Overhead a repair shop owner say he never uses a lens spanner wrench

I was dropping off a CLA at this old shop in Austin last week and the owner was telling a customer he just uses a pair of needle nose pliers with rubber bands wrapped around the tips to adjust lens rings... said spanners are overpriced and scratch things up. I tried it on a stuck helicoid on a Fujinon 50mm and it actually worked better than my expensive tool. Has anyone else found a cheap tool swap that works just as good?

2 comments

2 Comments

theagarcia2d agoMost Upvoted

Wait have you tried using a flathead screwdriver with a layer of electrical tape on the tip? I picked that trick up from an old camera tech in Chicago and it works great for prying open tight retaining rings without any damage. The rubber band on pliers thing is genius though, I'm definitely trying that on my next stuck lens because I've scratched one too many rings with my cheap spanner. Honestly I think half these specialty tools are just a way to charge us more for something we can jury rig with stuff from the hardware store. What about using a guitar pick or a cut up credit card for adjusting those plastic rings on modern lenses?

anthony9892d ago

Yeah the guitar pick trick works pretty good on plastic parts but you gotta be careful with the thin ones, they can snap off inside the ring slot if you push too hard. I still think electrical tape on a screwdriver is safer for metal rings since it gives you more control without slipping.