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Archive 2013 · Zoom lenses pump dust and vapor into camera? Lens fungus?

  
 
Squirrely Eyed
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Zoom lenses pump dust and vapor into camera? Lens fungus?


Do any of you notice a "dust pump" or "vapor pump" effect from your zooms, especially the 70-300mm L and 100-400mm L zooms? They certainly seem to move more air when zooming than the internal-zoom lenses like the 70-200mm series. When mated to the body, the air's got to come from somewhere (VF assembly?).

It's not something I see very often in reviews (maybe it's not a big deal?) but is something that Ken Rockwell seems to vent (pardon the pun) loudly about.

I guess what would maybe worry me more is the additional water vapor when shooting in humid climates. Is lens fungus really a big issue?



May 31, 2013 at 09:04 AM
Gunzorro
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Zoom lenses pump dust and vapor into camera? Lens fungus?


I have the 28-300L and the 100-400L, and although I can feel the air, I haven't seen any adverse effects in dust in normal use. We don't have a severe moisture problem in most areas of California away from the coast, but I wouldn't be worried using these lenses in Washington. With average care, I don't think there is an issue.


May 31, 2013 at 09:10 AM
Karl Witt
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Zoom lenses pump dust and vapor into camera? Lens fungus?


Never ever had a problem with vapor or moisture.

Dust, I have yet to have a lens with internal dust that ever showed up in an image, you can put dust on your filter or front element to prove it.

70-300L is a zoom ring NOT a pump!

Karl



May 31, 2013 at 09:24 AM
big country
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Zoom lenses pump dust and vapor into camera? Lens fungus?


i think it's more of internet folklore than reality.


May 31, 2013 at 09:49 AM
Imagemaster
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Zoom lenses pump dust and vapor into camera? Lens fungus?


Karl Witt wrote:
Never ever had a problem with vapor or moisture.

Dust, I have yet to have a lens with internal dust that ever showed up in an image, you can put dust on your filter or front element to prove it.


Ditto. Have used the 100-400 for more than ten years in Pacific Northwest and never had a problem with moisture or dust.

Who cares what Ken Rockwell says. Get out and shoot, and stop worrying about what a few whiners say.

Do you know how many 100-400 zooms that Canon has sold, and owners are perfectly happy with them



May 31, 2013 at 09:52 AM
Squirrely Eyed
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Zoom lenses pump dust and vapor into camera? Lens fungus?


Karl Witt wrote:
70-300L is a zoom ring NOT a pump!

Karl


You don't pump it to zoom, but it pumps air when you twirl the ring to change zoom.

Thanks for all the comments. I figured this is more of a niche issue based on the lack of overall commentary/reviews/complaints.



May 31, 2013 at 10:24 AM
jcolwell
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Zoom lenses pump dust and vapor into camera? Lens fungus?


big country wrote:
i think it's more of internet folklore than reality.


+1



May 31, 2013 at 10:39 AM
Imagemaster
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Zoom lenses pump dust and vapor into camera? Lens fungus?


Squirrely Eyed wrote:
I figured this is more of a niche issue based on the lack of overall commentary/reviews/complaints.


There are 262 reviews of it on this site. See how many actually say that dust or moisture has been a problem:

https://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=19&sort=7&cat=27&page=1



May 31, 2013 at 10:57 AM
RCicala
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Zoom lenses pump dust and vapor into camera? Lens fungus?


big country wrote:
i think it's more of internet folklore than reality.


+12,500 (cause that's how many lenses I take care of).

We remove dust for cosmetic reasons (well, really because a small % of renters freak out when they get a lens with dust in it, convinced it will be visible on their images - it's easier to remove the dust on the front end than argue with them while they're losing their minds on Friday afternoon because they're convinced they're shoot is ruined before they take a picture.)

There are lenses more prone to getting dust inside them, but it's not particularly the push-pull zooms or even zooms. The 100-400 for example gets dust more than the 28-300 L even though they're exactly the same design. I suspect where they are used has more to do with it than anything. But for fun, I pulled the lenses that have had the highest % of copies requiring dusting so far this year. In order (and this is going to surprise you)

Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS 25% (vast majority in front).
Canon 100-400 IS L 15% (vast majority in front)
Canon 100 f/2.8 IS L 15% (vast majority in the rear).
Nikon 35mm f/1.4 G 15% (all in rear)
Canon 85 f/1.2 15% (vast majority in the rear).
Canon 70-200 f2.8 Non IS 10% (vast majority in front)
Nikon 70-200 VR II 10% (mostly in front)
Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS L II 10% (more in front)

Being rental lenses, of course, they've probably had much more dust exposure than most individual's lenses would have.

One thing that may also play a part: notice these lenses all have pretty large front elements, either because they're telephoto or wide aperture or both. I suspect that makes it much easier to see internal dust, plus there's more glass surface for the dust to cling to.

I probably should also mention Canon lenses this year are being rented more frequently than Nikon so that may contribute to the difference, but in general all copies are rented with roughly the same frequency - about 1.75 times a month except for Nikon this year, which is about 1.25.



May 31, 2013 at 11:13 AM
Squirrely Eyed
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Zoom lenses pump dust and vapor into camera? Lens fungus?


Imagemaster wrote:
There are 262 reviews of it on this site. See how many actually say that dust or moisture has been a problem:

https://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=19&sort=7&cat=27&page=1


Did you want me to count? I've seen the reviews, just always curious to solicit specific feedback.



May 31, 2013 at 11:23 AM
Squirrely Eyed
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Zoom lenses pump dust and vapor into camera? Lens fungus?


RCicala wrote:
+12,500 (cause that's how many lenses I take care of).

We remove dust for cosmetic reasons (well, really because a small % of renters freak out when they get a lens with dust in it, convinced it will be visible on their images - it's easier to remove the dust on the front end than argue with them while they're losing their minds on Friday afternoon because they're convinced they're shoot is ruined before they take a picture.)

There are lenses more prone to getting dust inside them, but it's not particularly the push-pull zooms or even zooms. The 100-400 for example
...Show more

In data we trust. Thanks Roger.

The 17-55mm doesn't surprise me at all, as that one frequently gets knocked in reviews for its dust collection abilities. I have one and it noticeably has some dust in it, both front & rear. I tested it every way I could think of and never saw it in the final images.

I wonder how much of the 100mm f/2.8 L is pollen from changes in the fields (literally).



May 31, 2013 at 11:29 AM
RCicala
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Zoom lenses pump dust and vapor into camera? Lens fungus?


Squirrely Eyed wrote:
I wonder how much of the 100mm f/2.8 L is pollen from changes in the fields (literally).


I hadn't thought of that - I bet you're right.



May 31, 2013 at 01:31 PM
rscheffler
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Zoom lenses pump dust and vapor into camera? Lens fungus?


I'm not sure about into the camera, but I've definitely experienced internal lens fogging when transitioning between cold/damp and warm environments. First time it happened to me was after shooting in rainy/damp conditions with a 70-200/2.8 non-IS. The next day was extremely hot and I was wondering why the viewfinder appeared fogged up. But it wasn't the viewfinder, it was inside the lens. I eventually figured out that if I racked the zoom back and forth it would pump hot air into the lens and dry it out after a few minutes. Since then, whenever I shoot in cold/damp conditions I always make sure to immediately dry the equipment as well as possible, including leaving it in the passenger's seat footwell with the heat cranked up to max on long drives home - gotta love dual-zone climate control!

I also recall trying a friend's D3X and 14-24/2.8 and noticing that a puff of air was blown into my eye from what seemed to be through the eyepiece if I zoomed the lens quickly...

BTW, thanks Roger for the DIY lens cleaning blog post - my 85L has a lot of dust stuck to the inside rear element!



May 31, 2013 at 02:01 PM
Imagemaster
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Zoom lenses pump dust and vapor into camera? Lens fungus?


rscheffler wrote:
I also recall trying a friend's D3X and 14-24/2.8 and noticing that a puff of air was blown into my eye from what seemed to be through the eyepiece if I zoomed the lens quickly...


That was probably from the built-in AGT.



Automatic Glaucoma Test.



May 31, 2013 at 02:16 PM
molson
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Zoom lenses pump dust and vapor into camera? Lens fungus?


Squirrely Eyed wrote:
It's not something I see very often in reviews (maybe it's not a big deal?) but is something that Ken Rockwell seems to vent (pardon the pun) loudly about.



Hilarious... but I guess that's what you get when you write reviews about equipment you've never used.



May 31, 2013 at 03:31 PM
Squirrely Eyed
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Zoom lenses pump dust and vapor into camera? Lens fungus?


Imagemaster wrote:
That was probably from the built-in AGT.

Automatic Glaucoma Test.


Nice one!

It's a feature to dry the sweat on your brow during hot shooting environments.



May 31, 2013 at 03:32 PM
Karl Witt
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Zoom lenses pump dust and vapor into camera? Lens fungus?


Squirrely Eyed wrote:
You don't pump it to zoom, but it pumps air when you twirl the ring to change zoom.

Thanks for all the comments. I figured this is more of a niche issue based on the lack of overall commentary/reviews/complaints.


Well in that case if you are ever gonna own a zoom lens than you are either stuck with push pull or zoom ring to change focal length and I have a wonderful cheapie Tamron that cost me a whopping $125 with a zoom ring with no dust, mold, fungus, vapor or any other elements of our environment that have faulted it, I have to think an 'L' is better protected

So how are you going to protect your camera body from getting dust in it??
Get a lens and get shooting, either way you are going to love your results or maybe realize a lot of what was a concern is no longer a concern!

Best to you
Karl




May 31, 2013 at 04:02 PM
gdanmitchell
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Zoom lenses pump dust and vapor into camera? Lens fungus?


Squirrely Eyed wrote:
Do any of you notice a "dust pump" or "vapor pump" effect from your zooms, especially the 70-300mm L and 100-400mm L zooms?


No. (Photographic) urban myth.

Dan



May 31, 2013 at 08:11 PM
scalesusa
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Zoom lenses pump dust and vapor into camera? Lens fungus?


I've yet to see image issues from dust in a lens, but when it gets on the rear element, it can be a slight issue.

However, dust on the sensor can be painfully apparent.




May 31, 2013 at 08:16 PM
Ben Horne
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Zoom lenses pump dust and vapor into camera? Lens fungus?


Stop worrying, and start shooting.


May 31, 2013 at 08:20 PM
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