I would get a UV ABC test card. Judging by the light wave length their primarily UVA LEDs in that sterilization wand. UVC is the light you want for sterilization, It's particularly bad for your eyes and skin. UVC production generally has a more pale blue glow(Mercury vapor) versus the deep purple of UVA LEDs (blacklight LEDs) or is invisible when UVC LEDs are used. If you got that wand around when COVID was in full swing a lot of those wands were fake and used UVA LEDs which aren't good for sterilization. Essentially it's just a black light for mechanic leak detection sold as a sterilization device at a markup. Most of the sterilization wands also have some sort of tilt switch so you can't shine it in your face. (Or at least all the ones I have used do so) It could be real and they're just using UVA LEDs so that you can see something. I would test it to be sure, otherwise you're just contaminating other lenses. Also you're going to need to hit both sides of the lens with UVC depending on the material they're made out of. This is why UVC tubes are made out of quartz.l, It's transparent to UVC. Also UVC is generally mostly absorbed by the atmosphere and is horrifically bad for your eyes and skin. This is essentially the equivalent of arc flashing yourself, It's really bad for your eyes. As I mentioned before most of the UV light is absorbed via the soda ash glass and you only get some UV b and a out. Also UVA LEDs are an order of magnitude or more cheaper than UVC LEDs. This is why there's such an incentive to sell you UVA LEDs and call them UVC LEDs.(which cost tens of dollars per LED) most of the cheaper sterilization wands use Mercury vapor bulbs because they're significantly cheaper than UVC LEDs. UVC is not safe and needs to be taken seriously. It will cause skin and eye damage, it will damage plastic and other things, It will cause ozone to form. UVC light is highly energetic and can damage the bonds some molecules. This is what makes it good at sterilizing things. You want to avoid skin and eye exposure. For long exposure periods you want to think about what other things are being exposed and will they be affected. For more information on UVC I would check out big Clive, although I would take safety a bit more seriously than he does. Also some of the science RUclipsrs are decent references but I can't think that have a good breakdown of this off the top of my head.
Interesting. Thanks for sharing this information and thanks for describing the look of UVC light. Now that you described it I know which is the one you are talking about. Also thanks for making it clear that UV can cause damage. I'm going to pin your comment so other people can read the valuable information you provided. I'm almost sure you are right and they are selling lamps that don't do exactly what they promise. I have noticed some things change color. I used to leave the light exposing lenses in the bathroom at night and I noticed my electrical toothbrush turned yellow, like "burned" so it may be a mixed light source.
Thanks for the sharing. Could UV C damage the oil of diaphragm and helicoid if used on long period to treat both fungi and thorium oxide on a Super-Takumar 50/1.4 (all metal construction) ?
I bought a germicide ultraviolet light and put it on my lens that clearly saw a distortion...I put the light bought on it and almost immediately I saw a diff...not sure how long that will last though...
That's interesting. I guess the fungus was still alive on your lens and the light killed it and caused it to shrink. In most cases you don't see a difference at all. The idea behind the UV treatment is just to kill the fungus, which has to be cleaned manually after that. I use it as a preventive measure on my lenses too.
@@acousticentertainment6768 Exposing a lens to direct sunlight won't damage the lens itself. DON'T point the lens towards the sun when the lens is mounted on the camera. Doing that can cause severe damage to the sensor or the shutter that are behind the lens. Glass inside the lens is basically a magnifier. You can expose the lens to sun light for about 30 minutes and make sure everything is OK after that. You can use aluminum foil to wrap the entire exterior of the lens so the light doesn't turn into heat. The light of the sun is not going to harm the glass, but it could damage the plastic parts and rubber. I'm sure manufacturers design lenses hat can be under the sun for more than 30 minutes, but better safe than sorry.
I was wondering if a long term exposition to UV light or more restrictive exposition to strong UV lamp could also damage the coating ? I am gonna work in a lab that may use it to disinfect working tables/areas and I'd love to use them for my lenses.
I don't think it would damage the coatings, but it could damage plastic, rubber parts or paint. UV light can cause harm and discoloration on several materials. Old lenses made of metal are more resistant in general. UV-C light works fast, I don't see a benefit in exposing the lenses to the light for more than a few minutes. It may be more beneficial to expose the lenses to UV light twice a year or so instead of exposing them once for a long period of time. I see it as a maintenance thing. Remember that fungus spores are present in dust that has contact with the lens and finds a good environment to grow in a dark humid place.
@@TheCinematographyLab thanks for the answer. I totally agree for a short period 2x a year as a maintenance procedure but my 50/1.4 has really yellowed so that I need to cure it. I'm more hesitant for balsam in cemented elements and oil; later one may be treated but balsam separation cannot.
@@Delmonteil I see. I don't know if you need UV-C light to treat a lens that has a yellow tint. UV-C is very aggressive, can affect your skin and your eyes and it generates ozone which is not safe to breath. I used an Ikea desktop lamp to treat a Super Takumar lens once and it worked great. I don't know how they kept selling the light for so long, I think it is still available. Do your research about the Ikea lamp. I did put the aluminum foil at the bottom, opened the iris all the way and exposed the lens to the Ikea light for several days. The yellow tint disappeared completely. The difference is the light was not strong or dangerous to be around. I know you can use fish tank lights and stuff like that too. They are just going to be more aggressive which may clear the yellow tint faster and it may damage something in the process. I have exposed a lot of lenses to UV light and none of them have had any issues, but there is always a chance, so I have to mention it.
I was actually thinking about this solution, just to keep things clean as a preventative measure. With Ozone as well The problem is what you're showing might not be UV-C
A lot of people do this, it was not my idea. I just made a video about it since I deal with a lot of old lenses. You are correct. I didn't know how UV-C looked at the time. The light I was using was advertised as UV-C. Now I know it's the blue pale light and I know it can cause harm to the skin and the eyes. I didn't know about the Ozone, but another guy commented that and I highlighted his comments so people know and take it into consideration too.
I would get a UV ABC test card. Judging by the light wave length their primarily UVA LEDs in that sterilization wand. UVC is the light you want for sterilization, It's particularly bad for your eyes and skin. UVC production generally has a more pale blue glow(Mercury vapor) versus the deep purple of UVA LEDs (blacklight LEDs) or is invisible when UVC LEDs are used.
If you got that wand around when COVID was in full swing a lot of those wands were fake and used UVA LEDs which aren't good for sterilization. Essentially it's just a black light for mechanic leak detection sold as a sterilization device at a markup. Most of the sterilization wands also have some sort of tilt switch so you can't shine it in your face. (Or at least all the ones I have used do so)
It could be real and they're just using UVA LEDs so that you can see something. I would test it to be sure, otherwise you're just contaminating other lenses. Also you're going to need to hit both sides of the lens with UVC depending on the material they're made out of. This is why UVC tubes are made out of quartz.l, It's transparent to UVC.
Also UVC is generally mostly absorbed by the atmosphere and is horrifically bad for your eyes and skin. This is essentially the equivalent of arc flashing yourself, It's really bad for your eyes. As I mentioned before most of the UV light is absorbed via the soda ash glass and you only get some UV b and a out. Also UVA LEDs are an order of magnitude or more cheaper than UVC LEDs. This is why there's such an incentive to sell you UVA LEDs and call them UVC LEDs.(which cost tens of dollars per LED) most of the cheaper sterilization wands use Mercury vapor bulbs because they're significantly cheaper than UVC LEDs.
UVC is not safe and needs to be taken seriously. It will cause skin and eye damage, it will damage plastic and other things, It will cause ozone to form. UVC light is highly energetic and can damage the bonds some molecules. This is what makes it good at sterilizing things. You want to avoid skin and eye exposure. For long exposure periods you want to think about what other things are being exposed and will they be affected.
For more information on UVC I would check out big Clive, although I would take safety a bit more seriously than he does. Also some of the science RUclipsrs are decent references but I can't think that have a good breakdown of this off the top of my head.
Interesting. Thanks for sharing this information and thanks for describing the look of UVC light. Now that you described it I know which is the one you are talking about. Also thanks for making it clear that UV can cause damage. I'm going to pin your comment so other people can read the valuable information you provided.
I'm almost sure you are right and they are selling lamps that don't do exactly what they promise. I have noticed some things change color. I used to leave the light exposing lenses in the bathroom at night and I noticed my electrical toothbrush turned yellow, like "burned" so it may be a mixed light source.
Thank you. I saw the dumb wand this guy was wasting his time waving over his lenses and ran right to the comments 😂😂😂
Thanks for the sharing. Could UV C damage the oil of diaphragm and helicoid if used on long period to treat both fungi and thorium oxide on a Super-Takumar 50/1.4 (all metal construction) ?
I like looking right at the uv light a lot
Hahaha well, you know it's not good for your eyes, but who am I to tell you not to do it?
Germicidal UV C light can make you blind.
I bought a germicide ultraviolet light and put it on my lens that clearly saw a distortion...I put the light bought on it and almost immediately I saw a diff...not sure how long that will last though...
That's interesting. I guess the fungus was still alive on your lens and the light killed it and caused it to shrink. In most cases you don't see a difference at all. The idea behind the UV treatment is just to kill the fungus, which has to be cleaned manually after that. I use it as a preventive measure on my lenses too.
PLACE THE LENS IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT FOR A FEW DAYS.
Yep, same concept. The light allows you to do it faster and you don't expose the lens to the elements like rain and dust, but the sun works fine too.
Does direct sun light damage lens? As lens is a electronic device, if its okay to put in sunlight, for how long can we expose it to sunlight?
@@acousticentertainment6768 Exposing a lens to direct sunlight won't damage the lens itself. DON'T point the lens towards the sun when the lens is mounted on the camera. Doing that can cause severe damage to the sensor or the shutter that are behind the lens. Glass inside the lens is basically a magnifier.
You can expose the lens to sun light for about 30 minutes and make sure everything is OK after that. You can use aluminum foil to wrap the entire exterior of the lens so the light doesn't turn into heat.
The light of the sun is not going to harm the glass, but it could damage the plastic parts and rubber. I'm sure manufacturers design lenses hat can be under the sun for more than 30 minutes, but better safe than sorry.
Thanks mate, really good information
Glad you enjoyed it mate!
Good information about uv light! 💯
I was wondering if a long term exposition to UV light or more restrictive exposition to strong UV lamp could also damage the coating ? I am gonna work in a lab that may use it to disinfect working tables/areas and I'd love to use them for my lenses.
I don't think it would damage the coatings, but it could damage plastic, rubber parts or paint. UV light can cause harm and discoloration on several materials. Old lenses made of metal are more resistant in general. UV-C light works fast, I don't see a benefit in exposing the lenses to the light for more than a few minutes.
It may be more beneficial to expose the lenses to UV light twice a year or so instead of exposing them once for a long period of time. I see it as a maintenance thing. Remember that fungus spores are present in dust that has contact with the lens and finds a good environment to grow in a dark humid place.
@@TheCinematographyLab thanks for the answer. I totally agree for a short period 2x a year as a maintenance procedure but my 50/1.4 has really yellowed so that I need to cure it. I'm more hesitant for balsam in cemented elements and oil; later one may be treated but balsam separation cannot.
@@Delmonteil I see. I don't know if you need UV-C light to treat a lens that has a yellow tint. UV-C is very aggressive, can affect your skin and your eyes and it generates ozone which is not safe to breath.
I used an Ikea desktop lamp to treat a Super Takumar lens once and it worked great. I don't know how they kept selling the light for so long, I think it is still available. Do your research about the Ikea lamp. I did put the aluminum foil at the bottom, opened the iris all the way and exposed the lens to the Ikea light for several days. The yellow tint disappeared completely. The difference is the light was not strong or dangerous to be around. I know you can use fish tank lights and stuff like that too. They are just going to be more aggressive which may clear the yellow tint faster and it may damage something in the process. I have exposed a lot of lenses to UV light and none of them have had any issues, but there is always a chance, so I have to mention it.
Thanks
Thanks man, great info
Glad it was helpful!
I was actually thinking about this solution, just to keep things clean as a preventative measure. With Ozone as well
The problem is what you're showing might not be UV-C
A lot of people do this, it was not my idea. I just made a video about it since I deal with a lot of old lenses.
You are correct. I didn't know how UV-C looked at the time. The light I was using was advertised as UV-C. Now I know it's the blue pale light and I know it can cause harm to the skin and the eyes. I didn't know about the Ozone, but another guy commented that and I highlighted his comments so people know and take it into consideration too.