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Full Version: Old lens amateurs watch our for radioactive lenses
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There are many lenses poduced between the 1940s and 70s using thorium oxide up to 30% of the weight, now replaced by calcium fluorite  

here's a list so if you have any of those watch out 

 

 

http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Radioactive_lenses

Thorium oxide is not replaced by fluorite. 

 

And you do not have to watch out when you do have a lens with a radioactive element either, in normal usage they pose no extra risk.

Quote:Thorium oxide is not replaced by fluorite. 

 

And you do not have to watch out when you do have a lens with a radioactive element either, in normal usage they pose no extra risk.
Whatever, you can use it, I won't Smile
That is fine. Just correcting your post, no reason you would have to want to use old lenses with thorium- or lanthanum oxide glass.

 

Thorium oxide in glass was used in normal and wide angle lenses mostly. Calcium Fluoride (fluorite) has not replaced that, fluorite is mainly used by Canon on tele primes and tele zoom lenses, and lately a few tele primes and 1 tele zoom from Nikon also use fluorite.

If you use it you'll have laser eyes like Superman! Big Grin

Btw, radioactive lenses used in the viewfinders are much more dangerous and not even well documented.

Quote:Btw, radioactive lenses used in the viewfinders are much more dangerous and not even well documented.


Totally agree since they put the user at risk of radiology induced cataract
Cool.  I wonder if you can take x-ray photos, just like those x-ray glasses of my childhood:

http://www.comicscardscollectables.com/2...y-glasses/
Radioactivity? Is that where the "Leica glow" comes from? Smile

Now you mentioned it...  ^_^ as good as the X-rays on airports could damage the films, the radiating lens probably would have done a kind of pre-exposure, so the sensitivity was already increased. Being able to do street photography by carrying a tiny nuclear power station around, ha! MILC should use the effects so the battery are not running down so quickly. 

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