Stewart
Member
I've had my GSW690III for about a month now. I am a big user of Cokin-style filters, and as some would have predicted, I am finding the bizarre lens hood design a major frustration.
I've seen references to people removing their lens hoods. I'm interested in doing the same: I have no intention of ever selling the camera again so resale value isn't a big issue for me.
So my question is - how is it done? If the answer is to cut the lens hood with a razor saw, how does one keep filings out of the camera innards? I guess I could wrap the whole thing in cling wrap or something.
Grateful for people's experiences.
Stewart
I've seen references to people removing their lens hoods. I'm interested in doing the same: I have no intention of ever selling the camera again so resale value isn't a big issue for me.
So my question is - how is it done? If the answer is to cut the lens hood with a razor saw, how does one keep filings out of the camera innards? I guess I could wrap the whole thing in cling wrap or something.
Grateful for people's experiences.
Stewart
Stewart
Member
Well, I never got a response to this question, but after a very frustrating weekend taking Cokin adapters on and off so I could change the shutter speed, I resolved to have a try. I did do a little more reseach on various mailing lists and found a couple more bits of advice: (a) It is much easier to remove the hood by disassembling the lens body, and (b) any attempt to disassemble the lens body is a recipe for guaranteed disaster as there are springs under tension inside. I decided to avoid the disassembly method.
So today I bought a little razor saw from a hobby shop, wrapped the camera in several layers of cling wrap, put several thick rubber bands around the lens just behind the hood, put a clear filter AND a 67mm lens cap on to protect the front element, and set to work. It soon became apparent that the hood is the strongest part of the camera (more strange Fuji engineering!). I stopped frequently to wipe the filings away, and turned the camera upside down so that if I did do any cosmetic damage it would be less conspicuous. I got through the front part fairly quickly, but the rear is made of thicker metal. After a while I was going very slowly indeed, checking and cleaning after every couple of strokes of the saw. When there was still a bit of metal about 8mm long and 1mm deep joining the two sides of the cut, I realised that I could probably fit a small screwdriver blade in and work the cut a bit so that the remaining metal would get brittle and break. This I did and after a minute or so it broke and I was able to remove the hood easily. I then carefully wiped away as much of the filings as I could and then gave it a thorough clean with compressed air before removing the cling wrap. There is a tiny bit of scraping visible on the plastic retaining ring under the hood but that is all. The camera doesn't look too bad without its hood and since I never intend to sell it I'm not worried about the resale value. The hood has retained its shape so if I really wanted to I could refit it and cover the slot with some plastic tape, not that I would want to. I will now try and find a suitable 67mm collapsible lens hood that does not vignette. Looks like I got away with it!
Your results may vary.
Stewart
So today I bought a little razor saw from a hobby shop, wrapped the camera in several layers of cling wrap, put several thick rubber bands around the lens just behind the hood, put a clear filter AND a 67mm lens cap on to protect the front element, and set to work. It soon became apparent that the hood is the strongest part of the camera (more strange Fuji engineering!). I stopped frequently to wipe the filings away, and turned the camera upside down so that if I did do any cosmetic damage it would be less conspicuous. I got through the front part fairly quickly, but the rear is made of thicker metal. After a while I was going very slowly indeed, checking and cleaning after every couple of strokes of the saw. When there was still a bit of metal about 8mm long and 1mm deep joining the two sides of the cut, I realised that I could probably fit a small screwdriver blade in and work the cut a bit so that the remaining metal would get brittle and break. This I did and after a minute or so it broke and I was able to remove the hood easily. I then carefully wiped away as much of the filings as I could and then gave it a thorough clean with compressed air before removing the cling wrap. There is a tiny bit of scraping visible on the plastic retaining ring under the hood but that is all. The camera doesn't look too bad without its hood and since I never intend to sell it I'm not worried about the resale value. The hood has retained its shape so if I really wanted to I could refit it and cover the slot with some plastic tape, not that I would want to. I will now try and find a suitable 67mm collapsible lens hood that does not vignette. Looks like I got away with it!
Your results may vary.
Stewart