I have a UV filter stuck on my sony pd150. It must be from putting a telephoto lens on and off. Now I can't get the filter off. Does anyone have any suggestions? I thought about using WD40 and spraying it lightly into the threads and hopefully, that would loosen the filter.

don't spray anything in there!

I get filters stuck from time to time also.

Use your palm to push the filter toward the lens and unscrew at the same time. You'll get it off, eventually! :)

if you absolutely had to... you could use some channel locks on it... or channel locks with like a fat rubber band around the filter so it has something to grip to... you might be able to get it off with your hands and the rubber band around the filter.

Sometimes it works if You try tightening it a little further first, then trying to unscrew it.
Instead of spraying it, try using a cotton bud soaked with wd40 & just touch it to the join of filter on the outside & let cappilary action pull it in, using as little wd40 as possible, wipe off as quick as possible, I agree with channel locks pulling in opposite directions.


Good Luck.


Peter

You can buy filter wrenches if you want. I can tell you where or a google search will find them.

Sometimes a rubber band around the outside of the filter will give you enough grip that it will screw right out.

Usually, unless the filter is cross-theaded, the pressure of your fingers distorts the rim and that prevents it from coming loose.

The rubber band trick is good, along with the other fine suggestions. How about finding a guy with a good grip.

Temperature increases expand metal, so increasing the temperature of the filter ring and the mount will result in a larger
gap. Many think that the gap will decrease when both metal
joints expand, but that is not true. The gap will also increase.
So try wrapping a hot water bottle around the edge. Often,
a few warm, cold cycles will help as well.

My grandmother used to open stuck jars by banging the butt of
a knife around the edge of the lid. I still use this technique, although I've found that 2-4 equidistant hits is usually enough to
open anything that my hands can't. I would advise this method on anything more expensive than a jar. Chuckle.

A guy with a good grip is just what is not wanted. The grip will distort the ring and that's most likely the real problem.

Removing a filter is relatively easy with the right technique. The problem is that gripping the filter around the sides distorts the ring and causes the threads to bind. Instead use a clean shoe with a soft rubber sole. Press the lens with the filer attached against the bottom of the shoe and twist. The filter has equal pressure applied to the front edge of the ring and easily comes off. Make sure to use a clean shoe or inspect for any material that could scratch the glass surface and clean the filter afterwards to remove fingerprints etc. I've been using this method for years to remove filters and have never failed to remove a stuck filter with this method (nor has a filter been damaged.)

Memo to self: Add one clean shoe to kit.

Query: Does the brand matter? :-)))))))

No, but it needs to be a size 10. Actually, I wear shoes and the ones on my feet seem to do the job nicely.

Nice trick, Jeff. It seems to make sense to a brute like me.

just tape a couple of turns of tissue tape around the filter and you will get enough grip to take it loose.

I had a filter stuck on my GL2 for 3 months, could not get it off, so I used the shoe technique, and it worked, Thank you.

The rubber band took a filter off my GL2 last week. I've noticed on other objects, even when your grip does not seem to be slipping, there's just something about a rubber band that will untwist anything with about half the torque you were applying earlier...

Also if you wrestle with this stuff, hold the filter by the filter and the camera by the lense or whatever sturdy part is nearest the filter. If you hold onto the camera's handle or body you are putting everything under excessive stress.

Along the lines of the shoe trick ... I once struggled for ages applying brute force to remove a filter with no luck. I then tried turning the filter with a very light grip (just a little more than stroking it) and it unscrewed as if by magic. I've been careful not to overtighten them ever since then.

Some filters-----usually the expensive ones-----have two little slots in their outer rims, 180 degrees apart. These are to be used with a special filter tool, that fits into the slots and provides leverage to unscrew them. These tools can sometimes be found at large camera stores. I use a cheap substitute.

When I buy a filter without these slots, I take a hacksaw blade and carefully cut two down into the rim about 2mm deep. Then, I carry a table knife in my bag, to fit across the slots and turn the filter.
It's important to hold the lens firmly while doing this, to keep from straining the mounts inside the camera.

If a filter without slots is stuck on a lens, you can use a hacksaw blade to cut them, while on the camera. Keep all bits of metal grit out of the camera and blow them off the filter. If you rub them off with a cloth, you are likely to scratch the glass. Think about what a bit of grit could do to recording heads, if it got inside the camera.

Steve McDonald