungus before, so I really didn't know exactly what I was looking at.

Here's another 2 photos showing different angles and playing with the key light a little. What else do you think it could be?


DSC02100 by Ace0fClub5, on Flickr

DSC02093 by Ace0fClub5, on Flickr
 
I think GDI is right - the little lines almost seem too straight and uniform to be fungus, which is usually more of a 'spiderweb' look with little offshoots going everywhere. Very odd!
 
Ah, the last shot looks more like fungus, I think the others shots were a result of the strong light only reflecting lines that happen to be running in one direction. Focalpoint will be able to tell when you send it in.

Good luck.
 
I'll wager it's fungus, for sure. John will do a great job, but this is not an easy thing to get rid of. If the inside is not completely disinfected (sterilized clean completely inside), then the fungus will simply grow back again.
 
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If you need another reference for repair of the lens, Midstate is good. Canon dropped support for the 200/1.8L maybe 4 years ago. I owned and shot sports with the lens for a couple years. It's one helluva an optic. Good luck with the fix. Interesting thing with the 200/1.8, I felt it's sealing wasn't up to the level of the other big Canon teles I've used. Couple times in hard rain mine lost AF, was fine later after a thorough dry-down.

http://www.midstatecamerarepair.com/
 
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Does indeed seem to be an unusual pattern for fungus growth. Doesn't look like element separation, either. Please let us know what it is.
 
Canon is all about today and not yesterday. That's how they've been in the past, and that's how they are today. I expect that's how they'll be in the future.
 
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