Advice on otherwise flawless Rollei 35S... with FUNGUS?

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dfranklin

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After reading the Rollei 35 picture thread on RFF, I fell in love with this camera, and bought two in quick succession on eBay. I thought the second one was a particularly good deal: a black 35S in what seemed to be mint condition with an equally mint Rollei filter and a beautiful Rollei case in hard brown leather, with detachable front cover and shoulder strap. I'd never even seen a Rollei 35 case like this before. In retrospect, the case probably should have made me a little suspicious. When the camera arrived, I was very pleased to discover that it is indeed in mint condition--it looks like it has never been used, and the mechanics feel like they are straight from the factory. But, to my horror, I discovered a small spot on the lens that looks to me like fungus. I have never actually observed lens fungus before, but this spot has a branching structure that looks very fungus-like to me. Can anyone here confirm? (Photo below.)

I contacted the seller immediately, but he doesn't want to accept a return. So I'm wondering what the people on this forum might recommend. Should I try to kill the fungus with UV and disinfect the case, and just live with it? Does it pose a risk to my other cameras? Given the camera's otherwise pristine condition, might it have some value to a collector?

Any thoughts very appreciated! Here's the unsightly fungus (or what I believe is fungus):
IMG_0792 by podargos, on Flickr
 
Looks just under the first element. Any decent repair place should be able to clean that for a small amount if there's a slotted ring holding the front element in, ie it's not all one unit with the other elements. Looks pretty minimal to me, shoot a roll and toss the case. However, unless the listing said "as is" you can open a dispute with paypal and they'll probably make the seller accept it back.http://www.marcocavina.com/articoli_fotografici/lenses_for_35mm_compact_cameras/00_pag.htm
 
Yes, you can kill it with UV. It probably won't affect your photos much, as it is so small. Since the camera is otherwise mint, and you haven't said anything about any of the functions being wrong, then keep the camera, as they don't come like that every day. You could ask the seller for a partial refund, say a certain percentage. Keep the case, just don't house the camera in it anymore until the time comes to sell it, if you do. It could be a nice selling point.

PF
 
probably doesn't matter much in terms of overall image quality...

how dirt doesn't affect image quality

leave it in the sun for a while to try and kill off the fungus (if it's etched the glass, that won't become undone -- not sure if a cleaning will be able to fix it), and throw some film in that bad boy and give it some action.
 
Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks to those who offered advice... In the end, the seller offered to take the camera back, but after getting some encouragement here, I decided to keep it. I'll probably send it to John at Focal Point to see if he can do anything with it. But in the meantime, I'm looking forward to shooting with it!
 
Fungus tends to grow between cemented lens elements, so a cleaning would not be cheap. Set it in bright sun for a few days and use a hood. You'll be fine. And throw that case away. Camera cases are a nutty idea. They will trap moisture like nobody's business. You do not need nor want a case made from a dead cow that is a fungus magnet.

John can definitely fix it, but UV will kill it's growth, it's not big enough to affect IQ, and Focal Point, being the best, is not cheap.
 
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