Ok so yesterday I was in Duomo Plaza (Milan) taking a few pics in a nice sunny day and all of the sudden I start seeing what appeared to be a HUGE bug in my viewfinder.
Thinking it was a spider, I looked outside the camera's body, and saw a white tiny little bug the size of a nail's thin part, which looked like a piece of dust at first. So I keep taking pictures, the bug didn't affect them, but then I start seeing another one, and another one. Now I have a few bugs in my 2 of my lenses!!! And I'm talking LIVE ones.
They may have already infested a few of my other bodies, as I constantly change lenses and bodies.
Does anyone have any idea of how to get rid of them? Has it ever happened to you?
First time for me here, and I'm freaking out! All my gear is brand new and came from places like B&H, Amazon, eBay.
Any ideas? I was thinking of putting the infected lenses and cameras in a closed raid-max sprayed plastic bag or simply turn the gas valve in my oven and put everything in there. I'm trying to reduce the smell, save my lenses, and not have to deal with any risks of losing their paint, etc.
HELP highly appreciated.
P.S. I'm posting this in 2 forums - wedding photography and general gear talk. I currently do wedding photography, so I thought maybe some of you wed photogs may have experience with this.
Ok guys! i got some pictures uploaded. Tried to do my best with a non-macro lens. This is what the tiny bastards look like! If anyone of you has a friend who does termites, bugs insects etc, identifying these little suckers would definitely be helpful for any future references. Lets get to work people!
well, I'd consider vacuum bagging the equipment and freezing it to kill the bugs and larve. Certainly preferrable to putting all that in the oven.
the raid-max idea may work but I'd be slightly concerned that the vapors could attack the electronics (ie. gold contacts do not like ammonia in Windex (known from another hobby))
howardm4 wrote:
well, I'd consider vacuum bagging the equipment and freezing it to kill the bugs and larve. Certainly preferrable to putting all that in the oven.
Hi Howard,
I wasn't planning on turning on the oven's temperature, but just thought about gas and how it could easily kill them. Anyhow, the vacuum bagging idea sounds good. But freezing it? WOn't that damage my lenses and cameras? We're talking about $8k here. Thanks for the advice.
If it's all "brand new" isn't it still in warranty! Could the investation have come as larvae or eggs, and just now be hatching out in there?
In other words, wouldn't it be safer to send them back to the manufacturer for a defestation? I certainly wouldn't want to do anything that might void any warranty left on the equipment!
These are US lens and have US warranty on them. My main concern is having to send everything back, including lenses and cameras, and the time it takes for them to process.
I wasn't suggesting pulling a high vacuum but enough to get get most of the air out so when you freeze it, there's not much that can condense and when you remove it, moisture will be on the outside of the bag.
WRT turning on the oven gas w/o lighting it off, have you seen what happens when that plan doesn't turn out like it should?
I wasn't planning on turning on the oven's temperature, but just thought about gas and how it could easily kill them. Anyhow, the vacuum bagging idea sounds good. But freezing it? WOn't that damage my lenses and cameras? We're talking about $8k here. Thanks for the advice.
I've had my cameras outside for extended periods in 0C to -25C temps quite a bit this winter. They still work. Don't worry about the cold.
Just keep them sealed as they warm back up to room temp so condensation does not form(very important if your don't want your infestation problem replaced with a fungus problem).
I'd still send it in after you've frozen the camera, as there is no way to get out all of the carcasses without taking the camera apart. I've heard of something like this exactly twice, except it was only one bug. I've never heard of multiple insects infesting a camera body.
jay tieger wrote:
put the lens on a table with some sugar near it, both under a glass bowl, and see if the bugs come out to eat...
I think this is the best advice so far outside of sending it for professional cleaning. I don't think you want the bugs to die inside the lens body. Try to coax them out.
The sugar idea sounds great, but that would probably make them procreate and expand more.
The freezing idea sounds good, I was just a bit skeptical about the electronics and the whole condensation part, but it sounds like if I seal it off very good with a ziplock bag, that should do the trick.
I'm going to try it twice and see how i can kill all the bugs. Maybe my bags are infected, so I'll put them outside with the cold, and the cameras and lenses in the freezer. And yes, I'll call Canon!
P.S. Dirb, I've never even seen it myself or heard of it in my whole life. These things are INSANE, and yet they're so little your naked eye can't even see them. They look like regular dust particles.
Just to be safe, when you do toss it in the freezer, toss in a bag or two of fresh, dry silica gel.
That way, even the small amount of moisture in the bag will not harm the lens, although I had my lens frosted over in -27 C weather, tossed the camera+lens in a garbage bag, sealed with silica gel for a day, and it works fine.
Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, EGGS! Don’t forget them. Some eggs can sustain very much cold, and I guess you would be having your lenses crawling with insects soon again.
