Radioactive Lenses | |
There’s a lot of misinformation about radioactive lenses – from scare stories about growing an extra arm and getting cancer, all the way to saying that radioactive lenses are entirely harmless. The truth is somewhere between the two extremes and requires careful consideration. petapixel.com »
Some lenses produced from the 1940s through the 1970s were treated with radioactive thorium oxide to curb chromatic aberration. But as Andrew Walker explains in this 7.5-minute video, modern digital cameras can actually “see” that radiation as image noise that has the potential ruin your long exposures. There are a significant number of lenses produced […] petapixel.com »
If you're a film photographer or an avid collector of decades-old photography gear, chances are, you've run into some or heard about radioactive lenses. Or, you could be actively shooting with them right now and are completely unaware of it. thephoblographer.com »
Warning: This video contains a bit of strong language and disturbing (comical) gore. Vintage lens lover and YouTuber Mathieu Stern gets a lot of questions about radioactive lenses—will they give me cancer? are they dangerous? should I avoid buying them? These old lenses use radioactive thorium oxide, and this fact gives a lot of photographers pause when they're thinking of buying one. dpreview.com »