I found a dried-up spider inside a lens and it fixed a haze problem

So I was working on this old Pentax 50mm f/1.4 for a customer last week, and there was this weird foggy spot I couldn't clean no matter what. I took the rear element group apart for the third time (I know, I know) and found a tiny dead spider wedged between two lens coatings. It had basically turned into a little dust ball over the years and was causing a soft blur. I removed it with a pair of tweezers and now the lens is crystal clear, no more haze. Kinda makes me wonder how many other 'haze' issues are just bug carcasses in disguise. Anyone else ever find something weird inside a lens that was actually the problem?

2 comments

2 Comments

lucas_carr2427d ago

Had a buddy find a petrified fly inside a vintage Canon FD 50mm once. It was stuck right in between the front element and the first internal group, casting a weird shadow that looked like a nasty scratch until he popped it open. He used a toothpick to carefully scrape it out and the lens went from looking like it had a fungus problem to being totally clean. Still jokes that he paid for a 'vintage lens with character' and got a free insect mummy with it.

uma_mitchell8326d ago

@lucas_carr24 was the fly fossilized or just dried out?