Is Breathing on Lenses a Good Idea (Even with a LensPen)?

silverlightphotoco
Aug 24, 2020
4 min read

Updated: Aug 10

First, a word from our sponsor (or maybe somebody else)

So, here's the actual start of this blog post:

INTRODUCTION:

I used to think the story about lens fungus was a lie crafted by desperate camera salesman in an attempt to sell the latest (and most expensive) lenses. To me it all made sense: They don't want me saving money by buying vintage lenses BECAUSE THEIR COMMISSION WOULD BE LESS! Not only so, if they could convince me that putting (infected) used lenses into a camera bag with new lenses could potentially ruin the new ones, it might make me scared enough to buy an entirely new system (including a new camera!) Now, I am not against buying new cameras (which I do from time to time) but only when the "effect" outweighs the cost (i.e. it will make me money). So, I remained skeptical about this story of lens fungus for quite some time. Then something happened to my trusty, old vintage Nikon 80-200 f/4 AIS.

*Vintage lenses (especially old 80-200 optics) are becoming difficult to find without fungus. So, when I find one the last thing I want to do is introduce fungus myself!*

MY NIKON 80-200 THAT ALMOST DIED

My Nikon 80-200 f/4 AIS, when used on a Panasonic Micro Four Thirds body with a .71x focal reducer, was an excellent low light tool, that didn't cost me anywhere near what the f/2.8 version would have. I used it for indoor photography (meetings and conferences) quite a bit, and I was happy with the quality and results. But, when I cleaned the Nikon 80-200 with a LensPen (following the instructions to BREATHE on the lens) immediately put the lens cap on and put it away (for what would become 3 months of storage) something bad happened. After three months of non-use (due to having switched to a Panasonic FZ1000 for most of my indoor telephoto work) I pulled the old "beer can" lens out of storage and was shocked to find the front element "frosted over" with lens fungus.

I HAD USED LENSPENS SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE...

At first, I had no idea why the fungus would have grown so quickly, when I had used a LensPen on it SEVERAL times before and had no problem. You may be saying the same "I've used a LensPen for YEARS, have ALWAYS breathed on my lenses AND HAVE NEVER HAD a problem with lens fungus!" I had too, and had in fact I had learned about breathing on lenses (to clean them) by watching camera salesman do it at a local (long since closed) camera store. I wondered "Why did my lens suffer lens fungus when many other people have not experienced the same issue?"

When I was a kid, I remember seeing a camera salesperson breathe on a lens, and then use a lens cloth to clean it. I thought it was weird...but even the LensPen manual says to do it...but DON'T DO IT!

IS LENS FUNGUS IS REAL?

My question as to whether lens fungus is real has been answered, but not in the way I would have wanted. I almost lost one of my favorite vintage lenses. Because of the risk of the fungus spreading, I sprayed quite a bit of 70% rubbing alcohol on the face of the lens (not recommended)...followed by doing the same with the lens cap and then letting them sit until completely dry. Then I did it again, and this time used a clean lens cloth to try to wipe the rest of it off. The good news is, the rubbing alcohol removed the frosty layer of fungus on the front element. I felt sure I had damaged the multicoatings on the front of the lens in the process though...but I figured it was worth it to sterilize the lens (and keep it from spreading). The questions that remained were: "Will the fungus come back?" and "Should I continue to use a LensPen?"

Here's a little inspiration to motivate you to keep fungus from growing on your lenses (i.e. cleaning them is no fun...sometimes there's no going back).

WHERE DID THE FUNGUS COME FROM?

As I thought about what to do, I remembered reading about how our mouths can be pretty dirty and contain a lot of bacteria and/or pathogens. I formed a theory that what may have contributed to the growth of fungus on the 80-200 lens was a dirty mouth (because it seems that a little of it may come out each time you breathe on a lens.) Also, if you follow up breathing on a lens by using a LensPen that had been used several times before (and put back into the wet and dark environment UNDER THE LENSPEN CAP) I figure that you may be introducing both old and new bacteria onto your lens each time you use that LensPen.

The only thing worse than BREATHING on a lens (and then using a Lens Pen) is using a FAKE LENS PEN to clean your Tiffen Black Pro Mist 1/4 and having it smear glue (from underneath the cleaning pad) on it!

DO I STILL USE LENS PENS?

Yes, but I don't breathe on my lenses any more to moisten them, as the LensPen instructions say to do. I'll spray Zeiss Lens Cleaner or do my cleaning with Zeiss Wipes #ad but sometimes I do finish it off with a LensPen (that I've never breathed on).

CONCLUSION:

In the end, I still recommend using the REAL LensPen (be careful of the fake ones, like in the image above). it's really, really important to not breathe on lenses to "clean" them though, and that's the main point of this article (sorry for repeating it so much). I'm glad I was able to learn this lesson on a low-cost vintage lens (and not on a really expensive lens)...If, however, you have to experience this loss with a more professional and expensive lens (and maybe one you depend on) that could really affect your budget (and maybe your career, if you think you need expensive lenses). So, don't breathe on your lenses, and especially don't do it right before putting them into storage for a long time.