I broke my most expensive camera

Well maybe just the lens

Video recorded on Panasonic S1H and iPhone, using RODE Microphones.

Social Media:

George:

#PHOTOGRAPHY

[bananarama]

We do filter removals at the camera store I work at.
You have to break the remaining glass out of the filter, get a pair of pliers, and twist the filter at the rim (collapsing it inwards on itself) until it eventually snaps off.
Most major camera stores or technicians should be able to do this for you for $50 or so!

[thiagobnla]

I broke my most expensive camera > I broke my most expensive lens > I broke a lens filter

[Sardinie]

Rubber oil filter wrench. It will stick to the metal really well and is the best option at removing filters/threaded adapters. Cheap too. For thin filters like this, just use the rubber “band” part and your hands.

[nicolaiecostel]

There is actually a very simple way that i use to remove stuck filters. Don't try it if you are afraid. I just take a knife and jam it between the filter and the lens, on the outside, then i slowly wiggle the blade and if the filter is slim, it warps the thread just enough to get it out, similar like a jar lid

I know it might sound stupid but i managed to get a filter unstuck a couple times

[griffinnichols]

I slowly broke the filter glass and then put the rim of the filter in a work bench vise to twist off. Biggest tip I can give, is if you break the glass make sure you put tape either duct or electrical over the entire front of the broken glass, and try to do it to where the glass is facing downward. That way gravity does it's thing and has the glass fall onto the tape, hopefully in bigger pieces.

[nicolasdatiche]

Best solution, send it to Fujifilm UK. They will remove the filter, check calibration. It's an expensive lens, even you have to pay a little bit it deserve it.

[khanscombe]

Yes George. It happened to one of mine ages ago. Few options. 1st is to try double sided carpet tape directly into the glass and a rubber bit of some kind to use to unscrew it. Sometimes it will actually unscrew the glass & retaining ring right out the front instead. If at all possible to screw in another filter straightening filter threads at whatever means you can. then do so with thicker filter and wrap a high tack tape completely around the "two" filters together then using the double sided tape method as earlier to unscrew the whole bit. Are the filter threads of the lens metal though? A 3rd method is a bit fiddly but involves making a sort of ring spanner to wrap around the taped together bits. The wrenching them off. Being careful for the lend of course.

[Master-Grammar]

I did the same to my XT4 last year. I took it to the Fujifilm Shop in Istanbul where I bought it and since they are the official distributor for Fujfilm in Turkey, they fixed it for free. I recommend taking a quick flight to Istanbul and get it fixed. They fixed it and I got it the next day. It was free because it was under warranty

[Zolacolor]

I've removed a broken filter similar to this before - I did so by (very carefully) using a hacksaw to make a cut as close to the lens as possible and then pushing in the cut section. I made sure the metal dust went away from the rest of the lens. You will need to remove the majority of the glass beforehand, I'd recommend you stick some transparent tape over the filter and gently crack it away. Your goal is mainly to reduce the clamping force created by the slight enlargement of the filter. The advantage to this method is you aren't forcing anything round the thread so you won't increase the damage to the lens.

[queencrimsonqueencrimson]

I had the same issue with a Mamiya lens! I was travelling in Brussels and it was the only lens I had brought for my 645. I found a local lab to see if they could help in any way and the owner kindly smashed the filter’s glass with a tiny hammer and removed the glass! It’s risky for obvious reasons but I was *not* gonna continue my trip without my camera! He was actually super delicate and helpful and it saved me! The filter ring is still on cause of the dent but i’m not too bothered about that. I’ve tried some of the tricks you’ve probably found when googling but none of them worked. As I said I’m not too bothered and I feel like I may actually ruin the lens by trying to remove the ring so would rather keep it as is!

[_o__o_]

dent all your other lenses in the same way. start a revolution ✊

[thedondeluxe]

That photo in the river is extremely nice. Water on film somehow takes on this magical quality.

[ako]

You can try to heat and then allow the metal to cool. This will cause an expansion and contraction and may break the friction bond that has been imparted on the filter threads and the lens threads. Just be careful. You don’t need to get the metal glowing hot, just warmer than warm. I don’t recommend and oil filter wrench. They are a clumsy too and would be very hard to get only the filter within the grip of the tool.

[ulrikchristiansen]

That image of her in the water is just beautiful, I think.

[jancestr]

I've had really similar problem with Cpl filter and my lens, nothing worked so as a last thing I just tried to stick really thin screw driver in between the filter and filter mount and then I've used the screwdriver as a sort of leaver to pull the filter out on one side and then I was able to take it out with my hand. thankfully it didn't damaged my lens but I had to be really careful.

[James.Bondsai]

What we did in the camera store where I worked: Get as much glass out of the filter as possible, and let it touch the lens glass as little as possible. Then, and this might sound frightening but honestly it works a charm: get a metal saw, and saw in a bit of the rim of the filter, around where there's no glass in the filter. This weakens the rim. After this, take some pliers and bend the rim inwards so the filter comes loose. We never showed this to customers because of how it looked, but honestly this method worked very well without damaging the lens itself.

[lavender-gorilla]

Hi, I've been in a similar but not identical situation. I have a GW690 and the focus ring that encircles the helicoid became deformed after it either got dropped or something fell on it while in my bag. It's pretty simple in theory, but you simply have to re-deform your filter to it's original shape. Presumably, the filter threads of your camera are made of a harder metal (this isn't certain btw!) though obvious it is still wise to be somewhat ginger when trying to fix it.

My proposed solution is simple, just take a pair of needle nosed pliers and bend the filter rim as close as you can to the original shape. This will reset the threads so they are no longer locking with the camera, or at least so that the friction is reduced and you can unscrew it. I'd be willing to bet your camera is no worse for the wear after this. I was amazed how much pressure and force I could apply to my gw690 without it getting damaged, even on the glass which is extremely hard.

[saintvallen]

Take a big adjustable wrench and squeeze it tight enough and turn it
I had to do this with a corroded battery where I needed to wiggle it out, scared me shitless to be honest.

But once it is tight it shouldn't need a lot of force to get loose. Using gloves, hands or another loose material will make it harder to turn

[SeeMick]

Adam Savage made a video a few years ago about removing a stuck filter from a camera lens

[duckk]

I had the same problem recently. I put a rubber band around the filter, turned the filter while pulling the rubber band. Worked quite well.