Help - fungus!

[fraley]

I'm looking for some advice on preventing fungus. Just recently I took a zoom lens out of the camera bag it's been stored in for months, and there's a white spiderweb fungus on an internal surface. It's 2-3mm across. This prompted me to check my dozen or so cameras and lenses. I found more fungus in the viewfinder of several rangefinders that normally are stored in their ever-ready cases. What's the best way to fight this?

I read on the PhotoEthnography site that sunlight prevents fungus, so I put all the cases aside and lined up the cameras on a bookself. I took the lens caps off all lenses. Is there anything else I can do? I live near the ocean in San Francisco. It's a temperate climate, usually not outside of a 40 to 90 degree fahrenheit range. There is some humidity; mold is a problem along the baseboard of some walls. Short of new duopane windows all around or a dry box for umpteen cameras, anything I should be doing? Do you store cameras in the case, or lenses with a cap on?

Thank you very much,
Michael

 

[Kat]

If I'm not mistaken, lenses/cameras should not be stored in their ER cases, etc., as these may retain moisture. I think some people store their gear in dryboxes (store-purchased or DIY with silica gels, hygrometer [sp?], etc.) to keep the humidity under control.

 

[Kim Coxon]

Hi,
There is some info here with links. http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24234&highlight=fungus

There should not be too much of a problem in San Fran. Dry boxes etc should only be really necessary in more tropical climes. Keep your kit aired and preferably in the light. Fungus likes damp, dark conditions. You will never be able to completely stop it as the spores are literally everywhere. The trick is not to provide the conditions so it germinates and grows.

Kim