Mould on the sensor

[Sharon]

Not mine, but a friends cameras. Both of them! Costing £400 a pop to be remedied!

I had never heard of this horror before, but it turns out to be quite common on lenses and sensors when stored in dark places that are a bit on the humid side.

This is an awareness raising post to aid prevention of nasty suprises!

I guess handy tips on good practice for looking after and storing kit would be welcomed.

[Lucky Poet]

£400 quid? Sheesh. I'm amazed it would cost that much for a sensor clean - or is the quote for a new sensor?

I guess storing in a dry place would be the thing. Feeling slightly paranoid now. (Actually, it has been said it's not bad practise to keep the bags of silica gel that come with electronic goodies and shoes and the like, keeping them in the same case or bag as any vulnerable gear.)

[Sharon]

Hmmm whether it was the part or a clean i am not sure. The outsize price also applies to a Hasselblad, but i gather its a pricey problem to contract regardless.

[Lucky Poet]

I fear it costs about that much to be in the same room as a Hasselblad, let alone do anything with it

[Vinegar Tom]

Hasellblad is a whole different level of expense to the world I live in , but I would back-up LP's tip of keeping the wee bags of silica gel that come with lenses etc around your kit.

I have had them burst though over time. You should be really careful that the beads don't get anywhere where children or pets could ingest them.

[bobzee]

I bought a cheap EF lens from ebay with quite a bit of fungus.



All but one small patch disappeared after cleaning the elements with hydrogen peroxide + ammonia.

If left too long, the fungus eats away the lens coatings.

+1 for the silica gel.

[BrigitDoon]

All but one small patch disappeared after cleaning the elements with hydrogen peroxide + ammonia.

I wouldn't recommend using either of these, let alone mixing them, given the scope for producing oxides of nitrogen or hydrazine, all of which are toxic. Hydrogen peroxide can't be good for the rubber seals either...

I've had an EF lens in bits, cleaned the mould off with ordinary lens cleaner and put back together and it worked. It took all morning, but I've still got my lungs