Removing Lens Cover Schooled

[Reed L]

I was modifying my P3P and what a pain this morning. I put the rubber bands around it and no slip but no go with the fingers, so I tried using small vice grips on the lens cap because that worked last time but this time the pliers slipped on the rubber band and no go. I can't believe that I actually had to put a crescent wrench on the camera with the vice grips on the lens cap edge to get it to move; it worked as always but this time... Because I had the rubber band wrapped twice around it and it was still slipping, I clamped a bit harder on the vice grips and put a chip in the lens cap glass. So I wanted to mention this because - If it's tight enough to need to use a set of pliers, then don't use a rubber band also. The rubber band actually took power from the pliers and had me adding tension that wasn't needed between the teeth and the rubber band. If it was metal to plastic, the teeth would have just dug in enough on the sides to open it with no damage. The camera is fine and now takes my screw on Rainbowers filters that I truly love, but man this cap was was on ridiculously tight.

The other thing that I noticed today was after I screwed my extra lens cap on finger tight, I grabbed it in the same place, top and bottom and it was stuck tight on there again. I ended up re-positioning my fingers on the sides and it spun right off. So I put it back on and tried top and bottom grip again and noticed that it gave in a little and so the top/ bottom finger grip was actually locking it harder in place.
So when unscrewing the lens cap, finger placement is important because it came right off just by having my fingers in the right place on the sides of the DJI lens cap.

 

[alokbhargava]

I have always used fingers only to remove the cover. Some use latex glove to unscrew it. One has to take care not to apply pressure to bend the thin cover.

 

[NRJ]

Great care should be used when loosening lens covers on any camera. I too have never used anything but my fingers. When I first loosened my UV lens from my P3A, I just kept at it until finally it came off. Since then there has never been a problem. I think they use a self tightening type of thread as it will tighten gradually as you screw it on. My other lens do not do that, they just go to tight. This type has come loose during flight too. The DJI stock UV lens has never loosened during flight.

I basically never use the UV lens that came with the Phantom so I don't even worry about getting fingerprints on it. It's simply a cover and I don't worry about it. But, I always replace my filters when I'm finished flying with the stock UV lens. I also still put the gimbal cover on to safeguard the camera of course.

I just finished sending my P3A in to DJI for the camera. It was a new camera and was pointing to the left approximately 5 to 7 degrees or so per my guesstimate. I had the camera for about a month and was going to send it back to the place I bought it. Turns out they are a certified repair facility and said they would send it to DJI also. So, I sent it directly to DJI. They fixed it at no expense to me and I will probably have it tomorrow. I was notified today that it was fixed after they entered it into their system on Friday of last week. It took a total of 10 days with my shipping it out and them receiving it til completion. I will have it back tomorrow. It helps that I live only about 30 miles from the North American Repair Facility in California. I would have dropped it off directly to them but they said no to that. But, still, great service once again from DJI. This is a long rant, but, I'm happy to get my P3A back.

 

[With The Birds]

Crescent wrench and vice grips? Lucky you didn't need an engineers vice and breaker bar!

Seriously- this requires a gentle touch. It is the pressure applied to the filter ring that works against us. It effectively forces the ring threads into the barrel causing additional friction.

 

[Reed L]

Crescent wrench and vice grips? Lucky you didn't need an engineers vice and breaker bar!

Seriously- this requires a gentle touch. It is the pressure applied to the filter ring that works against us. It effectively forces the ring threads into the barrel causing additional friction.

I bought the P3P used and spent 10 minutes trying to get it off by hand to no avail. I used the rubber band method and it didn't work. There's no way to be gentle when it's flat out not moving at all. When I used the Vice Grips "gently" the first time, I couldn't hold the camera hard enough to get it to turn with the vice grips and I gave it everything I could too hold it in place and I have a grip like a mule. The first thing that came to mind was heat... lol. Being a retired Boiler Engineer, I fix everything myself. I had advanced electronics in College way back in the last century... So I know how to break things if nothing else. That's why I'm saying, it was ridiculously almost cold welded on there. The lens on my P3A came off easily, but not this one. No damage was done to anything other then a chip in the lens that I was removing to never use again. BUT... like I stated in my first post, I had grabbed it by the top and bottom with my fingers first, then I wrapped the rubber band around it and rolled it between my thumb and index finger. I put enough pressure on it to stretch my index finger farther then usual... And eventually worked my way up to the crescent/ vice grips solution. A small strap wrench would have been nice but... hehe

 

[With The Birds]

I bought the P3P used and spent 10 minutes trying to get it off by hand to no avail. I used the rubber band method and it didn't work. There's no way to be gentle when it's flat out not moving at all. When I used the Vice Grips "gently" the first time, I couldn't hold the camera hard enough to get it to turn with the vice grips and I gave it everything I could too hold it in place and I have a grip like a mule. The first thing that came to mind was heat... lol. Being a retired Boiler Engineer, I fix everything myself. I had advanced electronics in College way back in the last century... So I know how to break things if nothing else. That's why I'm saying, it was ridiculously almost cold welded on there. The lens on my P3A came off easily, but not this one. No damage was done to anything other then a chip in the lens that I was removing to never use again. BUT... like I stated in my first post, I had grabbed it by the top and bottom with my fingers first, then I wrapped the rubber band around it and rolled it between my thumb and index finger. I put enough pressure on it to stretch my index finger farther then usual... And eventually worked my way up to the crescent/ vice grips solution. A small strap wrench would have been nice but... hehe

Engineers vice on the camera body you could drive it around with a cold chisel and a lump hammer.....

Seriously- i was tempted to get some vice grips on mine, reality is my daughter took it off first go. The slightest pressure deforms the ring.

 

[Jtrjr]

Here's how I did it on my 3rd P3Pro.

Jerry

 

[SS220]

What Jerry did...

 

[mrcrane2u]

Just use your prop removal tool works great

 

[yardbird]

Grasp the Cap at the outer 90 degree angle.
Use a rubber band or latex glove for a better grip.

 

[zryall3]

Here's how I did it on my 3rd P3Pro.

Jerry

Can you tell me where you find the little plastic wrench you showed in the video to remove the lens filter?

 

[MrTokens]

Crescent wrench and vice grips? Lucky you didn't need an engineers vice and breaker bar!

OMG That is to good... ROTFLOL........

 

[tcope]

The problem is _not_ that the lens cap is on tight, it's that the aluminum distorts when pressure is applied. That is what makes it difficult to remove. Applying more pressure just makes is worse.

A _very light_ touch is what is needed. This is why something sticky helps.

So what the OP did was the exact _opposite_ of what should have been done.

 

[robinb]

I wanted to put on a ND filter last month.

I could not remove existing lens.
Rubber gloves - no
Rubber bands - no
Motor wrench - no

Nothing was moving it.

In the end I put 2 very small drops of anti seize liquid on the thread gap and left that for 20 mins.
It came off first time after that.

 

[Jtrjr]

Can you tell me where you find the little plastic wrench you showed in the video to remove the lens filter?

Zry,

It comes in the box with the new Phantoms. You don't need the wrench. The key is to grab it on the outside edge of the lens. The material is so thin that grabbing it where the threads are (especially with pressure) will just make it next to impossible to get off. There are many other ways to get it off as noted in this thread.

Jerry

 

[Reed L]

I wanted to put on a ND filter last month.

I could not remove existing lens.
Rubber gloves - no
Rubber bands - no
Motor wrench - no

Nothing was moving it.

In the end I put 2 very small drops of anti seize liquid on the thread gap and left that for 20 mins.
It came off first time after that.

Anti-seize great idea. This one wouldn't budge at all either, I'll try that if I ever find another one glued on like this one was. I had bought it used... but still - I'd never had a lens cover stuck on like this before.

In the end a wrench and plyers worked, there was no using a gentle or very light touch. Tried that first, re-read the post @tcope... lol. You would have had to have been there to believe it. Imagine having to put a crescent wrench on the camera, while wrapping your thumb and forefinger around a rubber band actually pulling your thumb out of socket while putting even pressure around the rim from gently up to painfully and still it wouldn't budge... That was the the next step after the gentle touch didn't work. I also tried the prop wrench as well but no go. The main part of the original post was to point out that the rubber band used with the vice grips took the strength away from the vice grips...

 

[Flipsonic]

I was trying to remove the stock lens cover for 30 mins. Even after reading all the comments, none worked except using the prop tool. Like everyone said, do not apply too much pressure and just turn gently. Finally came off easily. Do not get impatient, it will eventually come off if you do it right.


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[JohnAllenPhillips]

In a moment of frustration that everyone here is feeling I stumbled on an amazing solution. I was trying the rubber bands but too flexible and as sun as I touched it with a wrench I thought it was a bad idea so I glanced down and saw my iPhone charging cord. Bam! Came off perfectly. The cords for most new Iphones aren't glossy and slippery like most cords- they actually have a tackiness to them. You wrap a portion of it around the radius of the lens like you would with a rubber band, hold it just a little snug, and twist. Like stated in one of the earlier posts it's best not to have your grip over the part where the threads are but out closer to the outside edge of the lens housing (where the glass is)... Less likely to warp there. Hope this helps someone.

JP



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[IronReel]

In a moment of frustration that everyone here is feeling I stumbled on an amazing solution. I was trying the rubber bands but too flexible and as sun as I touched it with a wrench I thought it was a bad idea so I glanced down and saw my iPhone charging cord. Bam! Came off perfectly. The cords for most new Iphones aren't glossy and slippery like most cords- they actually have a tackiness to them. You wrap a portion of it around the radius of the lens like you would with a rubber band, hold it just a little snug, and twist. Like stated in one of the earlier posts it's best not to have your grip over the part where the threads are but out closer to the outside edge of the lens housing (where the glass is)... Less likely to warp there. Hope this helps someone.

JP



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WOW, WOW, WOW, thank you Phillips. After 2weeks of a few tries a day and trying all these different tips your idea worked. I got an ipad charger cable of mine that has the flat rubber cable and gripped the lens lightly as close to the edge as possible and just kept lightly turning. Felt as if nothing was happening and then all the sudden I heard this aluminum grinding noise i've yet to hear and WAHLA!

 

[JohnAllenPhillips]

Nice! Together we can solve all of the problems of the world! enjoy the world of new lens covers!


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