Does this look like fungus on my kit lens?

Marco Nero wrote:

StrugglingforLight wrote:

I forgot to ask would it be better to tackle it with a LensPen vs a microfiber cloth? I ordered both from a camera shop but thought the best approach would be rocket blower, then LensPen. blower again because carbon dust from LensPen, and then microfiber cloth if needed.

I own a lens pen but it was designed for removing stubborn blobs of material that are stuck to the lens back when people rarely used filters for protection.. They are known for applying a fine black layer of carbon powder when used (rub your finger with one and you'll see the back powder on your finger).... it's meant to be slightly abrasive and has on occasion been accused of removing leans coatings. The powder is supposed to adhere to the oils in the finger print and allow them to lift more easily. Modern lens pens now have a microfiber pad on that disc although a regular microfiber cloth designed for cleaning sunglasses would be better... just to be sure not to scratch the lens.
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The technique I would use in your example would be to use a Blower first. Be sure there's no grit or particles of sand remaining which might otherwise rub against the lens during the upcoming wiping phase. Don't be tempted to blow on it with your mouth because no matter how careful you are, the moisture from your mouth will leave a splatter of tiny droplets behind, increasing the effort involved to clean them later. Then gently dampen the lens surface with a tiny amount of water applied from one end of a microfiber cloth. Avoid spraying the lens directly or moisture will enter the lens... Don't apply so much moisture that it could get around the edge of the lens and show up on the inside (other side) of the front element. Then gently wipe away any of the streaks or smudges. Anything that remains ought to be quite faint, assuming all the marks don't come away.
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Many camera stores sell a cheap lens cleaning kit which includes a tiny bottle of isopropyl alcohol, an optical grade microfiber cloth, a pad or lens cleaning "paper" and some cotton swabs with a tiny blower. I'm in Australia and all the camera stores carry these for about $16. Should be cheaper and more prolific in other countries. Microfiber cloth has the unique property of being the most oil-absorbing product available. But the ones sold for cleaning your car are a very different grade to the ones sold for cleaning lenses. The best are the tight weave optical grade microfiber cloths that are sold at sunglasses stores for cleaning your reading glasses and sunglasses.
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Paper cleaning sheets found in lens kits tend to leave little bits of fiber behind that need to be blown off later. Remember than all paper products are made from wood pulp and can scratch if rubbed hard. Remember this if using a paper towel - which should be avoided if possible since those are quite coarse. If ever you need to clean a lens or lens filter and you have no kit on hand, consider a clean pair of cotton underwear in place of a microfiber cloth. The cotton fibers should be quite fine and ought to be fairly soft. Avoid using soaps although depending on the lens, a very TINY amount of glass cleaner can sometimes be used. Do not spray directly on the lens but put a few drops on the table and then dab it with the edge of a microfiber cloth before applying it to your lens.
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Many sunglasses stores sell a microfiber cloths with a tiny spray bottle which can be used to clean stubborn marks and oil smears from lenses. It's somewhat similar to window cleaner though so use sparingly on camera lenses. If you notice the optical coating coming off (the colorful coating annealed to the lens when it was manufactured), then it wasn't properly fused to the glass in the first place. This is rare but there have been cases where entire batches of coatings have come away when rubbed (usually from the higher end L-series EF lenses).
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I would be surprised if any of these marks are on the inside of your lens although inspecting ANY lens (no matter how well cared for) with a flashlight will often reveal things on both sides of the glass that you would not ordinarily expect to see with the unaided eye. I feel confident that the use of a blower, then a lightly damp cleaning cloth made from microfiber... will fix all or most of your problems. Please be sure to chime in to let us know if the problem went away or persisted.

Fortunately both spots were removed. It took using the Lenspen for the wavy line between the red dots in my original post to go away. The spot you thought looked suspicious turned out to be a print I guess, it came out with the microfiber cloth.

Cleaning a lens is now my least favorite part of photography. It was a learning experience and lucky it was only a kit lens. Also lesson learned about taking a camera urban exploring in abandoned structures in regards to dust. I'll use my phone for that. Finally, from now on any lens I buy will get a filter put on immediately.

Thanks again for all the help. Lots of useful information in your posts.