Is there a fungus among us?

[bigdog]

Hi,

Having a good day, just received my brand spanking new Bessa R2a and won't have to deal with light leaks on my Canonet or dim misaligned viewfinder/rangefinder on my FED 2. What a pleasure it is to have such a bright viewfinder with great focus patch.

I only have a single lens at this time for the R2a, a Jupiter 8, purchased for $30 total which looks brand new. However, when viewing the lens very closely in strong light, you can see a small insignificant scratch and quite a few tiny specks which may be dust or worse fungus?

My question is...if the specks I see are fungus, then is there any danger in mounting such a lens on a brand new R2a? Can the body be contaminated by fungus and passed to a new lens when I purchase a 35mm for the R2a?

 

[clintock]

I doubt the fungus in communicable, just in case you can place the jupiter in the sun (just don't let a fire start, maybe put it on a saucer). The UV will kill the if the stuff you see even is fungus. The fungus I've seen in optics looks like the beginning of bread mold, white like a spider web.. It knows which lens is the most expensive, and eats that first.
Summicron glass is candy to the foul beast.

 

[brachal]

It's not uncommon to find a few specks of dust in Jupiters, especially if they're older. The first two digits of the serial number are the year of manufacture.

 

[Avotius]

I have a few lenses that have small forests growing in them, its pretty icky, I took one lens apart and then cleaned it out but it never was the same, that said I dont think there is any problem with the body, do what was said above and kill the fungus with uv

 

[akptc]

My understanding is that fungus can be very transportable, I'd treat the lens before using it on a good body.

 

[Sparrow]

My understanding is that fungus can be very transportable, I'd treat the lens before using it on a good body.

Yes; I would work as if expecting the worst case outcome. Don’t forget any cases, caps or bags are also likely to be contaminated; I always view leather cases with the utmost suspicion

 

[Bertram2]

My question is...if the specks I see are fungus, then is there any danger in mounting such a lens on a brand new R2a? Can the body be contaminated by fungus and passed to a new lens when I purchase a 35mm for the R2a?

If it is really fungus, yes !! The keep it away from all the rest of your equipment.

Bertram