A little help please!

[LiamH]

Hi guys,

I did search around to see if this topic had been covered before but couldn't see it had....

My girlfriend has a Ricoh GX 200 and she asked me to take a picture with it the other week, as I'm not particularly familiar or great with cameras I took off the lens cover thing to take one.

Bad move. Turns out you shouldn't do that! I attempted to put it back on but it got stuck a crude fashion. It is back on, but not on properly. The connection is misaligned and is a real bugger to take off. Took it into a camera shop and the guys in there couldn't do anything with it and told me to talk to Ricoh.

Just thought i'd post in here to see if anyone can help me out here with this problem...

Is it fixable or should we sell it?

Any helpful advice appreciated guys, cheers.

 

[odklizec]

Hi Liam and welcome here. I'm sorry to hear about your problem. I think it would be helpful if you can post a photo of the actual state? I just cannot imagine how bad it could be? With the lens cover you mean the simple and easy to loose (not the self opening) one?

I still don't understand how the lens cover could get stuck because it's very easy to attach/remove? Except if you don't mean the lens cover but the ring cap (released by the release button on the camera front plate)? Just don't forget to press the release button while you trying remove the ring cap. If you still cannot get it off, then I'm afraid, Ricoh service is your only hope.

 

[LiamH]

Hey odklizec,

Thanks for the reply mate.

Looking at the pictures, it's quite hard to make out the area with the problem, but there is a diagram underneath that shows the relevant points.

Of the camera itself:

Relevant points are D and B:

 

[LiamH]

The ring cap moves, but not as it should with the camera. Have had a few goes trying to get it off - but to no avail. Just don't want to make it worse!

 

[5four]

Hi,

I've tried it on mine, but it seems impossible to get this wrong. :?

maybe a stupid question, but do you press the button above the lens?
if there is a way on, there is a way off.
I would try to push the button and gently twist it left and right, but don't FORCE IT.
My guess is that one side has a broken clip on the inside of the lens cover.
therefore there is an opening. I think it does not cause problems for the operation of the device.

it is a good camera so I hope you get it right.

 

[33dollars]

I think maybe you have a non genuine auto lens cap here from "JJC Auto Lens Cap"
Instead o a genuine Ricoh LC-1 Self-retaining Lens Cap
It may of been fitted to the camera incorrectly the first time.
In which case you need to remove it incorrectly.
Just remember the more pressure applied to it, to remove it; distorts it.
So take it easy.
The button needs to push in easy, then turn the lens cap anticlockwise, pull away from camera.
If the button won't go in. Take it easy.
As 5four said it can only go one one way. I checked with the GX100 & GX200
line up the dots, push on & turn. It will not go on anywhere else.
I don't see two dots in your image ??
And id the release button permanently pressed in under load ??

 

[33dollars]

A tool for all plastic things of plastic
Nylon guitar pick. Never leave home without it
If the button is depressed but the lens cap wont turn it means the pin that holds the cap is under pressure.
The pin is attached to the release button. so
nylon guitar pick between camera & cap at 10 o'clock, moved to 11 o'clock, this depresses the lock pin.
turn lens cap anticlockwise.
Oh, & take it easy.

 

[LiamH]

Guys,

Thanks for the advice

I'll be seeing the girlfriend this weekend so I'll have another try with it...and I won't forget to go easy, I know how easy it is to make it worse!

Will report back later, hopefully with good news!

Cheers again guys.

 

[LiamH]

Back with bad news.

Have tried but to no avail. Got some nylon guitar picks as suggested, and tried the method mentioned. But it just isn't moving.

I read back over the posts and I didn't explain well how it came to be like that. My girlfriend asked me to take a picture, I removed the self opening lense to do so (camera novice!). Only when she told me to put it back did I see that I should have left it. When putting it back I didn't know about aligning the white dots. Just put it on. Which was the main problem. Now it's stuck and like I said, we've tried and tried to remove it but it's not happening.

Any other suggestions before I put it on ebay?

 

[5four]

if you are a handyman you can gently cut it of, and buy an new lenscover.

but you need some special tools for that.

 

[LiamH]

Well, tools shouldn't be a problem. Think a new lens cover is about £20...

What kind of special tool would you recommend though 5four?

 

[Marana]

Oh wow, I'm sorry to hear about that. Simply forgetting to align the white dots, seems like it shouldn't have created such a situation. Poor engineering foresight on part of Ricoh?

 

[5four]

Well, tools shouldn't be a problem. Think a new lens cover is about £20...

What kind of special tool would you recommend though 5four?

you can use something like this.
http://www.toolsxl.nl/dremel-2615056932 ... -5129.html
on a machine like this (scroll a bit down)
http://www.weeshare.net/2010/11/2010-ul ... remel.html

I made a picture of my gx 200 without the lenscover so you can see where you should cut without hitting the slots of your camera itself. the arrows are the places where i would cut, but thats up to you.


sizedRIMG0403 by 5 four, on Flickr

don't make your incisions completely trough, but just deep enough to crack them open with a screwdriver, this is to prevent that you hit your camera while cutting.

Good luck!

 

[LiamH]

5four, thanks again for information.

The stuff which you so kindly recommended me to help me out of this situation is too expensive, though.

Ebay here I come