Comments on: Filter Stuck on a Lens? Hacksaw and Hammer Should Do the Trick According to Canon

By: Eric

Eric — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 17:22:33 +0000

This has also happened to me: I used a HUGE pipe clamp tightened firmly but not absurdly tightly onto the filter. Worked instantly.

The challenge is just to find something that offers a ton of leverage while also maintaining a firm grip on the outside of the filter.

By: Kyle Bucher

Kyle Bucher — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 20:05:50 +0000

I’ve gotten some filters off by sticking them in the freezer for awhile and then prying it off with vise-grips. Had to use a dremel once and cut the filter rim to get it to release a little bit.

By: Zach

Zach — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 13:41:56 +0000

You could also try teflon based dry chain lube from the bike shop. You wouldent want to get it on a lens, but you would never have a filter get stuck once it dries.
Alos, does anyone else see that rubber strap wrench and thnik, “$3 follow focus?”

By: Brian Milne

Brian Milne — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 06:02:06 +0000

It is important to check that the threads on any two things that are to be wound together are clean from grit etc and then lube with some dry lube, pencil lead or a proprietary product. As the fine threads on filters etc become worn they loose their initial fine finish with the resulting rough surface been susceptible to the metal ‘picking-up’ or catching on the opposing thread and then binding together.

By: Wal Hansen

Wal Hansen — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 05:25:13 +0000

“Loctite” sell small pocketsize bottles of graphite powder. Perfect to dry lubricate sticky doorlocks and keys as well! Suggest squeezing a small amount onto a piece of paper, and smudging your finger in it, then on to your threads on the lens and filter,blowing off any excess before mounting.

With temperature difference expansion, simply use your can of compressed air propellant held upside down to quickly freeze and shrink just the filter ring, and use the rubber glove, mousepad, sole of sneakers trick….

By: Jules

Jules — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 04:39:11 +0000

I’ve had filters get pretty stuck on lenses in fairly drastic cold to hot environment changes (flying from a very cold city to a very hot one).

If a lens is properly weather sealed, I’ve heard of people putting them in the freezer for a few minutes to contract the metal to help loosen it. Seems like a scary idea to me, but if you’ve shot in below 0 temperatures with a particular lens, I guess cooling it may be a consideration before the hacksaw and hammer.

By: O'Ryan McEntire

O'Ryan McEntire — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 22:17:44 +0000

This is going to sound ridiculous, but I actually use the graphite from a pencil to prevent this from happening in the first place.

Take a pencil and cut back some of the wood so that you have a good chunk of graphite exposed. Then rub it into the threads of your filters or step-up/down rings. then blow out any loose dust. The graphite dust is a natural dry lubricant.

It also works great on the nut and bridge of a guitar to keep the strings from sticking while tuning!

By: Rob

Rob — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 21:57:36 +0000

I remove stuck filters simply by wearing rubber washing up gloves. Works every time. Come on Canon – sledgehammer to crack a nut?!!

By: Sid

Sid — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 20:38:54 +0000

use the bottom of your shoe. It’s happened to me a couple of times and my Clarks (soft rubber sole) have never failed me.

By: Peter

Peter — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 13:27:01 +0000

Well one thing to know is the glass itself is often removable with a pair of jeweler’s screwdrivers…there’s a ring of metal with little notches that is screwed in holding the glass and you may sometimes be able to get it loose. Then you may have more grip room to use two needlenose pliers to rotate the filter out after putting a cloth or something over the lens element. But all of these severe remedies are for situations where the thing has stuck due to damage of some kind, the simpler remedies should be tried first like the mousepad or rubber wrench etc.

A lot of people in this biz overtighten things…doing so often gets you into trouble. A filter doesn’t have to be on there very tightly now does it? Grip dept. C-stands and cardellinis etc OK you can go ahead and tighten to a fairly high torx especially if people are in some degree of danger from their failing (sandbags and safety chains PLEASE). But in the camera dept. you should tighten stuff with effete little feminine fingers…be a soft gentle artiste and use “just enough” as your guide. When I encounter overtightened things in the camera dept. I think the person must have issues. Having to hacksaw your lens, plus your loss of investment and resale value, is fit punishment for being a brute.

By: Raul

Raul — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 07:02:30 +0000

I had the same issue (with apparently the same level of severeness as on the images above) happen to me with a B+W filter on my 24 – 105 L, I wrote an email to the Canon service provider in SA and never got a reply, I tried the saw but simply couldn’t handle it, my hands would get all sweaty and shaky… when the plies I used to hold the filter slipped on to the lens I decided to give up. The filter threat is still on the lens, have been shooting with it for month now!

By: Tyler Larson

Tyler Larson — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 06:58:04 +0000

This happened to me with a sigma 10-20mm. Only it had fused on during a trip somehow, it was never dropped. I tried everything for more than a month, finally I took a small pick and a hammer, broke the filter glass carefully, hack sawed into the filter a bit and broke it out with a pair of pliers… it did the trick!

By: James

James — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 05:52:10 +0000

I got my VariND filter stuck onto my UV filter, they were cross threaded.
I tried filter wrenches but to no avail.
I then stuck the UV filter into a vice grip, and tightened it a lot, then I tighten a wrench around the VariND filter (the part that doesn’t turn) I had to lean my body against the wrench and push quick forcefully but this method worked in saving both filters, with only a few ugly scratches on the side.

By: Joe Marine

Joe Marine — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 05:18:37 +0000

I don’t know if that is scarier than the hacksaw – I guess you have more control over the bottle opener.

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 05:08:50 +0000

My friend used his bottle opener to take my filter off one of my lenses… It seemed to work AND stay intact!

By: Xiong

Xiong — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 05:07:59 +0000

well thats very frightening… will try to avoid getting filters stuck on 1000+ dollar equipment..

By: Erik

Erik — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 04:58:32 +0000

Simple fix for me which seems to always work…
Put your lens with your stuck filter, filter side down on the rubber side of a mousepad. twist counter clockwise!

i forget where i read about doing this…

By: ray

ray — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 04:52:00 +0000

I can’t believe this happens to other people – I thought I seriously screwed the pooch somehow when a filter got stuck on my 70-200! I tried my Vise-Grip, but it wasn’t big enough. Got it unstuck with a pipe wrench (not kidding). Worked like a charm.