What is moisture and fungus?

Moisture in lenses is formed of water droplets that condense on the glass surfaces of a lens usually due to temperature changes and influence from the environment it is stored in. Moisture can consist of large liquid droplets, or a light spread so fine it is easily confused with dust. Unlike dust however, It usually forms a consistent pattern that emanates out from a central point.

Although moisture rarely affects images, it is the ideal breeding ground for fungus so represents a risk depending on its severity.

Fungus is an organic growth that spreads by a combination of a temperate environment, the presence of moisture, and the presence of organic matter to feed on. Fungus can consist of small spores that have a moisture halo around them, or large patches of thread-like matter spreading across the surface of an element. It can also be present in camera bodies where any sealed component is present, such as inside a viewfinder or under a LCD screen.

How is the level of fungus determined and how does this impact my sale?

We break down the different levels of moisture and fungus into different categories to determine how much the lens is affected and therefore, the price we can offer.

We are able to purchase items that fall into the following 4 categories:

1. Light moisture:

Light moisture consists of a fine mist or a small patch of sparsely spread droplets. This level of moisture does not affect images taken using the lens, but does represent minor potential for the moisture to get worse due to it forming the beginnings of an ideal environment for fungus growth.

2. Heavy moisture:

Heavy moisture is a natural progression from light moisture, consisting of larger moisture droplets and/or denser spreads that can cover an entire element. The heavy moisture level presents greater potential for fungus to grow, perhaps with signs the process has already begun.

3. Minor fungus:

Minor fungus is the level at which fungus has begun to grow, either from patches of moisture or of its own accord. These small patches of fungus could exhibit minor threads beginning to spread, or they could be small circles of translucent white. They will not affect images, but represent a moderate risk of the fungus getting worse with ideal conditions.

4. Moderate fungus

Moderate fungus sits at the more severe end of the fungus scale. Fungus in this category will exhibit lots of threads, and lens elements could contain multiple small patches of fungus. The key with this level of fungus is that the lens still has use, fungus hasn’t taken over the lens and will likely not affect images.

Fungus: The highest level of fungus is reserved for items that we cannot purchase due to the severity of the fungus within. This level consists of fungus that has taken hold of the lens, likely spreading across entire glass elements. Fungus here may affect images, and will likely be very obvious when looking through the lens.

Some tips from our in house Product Specialists on checking your items to determine the levels of moisture or fungus:

Once we receive your gear, our product specialists will conduct a thorough inspection process to make sure your estimated condition rating matches the actual condition of the items.

Our Product Specialists have all undergone thorough training on this topic and will be able to determine a detailed evaluation of the level of moisture or fungus which will be provided to you upon checking the item. This may result in an adjusted quote and in some cases we will not be able to purchase items if the fungus is too severe.

In all cases of items we can’t purchase due to the severity of fungus, you will be notified and the item returned to you free of charge.