A ding on the filter ring...

ChrisR

ChrisR

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I was trying to fit a yellow filter on my 35mm lens on Friday and couldn't get it to screw on at all. After a while, had a bit of a squint at the front and realised it wasn't round. I vaguely remember dropping the camera gently onto some concrete, enough that it damaged the front lens cap, but I didn't think it had damaged the lens... obviously it has. A quick experiment with some pliers revealed plenty of opportunity to damage the threads even further.

Any suggestions as to what to do about this?
 
Huh pliers :eek: usually a proper tool is used or a piece or wood gently tapping with a hammer...if you think it's round the only solution is to try and screw the filter on and it will cut a new thread.
 
Look on youtube , for how to repair damaged lens threads.
And on ebay for lens repair tool.
 
Wow that looks cool. There's one on UK fleabay for only £25 but it comes from China so there'll be extra charges that would add 50% or more.
 
ChrisR said:
Wow that looks cool. There's one on UK fleabay for only £25 but it comes from China so there'll be extra charges that would add 50% or more.
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I've never had any extra charges with fleabay goods from China, I have had duty, etc from USA and Japan, but as I understand it the there is some duty free deal between the UK and China
 
ChrisR said:
There's one on UK fleabay for only £25 but it comes from China so there'll be extra charges that would add 50% or more.
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No import duty on items valued under £135 (including postage & insurance) though you would be liable for VAT at 20%, so £5 plus whatever the carrier stings you for paying the import charges.

A lot of Chinese sellers will mark items as a gift as VAT is not charged on gifts valued £39 or less. I couldn't find any mention of a special arrangement for goods imported to the UK from China when I looked at the trade tariffs website but I'd be interested in knowing more.
 
ChrisR said:
Wow that looks cool. There's one on UK fleabay for only £25 but it comes from China so there'll be extra charges that would add 50% or more.
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Is the one on\Stephens link not 23 dollars inc internatial postage??

That.s cheaper than 25 GBP isn't it?

Any other charges, vat etc will be about the same as an import from China I suspect
 
Many years ago, I did the same thing - knackered the filter thread on an old 50mm lens. Couldn't straighten the ding so I glued a step up ring to the outside of the filter ring and used the next size up filters.
 
I got one from Amazon a couple of months ago. Delivered from China but wasn't hit for any extra from Customs/Post Office.

Didn't do such a great job on the 50mm Zuiko I was trying to straighten though. Gone from being bent in to bent out because I gave it a turn too far. Now looking for something suitable to reverse the new damage. Good toy though.
 
DNH said:
I got one from Amazon a couple of months ago. Delivered from China but wasn't hit for any extra from Customs/Post Office.

Didn't do such a great job on the 50mm Zuiko I was trying to straighten though. Gone from being bent in to bent out because I gave it a turn too far. Now looking for something suitable to reverse the new damage. Good toy though.
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Well I received one of these fro China yesterday (no VAT or extra charges) and tried it out today. It has two sides: a larger ring that is (annoyingly) JUST too large for my 49mm filter threads, and a much smaller ring. I have tried a couple of times so far without yet making much improvement. I'm very conscious of David's second paragraph, so maybe I am not giving it enough welly. :coldfeet::runaway:
 
Well never used one Chris (just a piece of wood and a hammer)..but would suggest you put a bit\strip of carboard between the filter and tool just in case it might squash the thread....but even if it did another filter screwed in would recut (the thread).
 
ChrisR said:
Well I received one of these fro China yesterday (no VAT or extra charges) and tried it out today. It has two sides: a larger ring that is (annoyingly) JUST too large for my 49mm filter threads, and a much smaller ring. I have tried a couple of times so far without yet making much improvement. I'm very conscious of David's second paragraph, so maybe I am not giving it enough welly. :coldfeet::runaway:
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Did it come with instructions?
It should be threaded. You snug it up making sure the threads are engaged and work it across the area in small increments and all the way around the threads (to ensure roundness). You don't use it just as "a spreader" (maybe initially to get it reasonably close).
 
sk66 said:
Did it come with instructions?
It should be threaded. You snug it up making sure the threads are engaged and work it across the area in small increments and all the way around the threads (to ensure roundness). You don't use it just as "a spreader" (maybe initially to get it reasonably close).
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No instructions, that's the most useful comment so far (thanks!)... perhaps I'd better do a search and see if there's something more on t'internet...
 
Further to what happened to me with the tool & bending the ring too far out I have been able to reverse it with a 2" G clamp. Will need to touch the paint up in a couple of spots but it looks like I might be able to get a rubber lens hood on it at last.
 
DNH said:
Further to what happened to me with the tool & bending the ring too far out I have been able to reverse it with a 2" G clamp. Will need to touch the paint up in a couple of spots but it looks like I might be able to get a rubber lens hood on it at last.
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The video from Jack the Hat I found on Youtube suggests that, contrary to my first thoughts, you don't put the clamp at the damaged part and force it out (which could mean going too far). Instead you put it nearby seated in the existing threads, and then twist it in the threads. That should be safer but probably quite hard work. I'm going to check at least one other video before trying again!
 
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OK so a combination of the two approaches was required. First seating the tool in the threads and twisting the whole tool, alternating with locating the tool at the damaged portion (by twisting to it) and forcing the tool open a little at a time. Good call in the Jack the Hat video to cut a piece of cardboard to size to drop in and protect the lans glass (though I used paper as this lens has a glass are about half the diameter of the filter ring, and slightly recessed.

So the end result is that I can get a 49mm filter on the lens, not as smoothly as before, but it goes on and comes off. I guess I could keep going (and maybe will) but I feel I've accomplished what I needed, without damaging the lens too much. Obviously there's a risk to the filter threads, which have at least lost some paint in the damaged area and opposite. But this is now a usable lens again.
 
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49-55mm step up ring... Should be a fast enough step to avoid any vignetting and make filter use easier. Unless, of course, you have loads of 49mm filters and no 55mm ones!
 
Nod said:
49-55mm step up ring... Should be a fast enough step to avoid any vignetting and make filter use easier. Unless, of course, you have loads of 49mm filters and no 55mm ones!
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Pentax-M lenses are mostly 49mm, so indeed I do have mostly 49mm filters. I guess I could put a UV filter on and then add the yellow in front of that to make things easier, but we'll see how it goes. It is one of my favourite lenses. I can always work on it a little more if it does need easing.
 
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