About lens cleaning biotechnology....

   From: Adam Lane 
     To: eos@avocado.pc.helsinki.fi
Subject: A dust mite!?!
   Date: 21 March 1996

Soon after I purchased a 200mm f/2.8 lens last year, it got a really large white spec on one of the optical elements inside. This spec was quite a bit larger than any other piece of fluff in any other lens I own. It was quite disturbing but did not affect the beautiful pictures that this lens took.

Last week, I observed to my horror a dust mite crawling on this very same optical surface.

It walked directly towards the spec, ate it, then walked out of site. I watched it happen in amazement. The lens is pretty clean now except for a single fiber which came from the internal baffle.

The little mite has not reappeared since and I've disinfected quite a bit of stuff becasue of my new discovery about dust mites...I've never ever seen one before this...you sure can see anything when it's inside of a lens!

I can only hope it did not lay eggs inside of my lens.

I hope I can train these suckers so that I can sell my new internal lens cleaning technology.

Sick.

This isn't really an EOS issue, but it happened inside of an EOS lens.

Approval to proceed granted.
[Janne, I think it is wise to broaden the charter of this mailinglist to accommodate for this type of internal EOS subjects. Adam is apparently uncomfortable by stepping out of the well drawn limits of this mailinglist, so a charter adjustment is appropriate]

Soon after I purchased a 200mm f/2.8 lens last year, it got a really large white spec on one of the optical elements inside. This spec was quite a bit larger than any other piece of fluff in any other lens I own. It was quite disturbing but did not affect the beautiful pictures that this lens took.

Last week, I observed to my horror a dust mite crawling on this very same optical surface.

Just to give this report some scientific base:
-did you had a party the night before?
-do you sleepwalk often?
-how are your drinking habits?
-have you used cannabis products before?

It walked directly towards the spec, ate it, then walked out of site. I watched it happen in amazement. The lens is pretty clean now except for a single fiber which came from the internal baffle.

You just had a very rare encounter with the microfobia eosus.
Normally this type of organism only operates during the night, when most lenses are not in use.

My theory to explain this day time operation is that it suffered from severe time lag, or that it could not find enough food in the neighborhood.
Are you keeping your gear to clean perhaps?
Leave some food for these little buggers.

The little mite has not reappeared since and i've disinfected quite a bit of stuff becasue of my new discovery about dust mites...i've never ever seen one before this...you sure can see anything when it's inside of a lens!

I can only hope it did not lay eggs inside of my lens.

Oh....I was just about asking you that.
With the current cleaning and desinfecting mania this organism is on the edge of extinction. I believe some optical labs have breeding programs. Of course, these programs are higly classified. I heard that the Russians have had lots of malheur with their mites. The mites are quite susceptible to radio activity, and, as we all well know, Russia is one large radio-active dump. Early reports about the Russian situation said that only few of their mites survided; latest reports however claim that some of the radio active incidents have resulted in genetically altered species. One of these species is known for its glass eating behaviour. Problem was that they, as all micro-organisms, were kept in glass containers. No need to spell out the chaos that followed. Some Russian cities still have no glass in their windows. Russian Vodka industry almost collapsed.

I hope I can train these suckers so that I can sell my new internal lens cleaning technology.

Watch it....CIA has shown interest in this subject over the past months. I heard rumours that they recently traced down a Russian cell involved with the trade of these mites.

Sick.

Oh, btw, you didn't happen to take pic's of it, did you?
I know, it is sort of odd to take pic's of lenses....only newbies do that with their new bought lenses....but this case is an exeption.

[love this story! I humbly ask permission to put this on my homepage. This is too good not to share it with people outside this group!]

Not only did a strange bit of fluff appear where it should not, but it seems you have your very own "magic elves," willing to jump in and help where they may. Wow, what are the chances of that happening in the first place, much less while you were watching!

Keep your eyes open, it mite happen again. If so, film it!

Parasitically yours,

Darren W. Abate

If you decide to start commercially breeding these camera dust mites, please put me down for one mated pair. I've got some dust in my 100-300 I'd like to have eaten. ;)

Seriously, though, this was the funniest camera anecdote I've ever heard! Thanks for braving the eos list charter gauntlet to share it.

Wade Sheldon

Joe B.

Doc

By the way; you can repost the sick mite story if you want to.
I embellished nothing; it really happened that way.
The trip to DV probably dried the poor thing.