cleaning the HVX200, specifically the focus and zoom rings...

[jdfilms]

Has anyone attempted to pull the front of the camera apart to clean inside the focus and zoom rings? Most of my shoots are in the worst conditions possible as far as dust goes... Both rings are gritty and you can hear the dust inside as you turn them.

I already know most replys will tell me to send it in to Panasonic or an authorized service center but I thought I would ask for the heck of it. Who knows, maybe its a simple process.

I have been doing this for over 8 years and always try to protect my equipment as much as possible but sometimes the conditions I shoot in don't really allow for a bag like Kata because they are to restrictive. And we always try to tape up the camera with gaffers tape but unfortunately the zoom ring moves with the servo when you take it out of manual unlike the Sony FX1. That was one thing I didn't like about the HVX when I first got it.

Anyway I should probably post some shots from the weekend so all of you can sit there and cringe as you see what we put our cameras through....rogar-BigGrin(DBG)

 

[Cees Mutsaers]

strange i thought the HVX200 was only on the market for 1 year. Maybe you had a pre pre production model....rogar-BigGrin(DBG)

 

[jdfilms]

I know your joking but.... We bought two of them December 5th. Have had two FX1's for two years and a few other cameras before those. All of them have held up considerably well considering what we put them through. I had to send my FX1 in a year ago when it wouldn't record anything that was playable.

The extreme drop out conditions you can get with the HDV format was one of things that made me want something different. No dropouts on a P2 card is the greatest thing that ever happened to us and was one of the big selling points for the HVX.

Check out these photos. I've been hit by roost from the truck like that before....

 

[Pluimer]

I have/had the same problem. There's dirt in my lens and focus rings. Not much, but enough to be annoying. I sent it to Panny and the quote came back a little high.

Their solution? Replace the entire front part of the camera for $1200. Not something I could do.

I did however disassemble the lens area to clean it out. I was able to get some dirt out of the zoom ring, but there is a small flexible circuit board that connects to the focus ring that I didn't want to disconnect. There is a lubricant on both rings that needs to be fully cleaned off and then new lube should be reapplied. I don't know enough about it to know where to get it, but I suspect that if you can disconnect the circuit stuff and find the lube, it should be pretty easy to do the cleaning yourself.

Me, I'd like to find someone in Los Angeles that could do the cleaning for me for about $200. Taking my HVX apart was nerve-raking enough. I want to leave it to a pro this time.

Any ideas? If not, I'll probably send it out to Spec Comm.

 

[Paul Nordin]

Have the same problem. I spent 6 weeks in the Mexican desert shooting a feature and the focus/zoom rings took a hit. I sent it to The Video Clinic in Santa Monica (authorized Panny repair center) and got the same quote. Gotta replace the entire front assembly as they cannot open it up. So if someone figures out the proper lube to use for the lens gears, I may try it myself as the worst that can happen is I have to replace the entire lens assembly after all.