# Digital Camera Lens Removal?



## _Nomad (Jun 11, 2009)

Hi guys! Ive always come here to post on my pc issues and love ya guys so much, I figured Id throw something else at ya 

I was given a broken GE w1200 camera to 'play' with and was looking for a schematic or breakdown of the internal components. The lens on the camera is stuck and I wanted to see if I could get into the gears and possibly repair the issue. Problem is I cant find a manual to help guide me. 

Any suggestions? Ive tried allot of quick fix ideas that didn't involve opening the case with no resolve and I'm ready to get into the juicy parts 

Thanks in advance for any help.


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## Mack (Nov 8, 2004)

I think this is just a user manual don't know if it will be of any help.

http://www.general-imaging.com/us/support/manual/2008AEG/2008-AEWM-En.pdf


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

When I started to take apart stuff that had no service manuals I used my camera to document what the equipment looked like and what I was doing ... helped to put it back together again the way it was originally.


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## Mack (Nov 8, 2004)

Nice tip D_F. I'm considering trying to fix my Kodak Z740 so I will do that for sure.


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## _Nomad (Jun 11, 2009)

@ D F That would work great except for the fact that its mt camera Im taking apart. Got it figured out tho, just need to get a soldering iron to completely remove the board in order to access the lens assembly. Ill take some pics with my phone and post the process for my model camera 

Thanks again guys.


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

_Nomad said:


> @ D F That would work great except for the fact that its mt camera Im taking apart. Got it figured out tho, just need to get a soldering iron to completely remove the board in order to access the lens assembly. Ill take some pics with my phone and post the process for my model camera
> 
> Thanks again guys.


Obviously means having at least one other camera available to take those shots, but a GOOD mobile phone camera is also helpful .. don't settle for poor resolution though, you may need to look at the fine details later.

Good Luck ..


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## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

Caution: make sure that everything is spotlessly clean. Think 'clean room' conditions. Once you expose the sensor, microscopic dust WILL settle on it. these specks of dust are so small, they will be invisible to the naked eye. However, they will show up on photographs as dark spots/splodges.

Sensor dust is the bain of DSLR users - It takes me up to 2 hours to clean my sensors & I have professional cleaning tools. 

Think 'clean room' conditions.


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## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

Microscopic dust on my Canon 20D sensor which is larger than your sensor will be. Therefore they would show up much larger if the same dust was in your sensor.

The arrows point to the dust. Only two of th dust motes could be seen with a special sensor magified viewer.

I apologise for the size of one of the images - images 2 and 3 are 100% full size crops.

An overview of a portion of the main image


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

Thank god I have only ever seen stuff like that caused by dirt on the OUTSIDE of my lens .. 

Thanks for sharing Don ..


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## _Nomad (Jun 11, 2009)

Thanks Donald, I didnt even think of that. I was wondering tho, ive heard the term 'lens coating' and wondered if i took a q-tip with some alcohol to clean it, would it hurt anything? If so, whats the best way to clean a lens?


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

Don has written some advice here 

http://www.techsupportforum.com/f288/dust-on-sensors-and-cleaning-kits-540422.html


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## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

As far as I know a very dilute solution of mild washing up liquid applied with a dampened lint less cloth. I mean *VERY* diluted - not enough to cause a frothing or bubbles. Maybe a single drop or two into 1 litre of water, just enough to break the water surface tension and attack any oily residues on the glass. (In the good old days of wet darkooms, one could buy a 'water wetting agent'!)

I don't know about alcohol based fluids on lens coating - It may well be 100% safe, I just don't know. Therefore I don't use it, especially on my main lens the cost over £2000!

Do not use a paper tissue like kitchen towels or even the softest grade toilet paper. All paper products are abrasive an should never be used on optical glass or plastic spectacles.

Although I haven't seen any warnings about using domestic window cleaning fluids, I personally wouldn't use them because many contain vinegar. Vinegar is an acid. 'Nuff said!

One recommended way of protecting a lens is to invest in a 'daylight' or UV filter. Put it on the lens and then forget it is there, never remove it. When I buy a lens, I always buy a UV filter to go with it it will stop dust & muck getting onto the lens surface. Replacing a lens filter in the event of a nasty accident is far far cheaper than having to replace a lens!


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## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

With regards to the above sample photographs showing the dust marks:
In reality, all of these dust marks were removed in the finished image by the use of a clone brush in editing software. No problem at all... on one or two photos but the spots will continue to be a p.i.a. if the sensor is not cleaned. The dust effect will only continue to get worse.


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## yustr (Sep 27, 2004)

DonaldG said:


> ...
> 
> I don't know about alcohol based fluids on lens coating - It may well be 100% safe, I just don't know. Therefore I don't use it, especially on my main lens the cost over £2000!


There's one that's readily available - free of contaminants that can leave streaks - very well filtered - uses only pure water in the mix - relatively inexpensive...goes by the generic name: VODKA 

I kid, but it does work in a pinch. I got a finger print on one of my lens and no cloth would remove it - only spread it around. A phototog friend suggested it and after 6 or 7 shots of Krystal the oil was gone (jk - it only took 4 :grin


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

yustr said:


> A phototog friend suggested it and after 6 or 7 shots of Krystal the oil was gone (jk - it only took 4 :grin


was that shared equally between the two of you ?? :grin:

:4-cheers:


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## _Nomad (Jun 11, 2009)

Ok, I got down to the nitty gritty of it and in order to get inside the lens assembly I would have to remove ribbons soldered down. I didnt have a problem un-soldering the pos/neg connections for the mic and speaker to flip the board to get beneath to the lens but I dont want to take a chance melting the ribbons. I did notice something loose inside and was able to get it to 'sit' firmly. After re-assembling I did actually get some zoom function however it wasnt working properly and would jam back up in different spots. 
So in conclusion, its not fixed but I enjoyed taking it apart and there was no loss as it was given to me broken. 
As far as Im concerned, if I could find someplace to get parts for it, I could fix it. The only thing wrong with it is the zoom lens assembly. But I googled for a while and cant turn up any suppliers. Anybody know of a part supplier?


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## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

Try eBay - put the camera make & model in the search box. You will have to trawl through hundreds of results, but some vendors sell zoom lens assemblies etc ( the certainly do for Canon point & shoots)


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## _Nomad (Jun 11, 2009)

Ok, will do. Thanks again for all your advice Donald


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