Help! Filter is stuck on lens :(

[raf_gti]

As title really!

I've had my circ polarizer fitted to my my Sigma 17-70 for a few months and on going to remove it yesterday discovered the bugger was very firmly stuck in place, no matter how much force I apply I can't get it to budge

suggestions most welcome!

Steve

[RobDickinson]

Try turning the other way...

[beano500]

Get an elastic band, slip round the filter, double up or wrap three times as necessary so it can grip, apply even pressure...


...and hey, presto. Bob's your Auntie in a new pair of trousers....

[RobDickinson]

Its your cameras way of telling you you need a 24-70f2.8L

[MonkeyHanger]

Rubber gloves help with grip and the aforementioned "tighten first" trick works a lot of the time too.

[AlexB]

Don't grip the filter too hard as it can distort the screw thread and cause it to jam - a lighter grip pressure might work.

Alex

Edited by AlexB on Monday 11th February 21:58

[raf_gti]

thanks

I will give that a shot

Steve

[Zad]

Press the metal end face of the filter on a piece of soft wood or similar, and twist the body of the lens. That way you aren't distorting the assembly.

[matthew_h]

Zad said:

Press the metal end face of the filter on a piece of soft wood or similar, and twist the body of the lens. That way you aren't distorting the assembly.

Unfortunately, that doesn't work with a polarizing filter as the front element of the filter is free to rotate.

Best bet is the rubber band trick. Always worth tightening stiff threads slightly first as this often helps "break the seal" whilst being far less likely to damage the threads.

Good luck

[nogginthenog]

A good camera shop should have a 'filter wrench' that grips evenly all round the stuck filter. Given that it would probably be a 1 minute job, I reckon they might do it for free?

... oh - I have just realised they are £2.49 on Ebay - you might want to buy one for future use!

[baz7175]

Your other option is if you can acquire some ipa (isopropylalcohol - sometimes just called propanol), get a small squirty bottle and apply a little to the crease where lens meets filter - the liquid will help free up the threads, I use the same technique when tearing apart millions of squids worth of semiconductor machinery...

Don't go mad with the liquid and if doing so best to put filter end on worktop to prevent any fluid getting into the lens itself if not perfectly sealed.

[bacchus180]

try putting it in the fridge for a while.. then next time rub a pencil on the inside of the thread.. graphite acts as a lubricant.

[Oakey]

Someone I know dropped a Nikon lens with a cheapy Jessops filter on it, ever so slightly bending the filter and cracking the glass.

What a nightmare getting it off was. It just would not turn at all. In the end I pulled the glass out, grabbed an edge of the filter with some pliers and twisted it inwards a few times, eventually the damn thing came out without any damage to the lens.