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I noticed several small water dots that look like moisture inside the lens.

Is this common? I do remember using it in Hong Kong indoors ( dry and very cool ), then taking it outside and seeing the entire lens start to perspire.

 

Anyway to self remedy ( desiccants, etc? ) or send back to Leica?

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You can take a warm lens or camera into the cold without causing condensation. Not so for taking a cold (or cool) lens into a hot and humid environment. That will cause condensation if the temperature differential is great enough.

 

You might try putting the lens in a ziplock bag with a handful of dessicant packages - seal the bag and leave it in there for 2-3 days. If the moisture droplets are still present afterword, it will probably need to go to Leica (or Sherry Krauter or Kinderman) for a CLA.

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are you sure the dot inside is from water condensation or is it an air bubble. many of the older glass tend to have some air bubble in the elements inside the lens, much less so in modern lens but i still have seen some. it doesnt affect your picture at all though.

 

i live in Thailand, so humidity and moisture is nothing new to me. most of the time, it just fogs up my front element for a little. aside from the zip-lock bag suggestion, i personally recommend u just put it in your camera bag and wait for it to adjust to the temperature.

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I imagine when the water droplets dry out they will leave tiny marks/residue on the lens surfaces... hopefully I am wrong.

 

I would not expect the droplets to leave marks or residue, since water created by condensation is very similar in nature to distilled water. However if there is a lot of dust inside the lens or if there was a lot of dust or contaminants in the air when the condensation was formed, the droplets could leave behind faint marks when they dry, I suppose.

 

I think the biggest worry is the formation of fungus in the lens - at minimum I would dry out the lens by putting it in a ziplock bag with dessicant packs for several days.

 

Since the Noctilux is a lens that costs many thousands of dollars, spending perhaps $300-400 for a CLA, shipping and insurance would be a wise investment to protect your lens. If fungus were to grow in the lens, it would cost a heck of a lot more than a CLA to repair it - if repair would even be possible.

 

@Shanghait - which version of the Noctilux do you have? Just curious...

Edited by Messsucherkamera
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Its a 0.95, Its only a year old.

 

Desiccants on the way. Should be able to try tomorrow.

 

In any case, proper desiccants are not available in a hurry (think about water accident, while traveling), a ziplock bag, filled with dry rice does the job as well, albeit at a slower pace.

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  • 8 years later...

I feel bad for reviving this thread, but I just got myself a 2nd hand noctilux. I think we are facing the same problem as there is a shiny water (or oil/ lubricant) droplet on the glass. It's on the part of the lens that moves when you focus towards the back but I couldn't get it in focus so I shot it from the front instead. Wondering if any of you have gotten it out and what method do you recommend?

ref: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qc2Wm-9pw37OnU8_WQMBo0vnOij6CIx9/view?usp=sharing

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It actually doesn't bother me since it doesn't affect the image quality because it's at the very edge, I was just worried it will affect the lens in the future. I'll try desiccants and if it doesn't work I'll just leave it there. I don't think the CLA cost will be worth just a cosmetic improvement.

Thanks for the reply!

(and if anyone sees this and has a suggestion please tell me)

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16 minutes ago, earleygallery said:

I wonder if the OP managed to cure the moisture in their Noctilux....

plot twist, OP's lens is @taeshin.t's

It might be a tiny bit of oil from the aperture blades (though i acknowledge they wouldn't usually pool such that they drip off like that). If the droplet is below the aperture blades, this might be a possibility. I say this because water is likely to evaporate relatively easily (albeit slowly but inevitably since the lens is not air-tight) especially after the lens is left in an air-tight box  with desiccants or a dry cabinet.

I would just use the lens and enjoy it. Save the CLA for before you sell it/price it in any sale.

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UPDATE

I sent it in just for a checkup at a local shop and there was haze on the same element that there was the little oil drop (which I did also see by the way, I thought it was some random smudge but after some inspection it IS actually haze). Coincident? Possibly, but I don't think so.

So I sent it in at a reputable shop to CLA since I didn't wanna wait months to get prices and ship the lens off to germany since I live in Thailand. Within 2 days I got my lens back —haze and oil drop free— and I'm pretty happy about the lens! (seems like sharpness and flaring had some minor improvements without the haze as well, luckily :))

And thus, the "Moisture in my noctilux" saga ends for me.

Random photo from the lens:

 

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Edited by taeshin.t
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