Help! Broken Focus Ring/Lens

SkiUtah

SkiUtah

Well-known member
I was out on a shoot today, and I broke my dvx. :(

I was trying to get the camera off of my 501 tripod, and the rubber stopper, that prevents the screws from falling out, on the plate got stuck between the plate and the head. So, I pulled out the camera, and this happened when I pulled it out:







I have tried simply pushing it back on, but with no luck.

Is all hope lost? Any input will gladly be accepted.
 
Nope, hope is definitely not lost, but it looks like you trashed your focus assembly. You can send it in to an authorized service center and probably expect to pay ~ $500. I *may* be able to fix it for you for consderably less depending on the damage, but it depends on exactly what parts are broken. PM me if you're interested.
 
Thanks very much for the offer Barry. I will call panasonic tomorrow and get more information about it.

The interesting thing about it is if I press the focus ring and turn, the manual focus still works. Is there a way to safely take off the focus ring to take a look at the damage?
 
pookie said:
Experience helps eh Barry.....

sorry....
Click to expand...

Yeah, it was hard won knowledge. :)

SkiUtah--How mechanically inclined are you? Have you ever worked on any cameras? If the answer is not very or no, I'd be cautious about trying to guide you through anything for fear of having you do more damage. If you're handy and have a light touch, I'd be willing to talk you through it on the phone. A repair would likely involve ordering parts and some epoxying and clamping.
 
Barry_S said:
SkiUtah--How mechanically inclined are you? Have you ever worked on any cameras? If the answer is not very or no, I'd be cautious about trying to guide you through anything for fear of having you do more damage. If you're handy and have a light touch, I'd be willing to talk you through it on the phone. A repair would likely involve ordering parts and some epoxying and clamping.
Click to expand...


I have not worked on any cameras before, and I am not very mechanically inclined. I think the best thing to do is to get it fixed by a pro (Either You or Panasonic)

What should my next step be? Call EVS? Call Panasonic?

Thank you VERY much for your help Barry!
 
Why don't you take it to your nearest authorized Panasonic service center and have them give you a detailed estimate of the repair costs. If it seems reasonable, you can have them do the repair. If it seems like the repair cost is excessive, then I'd be willing to install a new focus assembly for you at a reasonable cost.
 
We do these repairs alot. It's usually about $300 once you take shipping into account and everything. We can take a look at it and let you know for sure.

Andrew Hoffman
Specialized Communications Corp.
20940 Twin Springs Dr.
Smithsburg, MD 21783-1510
800-359-1858
Fax: 301-790-0173
andrewh@spec-comm.com
www.spec-comm.com
 
For some reason, that has been a very common damage to the DVX. IF you are mechanically inclined like Barry suggested, the procedure is simple, but I would still have him walk you through it. I did it for free several times for some of my customers who were off-warranty / broke / unable to part with their camera. At first, 2 hrs., now it takes me 15 minutes. I remove the front matte plate screws with a small philips screw driver, then the focus assembly's 4 screws with a longer screw driver. Then I carefully remove the assembly, paying CLOSE attention to the delicate focus data cable inside. I remove 4 screws inside, and reset them. That is usually the only problem, those screws need reset. Then I dust off the whole thing with CO2, replace the screws, then the matte plate, and done. Again, I stress that it is a risk to do this, because you may damage the lens glass, focus cable, focus gear teeth, etc... So I encourage to send it in for repair. Digitron has done it in the past for customers for a couple hundred dollars. Good luck.
 
It is best to be safe rather than sorry. Like Rush said, if the lens gets scratched, your looking at a repair that could go up to $2000. If your child was sick would you perform surgery on it yourself or take it to the best doctor out there? We've been handling things like this in the broadcaster industry for the past 20 years. We will make sure that it's done just right! :thumbsup:

Andrew Hoffman
Specialized Communications Corp.
20940 Twin Springs Dr.
Smithsburg, MD 21783-1510
800-359-1858
Fax: 301-790-0173
andrewh@spec-comm.com
www.spec-comm.com
 
Thanks for the information Rush. Since it was basically my stupidity that got me in this situation, then I am going to have a pro do it to aviod the risks.

Since there are no repair centers in UT, the closest ones are in CA. I've called digitron along with several other repair centers listed on the panny website.

The camera still works (exept the manual focus) , and I need to use it this weekend for a client. So, on Monday I will be sending it away for repairs. I'll make my choice then.

p.s. Spec-Comm - I thank you very much for your help, you have been very helpful during this time. :)
 
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