So for the first time ever someone asked me if he could use one of my camera's for the weekend.
I lend him my back-up 20D + 17-40mmL F4 attached last Friday, and he dropped it!!!!!!! Just got it back this afternoon.
Camera and lens seem to work fine, but the UV-filter is stuck stuck stuck. I tried the good old "freezer trick" but that didn't work.
Does anyone of you have a great idea how to solve this, or is it a matter of sending it in to Canon? (by the way, there are some splinters of glass between the filter and the lens, which might damage the lens as well)
Get a hack saw and cut two notches across the diameter of the filter and twist it off, use the two notches to put a lever in (like the hacksaw blade itself) & twist anticlockwise. If that doesn't work keep sawing until you are nearly through the filter and bend it off
Needless to say, be careful and try not to get metal shavings in the lens
Have you tried a wide rubber band around the filter? Gives a lot more grip and the possibility of using a jar opener, if you've got one in the kitchen.
Personally, I would expect that the unfortunate lender of your equipment would agree to pay for the gear being sent in to Canon for evaluation, removal of offending filter and further servicing (new filter mount) if necessary.
That gives you the piece of mind that everything's ok and the lender a good lesson in responsibility for other people's property. If it's a good friend, I'd expect him to offer that outright.
I think the filter is made of brass, so I wonder if you can just start nipping away at it with a pair of diagonal cutters (wire cutters) until it's in multiple pieces and breaking off pieces of glass along the way...
I've never tried this so proceed with caution and some safety glasses if you try...
Sadly, it looks like the filter is bent, therefore, it will not spin out of the threads.
I believe David's solution is the best DIY.
Zara has the best "paid for" solution.
I would then resort to a swift kick in the nether regions to said friend for not paying 100% attention to care of you gear while in his possession. That's just me though, and I'm kind of a jerk when people disrespect my belongings.
Thanks all for the quick reply and advice, much appreciated!!!!!!!
The fellow who (mis)used the gear just phoned me. He called his insurance company, so money won't be an issue anymore fortunately.
I'll go for the jar opener and all other things tonight ... but maybe not, and just send it to Canon.
I would mount the lens back on the body and ship it off to Canon for a thorough examination. The bill should be picked up by the offending party and rental covered if needed. This is why I suggest people renting gear and not borrowing from friends.
Is it just me, or does it look like the lens glass has a crack in it too? Look by the "CANON EF LENS" text at the bottom, and just to the left of that it looks like there's a crack below the filter.
In either case, sorry about the bad luck! Glad to hear it sounds like it'll all be worked out, and this was your backup camera instead of your main.
NumberFive wrote:
Is it just me, or does it look like the lens glass has a crack in it too? Look by the "CANON EF LENS" text at the bottom, and just to the left of that it looks like there's a crack below the filter.
Thats still the filter. You can see the shadow for that crack on the 'N' in 'LENS' on the plastic below. The front element of this lens isn't terribly large.
NumberFive wrote:
Is it just me, or does it look like the lens glass has a crack in it too? Look by the "CANON EF LENS" text at the bottom, and just to the left of that it looks like there's a crack below the filter.
In either case, sorry about the bad luck! Glad to hear it sounds like it'll all be worked out, and this was your backup camera instead of your main.
See what you mean. I had a closer look at the lens, but that crack is in the filter itself.
Indeed, the camera is a backup (the 5D and 50D helped me through the weekend :-) ), but the lens isn't...
So is the answer to the protection filter, or no filter argument? Obviously, that filter absorbed most of the energy on impact. I keep a filter on, and take it off if necessary on occasion.
If I borrowed this lens from a friend and dropped it, I'd buy him a new lens, and keep the one that was dropped. Even if the filter came off and everything seemed to be ok, I still wouldn't be happy with this lens...knowing it had been dropped.
so proceed with caution and some safety glasses if you try...