I have a Canon 10-22mm lens that I have used for landscapes and most recently for shooting the interior of a flat I’m selling in Brighton. I took it out of the cupboard the other day to clean it and found the UV filter was jammed. Solid. As a rock.
It helps to have a basic understanding of physics when removing a stuck filter. Gripping it hard with finger and thumb and twisting doesn’t work – the reason is that the pressure exerted by the squeezing of two points on the circumference of the filter causes outward pressure along the perpendicular axis – i.e.. the filter bulges imperceptibly outwards causing it to stick even tighter.
What is needed is even pressure around the filter – specialist devices can be obtained quite cheaply that encircle the filter – squeeze and twist. Because the pressure is evenly applied, the filter doesn’t flex and twists right off. Has invariably worked, except this time. Solid. Hmmm.
I phoned a local camera shop in Shropshire for advice. Get a soft piece of rubber, put the lens face down on the rubber and twist – the theory is the rubber grips the filter, all the way along the circumference and the twist releases the thread. Didn’t work.
I pretended I didn’t care, put the lens and filter back in the cupboard and sneaked up on it in an attempt to catch it unawares. Abject failure. Dancing widdershins at midnight around the old oak tree I muttered incantations from the Book of Thoth. Strangely this too failed to work.
The thought occurred that if the lens and filter were placed in the fridge, the reduced temperature would cause the filter to contract microscopically, freeing it from the clutches of the lens. Didn’t work.
Desperation was beginning to set in. This is not a recommended solution but I tried it anyway. WD40 does an excellent job of releasing jammed locks and so on. I reasoned that a tiny spray around the gap between lens and filter might allow the oil to seep into the thread and free the filter. I learned only that oil on the lens is extremely difficult to remove and it didn’t work.
I watched someone on Youtube take a hammer, break the glass in the filter and then use a hacksaw to saw through the filter holder. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. This method would undoubtedly work, but its a high risk strategy. Very high risk.
Yesterday I was in Brighton for the afternoon and thought I’d pop into Clocktower Cameras to ask their advice. I handed the lens over the counter saying “I expect it will just come off in one twist…”. The chap looked at the lens, twisted it once and the filter came off. I had tried it myself yesterday morning and it was solid as a rock. Clocktower Cameras have some weird voodoo that is beyond the ken of mere mortals like me. They are also really nice guys, very knowledgeable and a reminder if one were ever needed that a local camera shop is worth its weight in gold.
Lessons learned? When putting a lens filter onto a lens make sure it is set correctly in the thread. Do not leave it loose or it will fall off. Do not tighten it too much or it will jam. Keep a set of filter grips in your camera bag. Clean your kit regularly, especially after shooting anywhere where there is sand, dust or soil – a single grain of sand or grit can and will cause this type of problem. Do not place your trust in witchcraft and avoid WD40 – it is the plaything of the horned one…