Changed my tune on those cheap ultrasonic cleaners after a nasty lens job

I always thought those little ultrasonic cleaners from Amazon were a waste of money for camera stuff. Last month I had a Canon 24-70mm f2.8 that got some kind of fungus deep between the front group elements. Tried everything to get at it with swabs and fluid but no luck. Finally picked up a $55 Vevor ultrasonic unit on a whim. Threw the whole element group in there with some distilled water and a drop of dish soap for 3 minutes. Came out completely spotless and the glass looked better than when I started. Honestly I was shocked it actually worked without damaging the coatings. Anyone else using one of these for tricky element groups or am I just getting lucky?

2 comments

2 Comments

mason20914d ago

Oh man this brings back a memory. I remember watching a YouTube teardown of an old vintage lens where the guy used an ultrasonic cleaner on some really delicate Zeiss elements. He said the secret is keeping the temp low and using really short cycles like 2-3 minutes max. I think you were smart sticking with distilled water and such a mild cleaning solution instead of those harsh chemicals people try. Fungus between elements is the absolute worst to deal with and I've ruined a couple filters trying to scrub that stuff off with alcohol. The vibration from these cleaners is supposed to be gentle enough for modern coatings as long as you aren't blasting it for 10 minutes straight. I've heard some techs swear by them for getting haze off old glass too. Might have to grab one myself now honestly.

palmer.ryan14d ago

Grabbed one from Harbor Freight for $30 a few years back and thought I was a genius until I forgot to lower the water temp and cooked a perfectly good UV filter into a hazy mess. Now I keep a thermometer in there like I'm brewing kombucha and run everything on the shortest cycle possible. Best part is watching the fungus just lift off like it never wanted to be there in the first place.