Help needed & questions to ask ?

[Cargo]

Where to start ????
Firstly it looks like I'm in need of a new camera & lenses ...
Just got the bad news from Andersons Camera Repair in Brissy and apparently my D5100 is pretty much kaput without spending about $300 - 400.
Also all my lens have fungus, the two kit lens not worth repairing and my Nikor micro could be fixed for a little less than the price of a new one.

So my questions are .....
Should I seek another opinion ? Andersons was recommended and is a Nikon repairer & have been very nice to deal with
The best way to store camera and lenses in the tropics ?
I'm limited with budget but would like to upgrade .... Any suggestions ?
Where are the best places to buy ? Cairns is limited to Camera House, JB Hifi, Harvey Norman and the like

I have had a quick look online at what's around and I'm just confused .... I don't think I need to jump to high besides I cant afford to
Any help, advice and suggestions will be greatly appreciated

Cheers Cargo

Now I'm off to beat myself up

[MissionMan]

I don't live in the tropics but I store my camera in a pelican hard case with desiccant sachets to absorb moisture. You could get a proper camera storage facility if you want, they are expensive but would save you on gear replacement.

I think if I lived in the tropics, I'd probably consider something like this (can't vouch for brand or seller, but it gives you an idea of what they look like) but you would need to consider a storage case and the desiccant sachets at a minimum:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/moisturep...-/321024591939

You may also want to consider whether a pro body and lenses are going to provide better protection from the elements. Pro lenses and bodies are weather sealed so it's less likely they would have the same issues with moisture, although they would probably still have some issues so storage would be mandatory. You may want to consider second hand (second hand D700 for example or a second hand 24-70 purchased from a location that isn't in the tropics) if budget is an issue.

[Cargo]

Thanks for the reply MissionMan
I will have a look into second hand and I just had a quick look at the ebay link .... They seem to vary a fair bit
I'm a bit wary of used as my micro lens was second hand and I think I inherited the fungus. But worth a look anyway

Cheers Cargo

[MissionMan]

No worries. It's ine of the reasons I'm weary of the second hand markets. Dropped lenses with no external wear are also a concern. Chalk it down to a learning experience and move on

[Cage]

I have a Wonderful Dry Box ( yes, that's it's name) and it works well. Comes with a dehumidify unit which you re-charge by plugging into a power point.

They also have a dehumidifier cabinet which I was looking at. http://www.photo-shop-studio.com.au/...026c-in-stock/ If I was in the tropics I would go this way.

Sorry to hear about your camera. I've just replaced my D600 with a D800, but as yet haven't decided whether to keep the D600. Don't know what your budget is but it could be on the market soon.

[Cargo]

Thanks for the reply MissionMan
I will have a look into second hand and I just had a quick look at the ebay link .... They seem to vary a fair bit
I'm a bit wary of used as my micro lens was second hand and I think I inherited the fungus. But worth a look anyway

Cheers Cargo

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks for the reply Kev ....
I was just looking at the ones you mentioned about $50-60 from what I saw on ebay. I don't think my budget will allow for D800
I'll just keep looking

Cheers Cargo

[bitsnpieces]

I think he meant the D600, and for secondhand in good condition, it's worth considering, seeing as to repair the D5100 is already going at $400 already, and if you're planning on upgrading, the D600 is an option - from what I understand of the camera, it's does very well.

But does depend on budget afterall - may I ask what that may be? May give members here an idea of what they can suggest for an upgrade, or how to proceed from here.

I generally try to keep any desiccant sachets I find from things I buy/use to throw in my camera bags and help with moisture - I need to find more though, now that I think about it...

[Cargo]

Hi David, thanks for the reply
I have had a look at the D600 way out of my price range unfortunately .....
I have been looking at the Nikon D7000 - 7100 they are at the top of my budget at the moment
Cheers Cargo

[arthurking83]

I can't believe that you got mould in your lenses in a matter of only 3 years!

Must be something specific to either your location, or general storage conditions.

FWIW: mould in lenses isn't actually that hard to clean off the lens element. As long as the mold is on an easy to get at element you can do it yourself.
I purchased an old lens some months back(maybe a year now), and the seller hadn't stated that it had mold on the rearmost element. By the time the lens arrived the seller shut up shop on ebay.
Lens was only $20 and even with the mould it still worked quite ok(for a cheap old lens).
So I used it as a crash test dummy .. pulled it apart, drilled and cut the lens body to get it to focus to infinity, and of course to clean off the mould.
Eclipse fluid and a cotton swab cleaned the mold off the rear lens element easily, but it won't get any remaining spores off the black painted body parts easily. Very fiddly and probably needs to be pulled completely apart.


If you do end up getting any new gear, I'd seriously look up, what environmental conditions could have caused your gear to accumulate mould so quickly, I think 3 years is way too quickly under normal circumstances .... so there may be some unique condition you may have to deal with.

Hope it all works out for you soon.

[Cargo]

Thanks Arthur,
I think its both .... I live on the edge of rainforest and it gets so humid here the polished concrete floors end up with condensation on them, mould is something you learn to live with up here, which led me to being blase & not storing them correctly ..... not in a "dry" container just in the camera bag and sometimes just sitting on the bench. So very much operator error there !!!! An expensive lesson indeed
The guy at the shop said the mould in the camera was impossible to reach unless they stripped the camera right down thus the cost. I will be using the set up for a while longer until I can afford a new camera & lens plus a DRY BOX !!!!!!
Thanks again Cargo

[arthurking83]

I think there may be more to it than just the living in humid conditions.
other people also live in humid conditions, but I'm sure that their gear hasn't attracted mold in only 3 years or so.

I'd be looking not only into acquiring a drybox, but also where you store that drybox too.

of course we don't know the conditions of the room environment where you stored the camera gear in your house, but I'd be looking at this area as a prime candidate that there are no other signs of mold growing anywhere too.

Things to be concerned with now are, your camera bag, or any other storage area where camera/lenses have been kept.
The fungus spores could have attached themselves to the linings of a camera bag.
Is/was your camera bag bought new? This could have been a likely suspect for fungus/mold. if you had purchased the bag or storage second hand, it may have been contaminated.


Can you get photos of the mold in the lenses?
It's actually not that hard, just fiddly to line up the lens in the right way relative to a light source to display the mold clearly use a macro lens to get in close.

This is my moldy lens:
D800E_DSC_3273_crop.JPG

my cheap old lens with fungus. Note the line like nature of the fungus. it's all on the rear of an inner lens element. It's easy to remove the rear lens group and get to the affected glass with this lens tho.
I have no idea on the history of the lens, so of course couldn't predict how the lens attracted the fungus. Your lenses are a bit harder to pull apart for the average person tho.

Now clean(ish)
D800E_DSC_3274_crop.JPG

A couple of minutes with some eclipse fluid(used to clean dust off a sensor), and a cotton bud. The cotton bud was liberally soaked with eclipse(maybe 4-5drops) and the rear lens element wiped in a circular motion.
There is still some fungus on the lens, and the fungus on the metal parts is either hard to remove, or just doesn't come off easily.
Lens is a write off and now used a a research hack(I pull it apart, and break things on it, accidentally and stuff like that.

[Cargo]

Thanks Arthur ....
You have raised a new question,
I bought the macro lens second hand and I always thought that there was a blurry area on the lens. If this was fungus/mould could it have spread into my other lenses and camera ?
From your description of the camera bag transference it certainly seems possible. Both my camera bags were bought new but I will give them a thorough going over now. There is no mould growing in the areas I store the bags but the air up here is heavy and wet most of the times. My house is quite open with fairly good air flow but at times the humidity is intense.
When I get my stuff back from Brissy I will attempt to get a photo of the mould and post it up , I will also follow your advice and have a go with the eclipse fluid
Many thanks for your replies and help
Cargo

[arthurking83]

.....
I bought the macro lens second hand and I always thought that there was a blurry area on the lens. If this was fungus/mould could it have spread into my other lenses and camera ?.....

Definitely!
I'm not saying this IS what has happened, but it's most likely to have.

For your new gear to have just suddenly had fungus growth at such an young age is very uinlikely.

Having bought the macro lens S/H, and if it has some blurry areas on the glass is most likely the cause for the growth of fungus in the other lenses.
If you have a magnifying glass, look into the macro lens and see if you can identify the shape of the blurry area in the lens.
it could just be dust, or just some haze which won't have a distinct pattern. Look at the mold in my lens .. note how it looks like a large collection of spaghetti.


There is no problem in having a lens with mold growth(although it's not ideal). The problem is when storing it with your other gear in a confined space(eg. bag).
If you just quarantine the affected lens(ie. store it separately for the long periods in non use), you shouldn't have any issues.


Now there is a possibility that you have some spores in your bag too. Any chlorine like cleaner should do the trick to clean it out properly.
if you do this, just leave it out in a sunny dry area for a while to let it dry thoroughly too.
Apparently, chlorine is a good mold killer.

If you get a chance, try to get a photo of the macro lens's blurry spot too, even if it's with your normal lens. try it at it's closest focus distance and crop it heavily .. just so that we can see the area a bit clearly.
(which model macro?)

[Cargo]

Once again Arthur .......
Thank you
Cargo

[Cage]

I lived on the Gold Coast and some of my old Canon lens now have fungus.

I don't want that to happen to my Nikon gear so I've just ordered the dehumidifier cabinet.

Will post on what it is like when I get it.

Cheers

Kev

[Cargo]

Hi All,
Sorry not to have come back earlier, I have been researching cameras and lenses.

Arthur I can't remember the exact model I think its not classified as a true macro but a micro ?????? but when I get my gear back I'll post it up with the photos.
Kev I misread your post earlier and i don't think I'm ready for a D600 but never say never hey, I'll look forward to hearing about your dehumidifier as it will be on my upgrade must have list.

The camera I'm leaning toward is a D7100 I think this will suit my needs while staying on budget, Its a step up and has the advantage of being weather sealed (not proof though) I'm having more of a problem choosing a lens, I talked to a guy who suggested a Sigma 18-250 DC Macro @ $399 as this would replace two lenses. I loved my 55-300 kit lens and used it the most ..... But ..... I also used the 18-55 just not as much. So looked around and found the Nikon 28-300 F3.5-5.6 ED VR11 ($1000 up) which seems to suit my needs also. At the moment I can't really afford two lenses and would rather invest in one good one that covers most of my needs. I have read the reviews on these lenses and I'm leaning toward the Nikon but I'm wondering if the big variation in focal distance will lose IQ.

So what i shoot is pretty much everything except landscapes with focus on people, candids more so than formal, I like birding, animals and close ups also. Recently a few people have asked me do photos ie: Christening, Engagement and now a Wedding (unable to talk her out it) !!!!! Ive also been asked to do some sport/triathalon stuff to be printed for a Sports/Chiropractic surgery.
Any advice from you guys would be fantastic ..... I think I'll be able come up with about $2500 but that will have to include a dehumidifier as well

Bit of a long post and I have probably missed something
Cheers Cargo

[Glenda]

You poor thing Cargo - the joy of living in the tropics. I have the desiccant sachets as mentioned by MissionMan in my camera bag and a cheaper Bunnings damp rid thing in the desk where I store my lenses when not in use and haven't had a problem yet. We're fairly humid here but not as much as you would be. I love my D7100 and it suits my hand size well. I've never used the Nikon 18-300 but have both the Nikon 18-200 and the 70-300, both of which I'm happy with.

[Cargo]

Hi Lplates,
Thanks for the commiserations and the suggestions, I did wonder about 18-200. So might go and have a look
Cheers Cargo

[OzzyDevil]

Its only a thought and if you still haven't got a camera.. Try tvsn you can pay it over 5 or 6 installments and it comes with kit lens..

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

[Cargo]

Thanks Ozzy,
Just went and had a a look & they are sold out ...... Looked like a good deal though
Cheers Cargo