'Crystals' inside my Canon EF 100mm Macro USM Lens

SarahBK wrote:

Sports Shooter wrote:

SarahBK wrote:

meland wrote:

SarahBK wrote:

meland wrote:

SarahBK wrote:

meland wrote:

Landscapeforfun wrote:

Looks like a classic case of fungus to me. Not sure if the lens is salvageable or not.
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-Adam
https://www.flickr.com/photos/90719248@N04/

Looks like fungus to me too. I guess Malta can get pretty humid? How do you store your camera equipment?

Yes it does get humid here. I store my lenses in a case that's filled with silica gel packets.

Your silica gel get's dried out in an oven from time to time?

No - the internet suggests drying out in an oven, but with these little guys the paper would most likely catch fire. Will need to buy something that can be dried out it seems.

You only need the oven set to its lowest temperature and that shouldn't set the paper on fire.

Hmmm.. I guess I'll try with some of them and see what happens.

This did not form while I was here though - it happened either on the plane trip back, or maximum within a week of having flown back (I was checking my lenses even more frequently when there). But they were there that same evening I got home. Since then the crystal shapes have not changed in shape, size, amount or area of the lens affected.

Did the camera equipment travel with you or in the hold? Equipment travelling with you as hand baggage is unlikely to have experienced any conditions that could have caused that. A sudden change in pressure in the hold conceivably could cause separation of a cemented element.

If you read my original post, you will read that I was using it to take pictures during the flight (the first crystals picture was taken with it). So yes, it was with me not in the hold. I wouldn't dare put any of my camera equipment in the hold.

I'm not sure that trying to help you really warrants that put down?

I thought that would come off as mean-sounding - so my apologies

Logic would tell me if it were fungus, it would have formed slowly over time, and since last August when I first noticed them they would have gotten much worse...

If the humidity is reduced the growth of fungus will slow down - but of course the damage that it has caused unfortunately doesn't go away. Anyway I'd have it checked out by a reputable repair facility.

Looks like I can't avoid it, though I'm pretty sure it's going to be labelled as fungus although it looks nothing like fungus pictures on the internet. It's just so very strange...

Here is my explanation what happened to your lens;

Next time you fly take a close look at the cabin window. There is a small hole on the cabin window to transfer pressurisation loads to the outer or primary window panes. If you put the front element of your lens close to the hole it is possible that the air circulating between the inner/out windows simulated the effect of the outer a/c window and the air flow between the two windows plus the difference in temperature created the crystals inside the lens.

The condensation cannot escape from inside your lens and started the creation of fungus.

I had something similar with my Sigma 300/2.8 that after shooting football in the wet I put the lens away in its case and a few weeks later I noticed fungus growing behind the front element. I sent it to Sigma and they cleaned it up.

Your explanation sounds like another possibility I couldn't formulate myself. The only thing that doesn't match is that I noticed these crystals within hours of leaving the plane, rather than leaving the lens packed away as you did. Fungus cant grow so quick... So MAYBE this growth happened over the week before catching the plane. Or else the crystals are something else...

could be...Anyway I would send the lens to Canon for cleaning.