PSA: My ultrasonic cleaner nearly destroyed a $400 lens

I threw a stuck helicoid from a 50mm f/1.4 into my 40kHz ultrasonic with just water and a drop of dish soap. Ran it for 10 minutes and the glass elements separated from their mounts, completely fogged. Apparently the vibration was too strong for the cemented groups without proper support. I learned the hard way that you either need a dedicated lens holder or stick to hand-cleaning for optics. Now I only use the tank for metal body parts and aperture blades. Has anyone else had this happen or found a safe way to use one on glass?

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leehall29d ago

Damn, ten minutes in a tank with just soap and water? That's brutal. I would have figured the glass was tougher than that, honestly. Cemented groups coming apart like that sounds like a nightmare, especially on a lens worth that kind of money. I've seen guys throw all sorts of junk in those things, but never heard of the optics themselves just giving up. Makes me want to double-check anything I ever put in mine, even if it's just a metal ring. You probably saved a few other people from making the same mistake, so thanks for taking the hit on that one.

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