Is a dry box/dehumidifier necessary to protect lenses?

[jmr237]

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I live in Los Angeles. It is not the driest place I have lived (that would be New Mexico), but it is not especially humid either. Is a dry box or dehumidifier cabinet necessary to prevent fungus, mold, or haze from developing in my lenses? I recently bought two new Leica lenses and I would like them to last for many years.

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[250swb]

Fungus thrives on darkness and humidity, so if you omit one or the other you will be OK. You will already have fungus spores inside your lens, they are everywhere, so if you keep your lenses in a drawer with a bag of silica gel that would be good enough, alternately on the windowsill getting some good UV light even if it is humid will also be OK. I think avoiding the leather cases the lenses come in is a good idea because they stop air circulating.

 

Steve

[spydrxx]

Never necessary as there are other alternatives, but if you have one it can be a good idea if the alternative is prolonged periods of high humidity and darkness. FWIW I've owned Leicas for ofer 45 years (among other cameras) and carried/stored them for prolonged periods in the south pacific, midwest and summers in Wash. DC (think sweaty armpit), all without the benefit of a dry box/dehumidifier without any fungus issues. Like anything else of value, keep them reasonably clean, reasonably protected...they're built to last and endure relatively varied climates.

[Jeff S]

Never mind lenses…turns out it might be necessary to protect M9s, M-Es and MMs…even when out shooting.

 

Jeff

[ns_ng]

If you live in a high humidity environment, such as in the tropics, where the average relative humidity is 70-80%, fungus can grow on lenses. I live in Singapore where the average RH is about 80%. I have been keeping my cameras and lenses in an electrically controlled humidity dry cabinet for over 20 years. Prior to this, I was using silica gel. These cabinets are easily available in most photographic shops here.

 

Fungi secretions can be acidic enough to damage coatings and even etch glass. It is said that Zeiss will not receive a fungus infected lens for service for fear of contamination.

[CalArts 99]

I live in Los Angeles. It is not the driest place I have lived (that would be New Mexico), but it is not especially humid either. Is a dry box or dehumidifier cabinet necessary to prevent fungus, mold, or haze from developing in my lenses? I recently bought two new Leica lenses and I would like them to last for many years.

 

This is a Mediterranean climate and the average annual humidity is very low. Personally, I've never seen fungus on any lenses when I worked after school/summers in several different camera stores. And I've never had any issue with my own lenses (and I live right on the ocean.) I've never worried about it nor do I even think about it

[jmr237]

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This is a Mediterranean climate and the average annual humidity is very low. Personally, I've never seen fungus on any lenses when I worked after school/summers in several different camera stores. And I've never had any issue with my own lenses (and I live right on the ocean.) I've never worried about it nor do I even think about it

 

Thanks for the insight. I read an article about lens and camera maintenance and the author suggested a dry box as a simple and effective preventative measure. My dad had a Nikon lens in a cabinet in his house in Pasadena and it developed fungus.

[pico]

Fungus will not germinate at temperatures below 50F or humidity below 60%.

[CalArts 99]

My dad had a Nikon lens in a cabinet in his house in Pasadena and it developed fungus.

 

Pasadena is super hot in the summer, although it's also very dry in the summer. But it doesn't mean that a specific micro-environment can't exist in someone's house that would be conducive to producing fungus growth (e.g., dark damp airless closet next to a bathroom, etc..) I could probably grow mushrooms somewhere in my house if I set things up just right.

 

Although it does seem that lately there can be a short period of unusual humidity; remember when we had that week of really weird humid weather (summer of 2006.) According to the Scripps Institute in La Jolla, it's the warming of the ocean from climate change that can form a 'feedback loop' of moisture off the Mexican Baja Peninsula. But it's still a pretty rare event.

 

But overall, it's really not a 'fungus producing' sort of place here, like one finds in subtropical or continental climates. If you feel more comfortable taking certain precautions, then that's up to you. However, just using your lenses (air circulation and especially UV from the sun) is probably the best preventative measure.