"B+W" UV-Pro Premium sterilizer

[richardHaw]

http://richardhaw.com/2017/05/22/unboxing-bw-uv-pro-premium/

looks like I got conned. I am not sure if this is indeed a genuine B+W. If it works, fine. I am just upset at getting conned into buying something that I thought was a genuine product. If you read my blog post and my video. you will see that it was well-presented but doesn't look in-line with most B+W products, is not listed on the website and is mainly sold by vendors from Australasia. 

The biggest giveaway was that the instructions were only in chinese and english. the videos on youtube were also published by chinese (mainlanders) and one of them looked tacky. anyway, still waiting for an official reply.

Just a heads-up. there are many fake B+W items out there and they can be difficult to spot because they do not look shabby and the packaging is VERY similar to the real thing.

[Akira]

Interesting device.  But I would doubt if UVC whose wavelength is shorter than 300nm can pass through the optical glasses of the usual camera lenses.   

The price may be legitimate.  When I asked about the price of a fairly powerful UV LED (365nm) several years ago at a wholesaler in Akihabara, the rep said it would cost about 48,000 JPY.  If a 300nm UV LED would really exist, it should be quite expensive even now.

Even if it wouldn't work, you should still be able to use it as the light source for the UV induced visible fluorescence.  Enjoy!

[richardHaw]

they have a test on youtube. but being conducted by a mainlander, I am not so sure about the honesty of their claims/results.

like i said in my blog, this might be OK for the low pass filter or stuff on the surface but useless for things underneath the front and rear element.

[Akira]

Rick, when I knew the selling point of this gadget, I stopped reading your texts.   

Sorry about that!

[JJChan]

Rick
I bought one. I live in a limestone house and the damp gets into the walls and stays. We have 45degree hot dry summers but cupboards still have mould. Hence despite dehumidifiers and silica, I bought this in case. Short of me buying a lens cupboard (sadly no space in my house), I will do anything to prevent lens fungus.

I think it is well made. It is not easy to do the locking mechanism with magnet and the UV unit is well machined. Mine looks exactly like yours. I bought it from Cathay Photo, also very reputable in Singapore. I had one on order from Camera Electronic in Perth but inexplicably had the item cancel and money refunded.

Does it work? Who knows - but even working in UV sterilised fume hoods and being a supposed expert in UV biology, I still don't understand how UV-C is fungi/bacterial/viricidal....

[richardHaw]

Does it work? Who knows - but even working in UV sterilised fume hoods and being a supposed expert in UV biology, I still don't understand how UV-C is fungi/bacterial/viricidal....

i messaged Cathay yesterday, waiting for their reply. I am currently convinced that this is indeed not a legit item.
I never bought there, too expensive for me  but that is the price you pay for a reputable business rather then being conned at lucky plaza

[Andrea B.]

Schneider-Kreuznach Optics is the maker of B+W filters.
Here is a link to their Home Page in English:  https://www.schneideroptics.com/

I could not find any reference to this sterilizer on the Schneider-Kreuznach page.

UV-C works by breaking the nucleic acids in a cell, thus upsetting the DNA chain. (UV causes a reaction between thymine molecules.) You can read all about it in Wikipedia, of course. <smile>
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolet_germicidal_irradiation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_DNA_damage

Whether UV-C can penetrate the typical lens glass is unlikely. But there is ample material on line about glass transmission properties, so that could be investigated. Of course, lens coatings are another matter. Coatings are often anti-reflective or UV-blocking and so may also block this gadget's UV-C output.

Sterilization with UV works only via line-of-sight, so any fungus lurking in interior threads or not reached by UV would not be killed.

As Owner-Admin of UltravioletPhotography.com, I feel I must provide a warning about UV-C, which is extremely dangerous to human eyes and skin. If UV-C can break up bacterial or fungal DNA, then it can also break up human DNA. And UV in concentrated UV-Led form can cause UV burns to your eyes.

Finally, I note that even if any fungus was killed within a lens using UV irradiation, the spores and filaments would remain. You would still have to open the lens and clean out the fungus.

[Alaun]

Something I have tested now several times and what seems to work:

Sometimes you get an old lens in a leather box and these leather boxes have a mouldy smell.
When I illuminate the inner of the boxes with my UV-light (one of the slightly more powerful 365nm types from MTE, so only UV-A) for a couple of hours, I get rid of the smell.

(When you to test it, keep in mind all the warnings Andrea pointed at, which hold for UV-A as well.)

[Bjørn Rørslett]

That's a useful tip, Werner. I have a nose very sensitive to mouldy smells and usually throw these cases away. Must try my Nichia UV-LED torches on them instead?

[Alaun]

A confirmation of my finding would be nice!

[Bjørn Rørslett]

A confirmation of my finding would be nice!

Have to buy another old lens first

As if I needed more lenses ...

[Frank Fremerey]

Question: Hermes seems to produce bags in sweat shops in India. Does B&W produce in Bad Kreuznach only or do they have some sweat shop producers too?

I know some of the Hermes sweat shops sell "original" stuff through the back door. Could it be a parallel case?

[Akira]

If fair amount of UV could reach the internal elements, this gadget could be used to remedy the yellowing of the thoriated element?   

[Andrea B.]

UV-A and UV-B won't kill mold. As noted above, it takes UV-C (not in the sunlight which reaches earth) to kill mold. Only UV-C can induce the molecular interaction in the DNA's thymine which breaks the nucleotides and kills the organism.

And, unfortunately, we must also note that even if you manage to kill all the mold cells with UV-C, the mold toxins may remain and still cause an allergic reaction. So Bjørn, please continue to throw away those old moldy cases. I've seen you suffering from those allergies and it is not a pretty sight!!!

******

Has there been any comment by the real B+W about the sterilizer thing?

If someone really really thinks that having a UV-C sterilizer is a good idea, then you can get one for (US)$29 on amazon.com. But I recommend not messing around with this stuff.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B008PN74LM/ref=dp_olp_0?ie=UTF8&condition=all

[richardHaw]

i call the moldy smell "bible stink" because old and moldy books tend to smell like that