So I noticed I have a sand pit on the front lens of my vx2100. I really need my camera and don't have time to send it to Sony and wait a few weeks for it back.
Has anyone replaced this item themselves? If so where can you get the part? And how does it install? It looks like it is just glued in.

I read several threads regarding mold under the lens and people cleaning it themselves, so this should be a simmiliar procedure.

Thanks for any information,

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31906&highlight=realign+lens

That's a good thread which John has linked to. I wouldn't dream of attempting any of this myself personally. But just to answer your other question, I think you will find parts for Sony's consumer products (like the VX-2100) here (http://servicesales.sel.sony.com/web/index.jsp) and for their professional products (like the PD-170) here (https://servicesplus.us.sony.biz/PartsPlus.aspx).

What I thought was a scratch turns out to be most likely be a grain of sand inside the lens. It was very noticable on recorded footage, and on the lcd viewfinder. About the size of 2-3 pixels. I screwed on a UV filter, and still saw the grain. I then flipped the ND filter off and on several times and it dissapeared. I've conducted tests now for several hours and there is no trace of it anymore.
I remember now when I took my camera to a camera repair person he was baffled that the grain would even show up and thought it was very rare the camera would focus on it.
I think I am in the clear for now.
Does anyone have an explanation of what has occured? Thanks again,

You probably realise that when you look at the front oif your VX2100 you're not seeing the front element of the zoom lens directly, you're looking at the vari-angle prism (VAP) that comprises the optical Streadyshot. This is an assembly of two pieces of plain (coated) glass with a fluid trapped between them. It's all held together with a flexible bellows around the circumference of the glass, and the prism is driven by the pistons housed in that rectangular block right at the front of the lens.

This VAP is assembled to the front of the zoom lens itself, and it sounds to me as if there's a foreign body trapped between VAP and front element. I doubt very much if it's something on the internal ND filters as anything there would be hugely out of focus and not affect the image. My guess is that when you switched the filters in and out the mechanical shaking of the camera body moved the grain of sand or whatever it is.

tom.