my polarizer's stuck! help!

hi. ok, i know this question is going to sound idiotic but i need

help! i can't seem to take off my polarizer from my lens. it's a

circular polarizer and i screwed it on yesterday (twisting it into

place) and then i can't seem to take it off by unscrewing it the

other way....i'm a complete beginner to photography so i'm fumbling

with the equipment by myself. is there a proper way to put on/take

off circular polarizers? it didn't come with an instructions manual

so i'm at a loss at what to do. thanks. :-(

take the lens off the camera put a rear lens cap on it. then carefully wrap a wide rubber band around the filter. Then and this is the hard part without SQUEEZING the filter turn it off. If this does not work there are filter wrenches which will fit your filter available. try the rubberband idea first if it doesn't work I suggest calling the local camera shops to see if one of them might have such a little wrench and would be nice enough to help.

 

If that don't work B&H photo has them for sale at:

 

http://tinyurl.com/3m6et

 

Good luck

Are you turning the right part? A polarizer has two parts, one with the actual filter which can rotate relative to the other which is mounted on the lens. The latter usually has a slimmer edge and it's this you need to unscrew.

Not a stupid question. It's happened to more than one of us. I had two filters stuck together not to long ago, and both were quite expensive. After trying a number of the suggestions I got from photo.net, the last poster suggested I try zippo fluid. I only used a small amount around the ring. I let it sit for 5 to 10 seconds, and it came off like a charm. This was after a week or so of trying various methods (a lot more involved and convoluted).

 

Just be extremely careful not to add too much (start with the least possible), and don't let it seep anywhere (onto the filters glass or your lenses glass). Add the fluid and remove it quickly so you can clean up any excess fluid as fast as possible.

 

HTH

There is an old photographers' trick to removing stuck filters. Use a "rubber band" from an upright vacuum cleaner to grip the inner filter ring, and twist.

thank you so much! i finally got it off after trying the rubber band method. took me a while and lots of very nervewrecking twisting but it's off. :-)

Usually what happens is that you're trying to twist it with a couple of finger tips on the filter ring. That tends to distort the shape enough that it won't move. Try wrapping your hand around the filter ring (make a "C" shape with your thumb and forefinger) and it should come off too - that trick has worked for me when I didn't have a rubber band with me.

>Use a "rubber band" from an upright vacuum cleaner< making certain to avoid those sleazy horizontals.

'Happens on mine alot - don't squeeze to much when trying to unscrew, that can sometimes worsen it. Slight tapping on the sides sometimes does the trick. Sometimes after awhile it comes undone by itself. Why this happens - who knows?

Rub a little candle wax on the male threads of your filters then screw and unscrewthem a few times to distribute the wax over the threads of both the filters and the lens. Chrome on brass filter rings and lenses don't bind like aluminum ones do. The wax makes the aluminum less "sticky".

Happen to stumble on this thread while search for a way to loosen the stiffness of my polarizer. It was pretty hard to turn. But after applying a little zippo fluid, it turned very smoothly again! Thanks!

Tried the rubber band and it worked like a charm. I've been too busy at work to do much photography or fuss with this. Finally finished a major project. Very happy to be able to remove the polarizer for indoor shots