Is a broken camera lens useful for anything?

May 28, 2008 2:01 PM

Can anything interesting be done with a broken SLR zoom lens?

So, I dropped my digital SLR and the lens didn't survive. It was a 18-70mm zoom lens, if it matters. Now the barrel is tilted and it's nearly impossible to zoom in/out or focus. It was the kit lens so I'm not too upset, but I'm wondering if there's anything fun that can be done with it at this point? It seems such a waste to just toss it.

posted by logic vs love to media & arts (10 comments total)

Can you take it apart perhaps with jeweler's screwdrivers? That might be a fun diversion for a few hours.
posted by mmascolino at 2:05 PM on May 28

Yeah.
posted by fire&wings at 2:09 PM on May 28

Does it still take pictures? And if so, how do they come out? If they're decent you can still use it. If they're not, you might be able to use it to get backgrounds for things if you're into editing photographs.
posted by theichibun at 2:10 PM on May 28

Take it apart for parts to sell on ebay? I know I've purchased stuff from ebay in the past that was pulled from broken lenses.

The iris/aperture for example. The optics obviously, if they can be extracted (lenses are built pretty tough). If it has any kind of zoom motor in it, those things are great (very high efficiency high quality miniature motor, plus geartrain), although they're usually stepper motors. Perhaps the interface with the camera body, or at the other end the threads for attachments and filters - useful if you're building your own attachments.

What's left could go towards the stuff in fire&wings' link :-)

Paperweight? Lenses are pretty interesting things that you normally can't examine or play with due to dust concerns. Without dust concerns, it's suddenly potentially educational.

Mount it on a plaque as a trophy or award for someone? (or ebay). Beat the crap out of it even more, for a "field photography" award :-)

Got some skill with small handtools? Cut away sections of the barrel so that it's a real-life cut-away diagram showing the inner mechanisms in action and how the arrangements of lenses inside changes with the zoom, focus, etc.
posted by -harlequin- at 2:26 PM on May 28

Sounds like the Nikon 18-70 kit lens I dropped and sent back to Nikon repair (the Western Repair Facility used to be in El Segundo but has recently moved to LA). I don't remember what my bill was, probably in the $300 range. Give them a call, you can send the lens in and they will give you an estimate but doing the repair. It will be cheaper than a new lens and the 18-70 is not too shabby. Mine was in pieces, yours might be a cheaper repair.

Don't listen to these do-it-yourselfers and re-purposers. The lens needs to be repaired and calibrated.
posted by psyche7 at 2:34 PM on May 28

create (or, copy)
posted by devbrain at 2:56 PM on May 28

Mix with some flexible tubing and make a lensbaby clone!

* Lensbaby is a flexible-barrelled lens used for doing fun tilt-shift style focus effects.
posted by moonmilk at 3:07 PM on May 28 [1 favorite]

Except for that cool Lensbaby idea. I checked eBay (used 18-70s less than $150) and B&H (new: $329) so depending on repair costs, it may not be worth fixing, unless you were going to buy a new one.
posted by psyche7 at 5:23 PM on May 28

Will It Blend?

In all seriousness... blow that thing up. :)
If you can't get it repaired for free, it ain't worth the cost.
posted by s01110011 at 10:22 PM on May 28

Some optics can be repurposed into loupes, if you have any use for one.
posted by lekvar at 1:01 PM on May 29