VX2000 lens blemish
 

Hi everyone, I've got a small blemish on the lens of my VX2000, approx 4mm circle. It's not scratched but it look like a bit of the coating has gone. It shows up especially when shooting towards the sun or a bright light. Maybe I've rubbed it too much during cleaning.

Is there a "DIY" option for recoating?
Can the lens be recoated by a repair shop or do I just need a new lens?
Any idea of the cost of a replacement lens?
Is there anywhere in Thailand or the UK other than Sony themselves that could do the repair?

thanks

I"ve never heard of someone rubbing the coating off of a lens. If you think that's what happened, may I suggest that you review your technique.

As to recoating it yourself, not a chance. You'd first have to remove the existing coating and then recoat the lens. Lens coating is normally carried out in a vacuum and is very tricky.

Sounds like new lens time and a trip to Sony. I don't remember the exact cost but I think I remember someone quoting about $500 for a replacement they had done.

Sorry I cannot be more specific but Sony should be able to give you the numbers.

Is it fungus?
 

Thanks for the reply Mike. I've just taken a really powerful flashlight and shined it at the lens to see what's going on and it looks like it's not a bit of missing coating after all but kind of white fluff on the part of the lens that's set back from the front part of the lens.

Could that be mold/fungus growth? I do live in humid Thailand and the camera gets used in a housing underwater.

If it's mold or just "white fluff" what are the chances of a careful guy like me doing a DIY repair and where might I get some instructions? I'm not too confident in Sony Thailand who have not sold many of these cameras.

I does sound like mold. If you can (or maybe you do) always use a dessicant in your waterproof housing and storage case.

If you cannot remove the mold, then the camera has to go back to Sony anyway. However, I'd go talk to a nearby camera repair facility, video or not, because they MUST have experience with this and probably have the knowledge to remove the front lens element and not destroy things.

Either way, you won't be any worse off than if you don't try and just ship it to Sony.

BTW, someone on the forum has removed the front element from their camera IIRC. Might do a search.

The only danger in removing an element is that you may lose centering on that lens element. Might never be detectable in any case.

Thanks Mike. You are very helpful.

I live in Phuket, Thailand. There are no proper camera repair shops here. There IS a Sony service centre but they were a bit of a nightmare recently when one of my Vaio laptops needed a new motherboard. I suspect using them for this repair to my VX2000 may well entail shipping overseas, a long delay and $$$. I have projects coming soon too but I will use them if I really have to.

I had a very long search and couldn't find the thread you mention regarding someone removing the front element. At first glance it looks like a fairly simple case of unscrewing the black ring marked "SONY VIDEO LENS etc." from the 58mm thread. There is a small notch in it (at 9 o'clock as you look at the lens) that seems to be provided for that purpose.

I'm considering gently having a go as then I'd know how to do it myself in future. It's out of warranty and I could still send it to Sony if I fail.

Do you know if there is just one other lens element in the front assembly behind that front element (obviously not including the parts that move to zoom)? It's difficult to see which surface the mold is on and if there are multiple elements in there it might affect my decision.

p.s. Would it be OK to start a new thread named "Has anyone disassembled their VX/PD lens?"

It does indeed sound like mould growth on the front element of the zoom, behind the VAP sheets of glass. I'm sure this will be a fairly straightforward repair and not require a lens change. The OIS is an 'add-on' to the 12x zoom, and shouldn't be difficult for an experienced repair man to remove to get to the front element.

tom.

I'd start a new thread, maybe on the Open DV Discussion. State that you are posting there because it isn't a Sony problem per-se, it is a mold problem that could happen to any camera. If you get no reponses, we can move it back here. Your choice.

Thanks guys. Mike, I'm putting the new thread on this forum as what I need now is specifics on disassembling the front of this camera, not further verification that it's mold.

Tom, I'm not quite sure what you mean by OIS.

OIS = Optical Image Stabilisation
SIS = digital...
EIS = electronic (same as above)
SSSS = Sony Super Steadyshot

Oh, I forgot VAP. Vari-angle prism. The SSSS used by the VX2100, the GL2 and so on.

Thanks Tom. I've split this into 2 new threads...

VX/PD disassembly thread here: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31906

Mould/fungus thread here: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31913