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Fungus, Dust and Haze ...oh my!

jdphoto

Well-known member
I recently purchased this used Nikon 85mm 1.4D from a reliable Ebay seller who description says, "No scratches, haze or fungus". Whenever I purchase a used lens I first use a standard mag lite to look for the obvious. Obviously, some dust is to be expected, (even on new lenses), but when using an LED flashlight, the haze, scratches, and cleaning marks were more obvious...like, really obvious! I primarily shoot portraits and sometimes love the rendering of older, less contrasty glass, but this would actually effect the detail of the portrait. Another thing I noted was the lens hood (metal) was slightly out of symmetry with indications of a ding on the edge. The robust hood on a Nikon 85mm 1.4 D is screwed on, so any dings to that area should be considered too as it torques on the barrel as opposed to just popping off. I encourage anyone who buys used lenses to ask the seller to use an LED flashlight to look for haze, cleaning marks, scratches, etc. I think photographers would be surprised at what's in the lenses they shoot with after using an LED flashlight... Perhaps that should be a new thread "Fun with Fungus, Dust and Haze":)
 
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jdphoto

Well-known member
Perhaps its the ability of LED's to generate the entire spectrum to show all the crap in a lens barrel as opposed to the warmer spectrum of an incandescent.
I don't pay too much attention to this when shooting film, but that's kind of changed when shooting digital. My unnecessary obsession with resolution has heightened my awareness to dust and dirt, but being overly obsessed with this induces a kind of inner turmoil that's not conducive to creativity either.
I would encourage photographers/sellers to use lens tissue and specific lens cleaner to clean a lens properly. Don't use micro cloths as they actually hold micro, scratch inducing particles that result in cleaning marks or swirls in the lens coating. Treat lenses like you would a sensor. Ground any static charge by simply touching your finger to a metal lamp or grounded component. Never blow on a lens element, use a blower brush instead. When cleaning optical or sensor surfaces always clean using only one side of the folded tissue per swipe so you don't drag dirt across the elements or sensor. Dust is not usually problematic unless there's considerable amounts between the elements; every lens has dust. If you're handy and with the proper tools you can remove the elements to clean dust, fungus and haze. But make sure you get a good deal on that lens first!
 

jdphoto

Well-known member
A quick update...
When looking at the 85mm 1.4D with no LED the lens looks spectacular. When looking at the lens with an incandescent, still pretty good. When looking at the portraits I shot using the dirty lens, they were stunning in terms of resolution and contrast, especially since I shoot wide open. When I was a DP loading Arriflex cameras we almost exclusively used Mag Lites, and air to clean and inspect camera lenses. They all were incredibly clean with nary a sign of dirt or dust in the final image. So, this leads me to conclude that I have OCD when it comes to clean camera gear. So, my advice is to stay away from LED's when inspecting lenses if you have OCD. Sure, use good judgement and common sense, but also use a mag lite instead of an LED because your images will look great and a mag lite or other incandescent is more than adequate in judging a lenses performance. Your sanity will thank you later.
 
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