Can we talk about how I was storing my lenses wrong for years

I kept my camera bag in the car trunk for like 2 years. One day I pulled out my 50mm and the glass had this weird haze. A repair buddy told me the heat cycles from the car was basically cooking the internal lubricants and making them fog up. He showed me a diagram of how the oil was spreading onto the elements. Has anyone else wrecked gear from bad storage habits?

3 comments

3 Comments

brooke_jones2d ago

That heat cycling cooked the grease in my old 70-200mm too.

fiona_hunt712d ago

Grab some compressed air and a UV light next time, @brooke_jones - the caked-on gunk hides everywhere in those sealed barrels. Tbh some people swear by freezing the lens overnight to loosen the dried grease before a proper service.

nathankim2d ago

Used to think a dry closet was just overpriced hype. But after seeing what happened to @brooke_jones's 70-200mm, I moved my gear into the house. Heat cycles in the car are no joke, that oil fog is permanent once it sets.