Etched after fungus removal - usable?

[johnnyrod]

I would appreciate your opinions on this please. This and a few other shots in the album are of a lens after fungus removal. Is it worth film testing this?
After cleaning by John Rodriguez, on Flickr
The back story: I bought a Mamiya Six Automat from bluemoontokyo on ebay. The description said it was all good but a little fungus, which would not affect the pictures. After some deliberation I went for it, fungus removal per se isn't so bad. When it arrived it had the worst fungus I've seen, and you definitely couldn't shoot with it. I've cleaned it off but it has etched the glass; the front element is fine, middle is a bit hazy, but the rear has fossil-like patterns on it. I used hydrogen peroxide and ammonia for the fungus, then hexane, isopropanol and finally methanol. I normally don't bother with the IPA but this was clearly not looking that good so did it anyway. Finished off with a soft cloth and some heavy breathing. I haven't checked out the collimation or RF yet. I got a refund on the price and postage but not the customs charges of course.
Thanks a lot ladies and gentlemen.

 

[Mackinaw]

There’s no harm in running a roll of film through the camera. You may be pleasantly surprised by the results.

Jim B.

 

[peterm1]

You would be surprised how "injured" a lens can be and still deliver good images. Issues mainly arise when shooting against the light. But with old glass this is never very advisable anyway.

 

[Moto-Uno]

^Couldn't agree more with the above suggestions . On lower contrast scenes for instance you might be hard pressed to find a problem with this lens . Peter

 

[Scrambler]

Somewhere online theres a series of shots taken by a lens during a process of extreme degradation. The short answer is that there will be small issues with your lens. Small. It will take photos that far excede most peoples expectations. (LOMOgraphy has made real cameras look good)

 

[Phil_F_NM]

The Zuiko lens from the Mamiya Six that I had a long time ago is fantastic. My sample was uncoated and flared with direct light hitting the front element. I think it was the worst when the light was actually outside the frame.
Anyway, a little fungus etching isn't going to make a difference on this great lens. As long as you keep the lens shielded from strong light sources. You'll also notice a difference if you shoot any silhouettes. Your subjects will show a good amount of veiling flare. Otherwise, use the camera and be happy. I miss mine.

Phil Forrest

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I would firstly check RF with ground glass. And then take pictures with light source behind the camera.

 

[peterm1]

Here's a thought. Back in the day even these kind of fixed lenses could have hoods (they called them sunshades back then) to avoid flare. Even more important as I am sure you know when dealing with uncoated glass as in your camera. I have seen some quite small hoods which screw into a thread around the front element or slip over the outside of the lens barrel. Not specifically for this camera but aftermarket ones. And of course modern ones may fit. I had a look online for you (and out of curiosity) but really need to know the internal diameter of the front lens ring and external diameter of the lens barrel. You might wish to check to see if you can find something suitable online or in the bits and pieces drawer in some camera stores.

 

[Fixcinater]

Put a hood on it and go have fun.

 

[johnnyrod]

Thanks all. A hood isn't going to stop flare from the inner surfaces though. I may just have to give it a try, maybe see if I can take a test frame then unload the film into a different camera. Other offered opinions say it's too far gone - there are individual pictures of elements in the Filckr album.
KoFe - yes I always try to test everything before the film goes in - shutter speed, collimation, RF, cleanliness(, meter). I lost too many pics early on to presumption!

 

[Peter Jennings]

I'd go ahead and shoot a roll just to see if you like how the camera handles. If you like it, try to find a clean copy and keep this one for spare parts. I have two Mamiya-6 V - one I use as a parts donor. There are few of these around that don't have any issues.