Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear => Topic started by: Khurram on May 03, 2008, 12:42:13 am
-
I just wanted to get some advice on getting a UV filter that is stuck on my 16-35L II lens.
I have had problems in the past with the Hoya Pro1 filters getting stuck on my Lee wide angle adapter ring, but with a bit of a struggle have always managed to get it off.
I've had a Rodenstock 82mm UV filter on the lens for the past 6mth and have been trying to take it off, but it just won't budge. When i try turning, it it looks look the black portion, with the red ring is going to move, as there is some wiggle there, but the filter won't budge.
I've tried putting another UV filter, a polarizing filter and a Lee wide angle ring on the filter and then trying to take it off, but have had no success. This has always worked in the past, but this time, I'm stumped on what to do.
I'd appreciate any advice i can get. I had been on a wait list for the SIngh-ray color combo filter for a long time and the filter finally came in, but i just can't get the damn UV filter off.
-
Go to a camera repair shop where they'll have filter wrenches or get some off ebay. You can even make your own if you're so inclined.
-
You can also try to use rubber gloves. Don't put too much power or your risk damaging the black part of your lens. When you try to turn your filter, don't hold it too tight.
-
My solution has been to use a thick, tight rubber band, carefully set around the edge of the stuck filter, then to turn with relatively light pressure. To date, this has always worked.
The issue is usually unequal force applied to points along the filter edge. The rubber band (or a filter wrench, for that matter), equalizes the lateral turning force to a sufficient degree. Anyway, try it. And if it works, keep some rubber bands in your bag.
-
With some lenses (eg 85mm f/1.2 EF L) you might also remove the front chunk of your lens with the filter so be patient....
You should also contact this ebay seller and see if he has an 82mm version
http://cgi.ebay.com/Camera-Lens-Filter-Wre...1QQcmdZViewItem (http://cgi.ebay.com/Camera-Lens-Filter-Wrench-Set-48mm-49mm-52mm-55mm-58mm_W0QQitemZ290226075582QQihZ019QQcategoryZ74909QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)
-
Create a noose with a thin piece of twine. Slip it around the edge of the filter and pull, in the right direction of course. If the noose slips, make it tacky with a bit of contact glue.
-
...
The issue is usually unequal force applied to points along the filter edge. The rubber band (or a filter wrench, for that matter), equalizes the lateral turning force to a sufficient degree.
...
Right, this is the main problem when one tries to unscrew a stuck filter. Trying harder usually means that too much pressure goes on two or three points and this tends to deform the filter.
-
Try using a long electrical cable tie. It is a plastic strip you can wrap around the rim and cinch up.
Also, try to tighten the filter a tiny tiny bit. Sounds absurd, but if the threads are seized in the loosening direction, going in the opposite direction can sometimes free it.
-
I read somewhere once that you can take a rubber sole shoe, put it in your hand (like put your hand where your foot is) and then turn.
I've used this technique many times in the past and it has always worked
-
I'd like to thank everybody for the suggestions.l i tried everything suggested but without any success. I actually also took the lens to Vistek and the Camera store and they also tried taking the filter off with everything from a rubberband, using the rubber from a shoe, to a Hama filter tool, but it is just stuck on solid.
I'm going to take the camera to Canon on Tuesday and if they can't take it off, i'll dry cracking the filter glass and removing the filter.
-
I'd like to thank everybody for the suggestions.l i tried everything suggested but without any success. I actually also took the lens to Vistek and the Camera store and they also tried taking the filter off with everything from a rubberband, using the rubber from a shoe, to a Hama filter tool, but it is just stuck on solid.
I'm going to take the camera to Canon on Tuesday and if they can't take it off, i'll dry cracking the filter glass and removing the filter.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=193354\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
You know...one more suggestion, But, only as a last resort before breaking the glass (as you could potentially hurt the lenses glass doing that.
Chances are that the two pieces of metal are different. If they are made of different metal composition they will expand/contract at different rates at different temperatures.
If you can heat up the metal of the filter without heating up the connection with the lens (Dipping end into boiling water for a period of time, drying it quickly, then trying the shoe thing again or something).
-
I've had a similar problem. Usually, the rubber band trick worked, but once nothing worked. (Put a rubber band on both the filter and the lens.) I used a small screw driver and placed the tip between the lens and the filter, then gave a gentle little twist. There was a slight "pop" sound, and the filter was free. Maybe I had a little cross threading. I'm not sure, but it worked. No damage to either the lens or filter. I've never had to use that method again.
-
I've also heard of putting the lens in a plastic bag, then in the fridge for a couple hours to cool down. Sometimes the reduced temperature can cause things to contract just enough to come loose.
Also, try finding a rubber "jar opener" at your local supermarket store. Very handy for unscrewing stuck things - basically a flat piece of rubber to give grip.
-
This will not help remove the filter, but may help to stop it in the future.
Run a H/B pencil lead lightly around the filter thread, the grafite will lub the setup and help take out any rough edges that dig in to the lens thread. Along with a uniform pressure around the filter will help when removing it.
Bob
-
Get a can of freezer spray (eg. used to cool electronic components for testing) and spray it round the outside of the filter ring. Give it a good spray if necessary. The filter should then be easy to unscrew. I had the same issue with my 70-200 and a polarizer.
-
well, i dropped off the lens at Canon earlier this week and got a call back today. The filter wouldn't come off because it was cross threaded. They told me that the barrel needs to be replaced, for me to be able to attach filters and that they were unable to get the filter off, so the only way to remove it is to break it.
It's going to cost $190. Nothing like this has happened to me in my 18 years in photography, but i am definately going to be more careful now!!!
-
Perhaps it's too late, but see my post above about using a small screw driver on a cross threaded filter. Since it sounds like you're going to both break your filter and replace the barrel on your lens, you really have nothing to lose by trying my screw driver suggestion.
-
Perhaps it's too late, but see my post above about using a small screw driver on a cross threaded filter. Since it sounds like you're going to both break your filter and replace the barrel on your lens, you really have nothing to lose by trying my screw driver suggestion.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=194847\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
thanks for the suggestion. I actually did try that as well as a couple of other suggestions before taking it to Canon. It seemed like nothing was working in this case.
-
thanks for the suggestion. I actually did try that as well as a couple of other suggestions before taking it to Canon. It seemed like nothing was working in this case.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=194857\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
I take it that neither the heat or cold things worked?
-
I take it that neither the heat or cold things worked?
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=194867\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
I didn't try heat (kind of paranoid of damaging the lens), but did try cold. I tried two of the sugested methods, put ice against the filter to try and cool the filter, as well as putting the lens/filter in the refrigerator for a few hours. Neither did the trick. Canon apperantly also tried using filter wrenches which also didn't work.
-
I didn't try heat (kind of paranoid of damaging the lens), but did try cold. I tried two of the sugested methods, put ice against the filter to try and cool the filter, as well as putting the lens/filter in the refrigerator for a few hours. Neither did the trick. Canon apperantly also tried using filter wrenches which also didn't work.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=194877\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Sorry to hear that. best of luck. thanks for the feedback.
-
A picture framer's strap clamp always works for me - the kind that has a steel band and tightens via twisting the handle. Put a rubberized cloth (or something that grips and will protect the lens) over the front of the lens, apply the clamp (to the filter only) and tighten. Twist anti-clockwise and bingo, you should have released the filter. The strap clamp is great because the strap contacts (and thus grips) the filter acoss it's entire surface area without stretching. For really stuck filters, dispense with the cloth, and just apply the clamp to the filter.
-
I know this sounds simple, perhaps even over simple,
but it is safe and worth a try. It has got me out of many a
'stuck filter' situation.
Hold the camera is your left hand with the back facing your palm
and the lense facing upward.
Now place the palm of you right hand over the offending filter,
apply firm pressure and at the same time, try to turn the filter
with your palm.
Give it a try, even try a few times if necessary. The theory is that
the palm of your had acts like a 360 degree clamp on the filter and applies
equal pressure all round the filter. One of the reasons for 'stuck' filters
is that we try to remove them with just the index finger and the thumb.
This distorts the circularity of the filter making it difficult to remove.
Good Luck!
Robert Calder
-
I know this sounds simple, perhaps even over simple,
but it is safe and worth a try. It has got me out of many a
'stuck filter' situation.
Hold the camera is your left hand with the back facing your palm
and the lense facing upward.
Now place the palm of you right hand over the offending filter,
apply firm pressure and at the same time, try to turn the filter
with your palm.
Give it a try, even try a few times if necessary. The theory is that
the palm of your had acts like a 360 degree clamp on the filter and applies
equal pressure all round the filter. One of the reasons for 'stuck' filters
is that we try to remove them with just the index finger and the thumb.
This distorts the circularity of the filter making it difficult to remove.
Good Luck!
Robert Calder
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=202669\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Robert -
For a non-crossthreaded filter, your advice is the best starting point. The filter mounting ring on virtually all modern lenses is plastic, so getting heavy handed in installing a filter can lead to seizing. If the palm of the hand doesn't work, try placing the lens face down on a grippy rubber surface like a jar lid remover or piece of inner tube and turning the lens. Filter wrenches and belt type solutions are the next best bet. Just grabbing at the rim usually causes the filter ring to ovalize, which just makes it grab harder.
If the filter is cross threaded slightly, popping it with a screwdriver can usually break it free. Those that are more so or distorted due to impact usually require destruction of the filter.
Before breaking the glass check if the glass is held in place by a threaded ring with spanner slots. If so, try unscrewing the ring to remove the glass. If breaking is required, be very careful, as the front element can be within millimeters of the filter. I highly recommend taking it to a tech with experience in this. I've done many and it's always nerve wracking, and I always inform the customer that there is potential for damage to the front element. So far I've only had one that ended up with a small divot. The lens was already pretty hammered, so the customer wasn't too upset and I've done several for him since(sports Photog). I'm sure that one of the reasons for Canon's high repair charge is due to factoring in the replacement cost of a front element.
Due to lubricants and electronics, I would not recommend heat solutions. Cold should not be a problem, just so long as it's dry.
Insofar a lubing the filter threads, I use the old fisherman's trick of nose grease. Sounds gross, but works a treat. Graphite has a tendency to get everywhere and is a PITA to clean off.
-
Robert -
For a non-crossthreaded filter, your advice is the best starting point. The filter mounting ring on virtually all modern lenses is plastic, so getting heavy handed in installing a filter can lead to seizing. If the palm of the hand doesn't work, try placing the lens face down on a grippy rubber surface like a jar lid remover or piece of inner tube and turning the lens. Filter wrenches and belt type solutions are the next best bet. Just grabbing at the rim usually causes the filter ring to ovalize, which just makes it grab harder.
If the filter is cross threaded slightly, popping it with a screwdriver can usually break it free. Those that are more so or distorted due to impact usually require destruction of the filter.
<snip>
Not quite sure what is meant by "popping it with a screwdriver", but an old machinist's trick for this situation is to use a small chisel (a sharp, flat-blade screwdriver could work) to tap the ring of the filter around in the "unscrew"direction. The trick is to use very light taps and lots of them. A bit of alcohol to lubricate the (possibly cross-threaded) threads really helps. This technique is best done by practiced hands, but if you are already contemplating destruction of the filter (!!!) it is definitely worth a try.
-
What's the problem? Keep it on.
I too have this. It has been there for over a year, non-removable with any of the methods suggested, and more. I wanted to have the filter on the lens, did not I? :-)
I plan to sell it; the ad will be "Tamron 28-75mm with a welded on B+W UV filter".
-
Try automotive oil filter wrenches. Oil filter wrenches are designed to grip and turn smooth-sided oil filters on vehicle engines, and are available in a variety of sizes. They grip the entire diameter of the filter (oil or optical), thus avoiding the pressure point problem referenced earlier, and allow you to apply some serious torque. If lens disassembly is a concern, use two--one on the lens barrel, and the other on the filter. I had the same problem with a polarizer and a 35-350L a few years ago, and tried everything mentioned so far without success. The oil filter wrench had it off in about 30 seconds.