amy975•22d agoMost Upvoted

PSA: I found out the hard way that lens fungus can smell like old cheese

I was cleaning a vintage 50mm lens I got from a pawn shop in Tulsa, and I noticed this funky odor coming from the glass. Turns out, the fungus inside the elements gives off a distinct cheesy smell when it's been growing for a while... I had to take the whole barrel apart and soak the glass in hydrogen peroxide. Has anyone else noticed weird smells coming from older lenses during a repair?

3 comments

3 Comments

sarah22922d ago

Cheese smell usually means it's just old lubricant breaking down, not fungus.

riley_price21d ago

Wait, are we sure that's all it is though? I've had some pedals that just smelled like straight up dirty socks and it was definitely the glue from the foam inside going bad. Not saying you're wrong, but sometimes it's both things happening at the same time. Old lube AND crud from the case are a nasty combo.

sean_walker4515d ago

You said "old lube AND crud from the case," and I totally get that combo. But lube breakdown is the main culprit for that cheesy smell, not mold or fungus. I've had a vintage Colorsound wah that reeked like Parmesan and it was just the grease in the pot going rancid. The foam inside was fine, no rot or anything. So yeah, the dirt from the case can add to the stink, but that cheesy note is usually just the lubricant getting old. It's weird how specific the smell is, almost like it's a different thing entirely.