I bought a ND16 filter from DJI for my Phantom 3 Pro. The filter has threads for mounting. I assume I'm supposed to unscrew the clear lens cap on the camera and replace it with the filter. I can't unscrew the lens cap. It's on too tight. I can't get it off with tools and I don't want to risk damaging the camera or the gimbal by using too much force. Any suggestions?

I meant to write that I can't get it off WITHOUT tools.

What I did was put an elastic band ( rubber band ) around it for extra grip. Holding it as near to the edge as possible and using very little pressure ( will be harder with pressure ), rotate it anti-clockwise.

sploodge Posted at 2015-9-3 09:32
What I did was put an elastic band ( rubber band ) around it for extra grip. Holding it as near to t ...

Thanks for the suggestion but I still can't get the lens cap off. It's REALLY tight.

Barnard Posted at 2015-9-3 16:46
Thanks for the suggestion but I still can't get the lens cap off. It's REALLY tight.

It is very tight.. ry to hold it as close to the edge as possible with as little pressure as possible ( this is why I used the rubber band for grip ). It will open..

sploodge Posted at 2015-9-3 09:53
It is very tight.. ry to hold it as close to the edge as possible with as little pressure as possi ...

When you say "as little pressure as possible" do you mean to avoid pressing down on the lens cap?

Barnard Posted at 2015-9-3 16:57
When you say "as little pressure as possible" do you mean to avoid pressing down on the lens cap?

Avoid squeezing it too much.. Its very thin metal so will become tighter aganst the bosy of the camera if you squeeze it

Sometimes mine gets stuck when I hold it side ways, I move my hand to top bottom and it comes out easily.

Hold the camera and put pressure on turning... and not pressure on holding.

Paniza Posted at 2015-9-3 11:03
Sometimes mine gets stuck when I hold it side ways, I move my hand to top bottom and it comes out ea ...

Ahhh! That did it! Thanks again.

Hey, Barnard, what Paniza and others are saying is that it is extremely difficult to remove the lens cover the first time because the inward radial force from the outside toward the threads must be perfectly equal. That is, you just cannot "squish" in one direction across that circular object. For example, grasping across the cover with your thumb and forefinger actually serves to clamp the thing even tighter !  That is frustrating. So the rubber band idea serves to equalize that force all around.

Alternatively, the easiest way many have found is to apply pressure equally by using a flexible item like rubber or leather or soft plastic to engage the RIM all around FROM THE FRONT edge, THEN turn when there is enough friction. I know that sounds really confusing, so here is a diagram...



Of course, PLEASE be sure to hold the rear of the camera firmly in such a way as to prevent stress to the gimbal. Good luck.

AerialLens Posted at 2015-9-3 12:21
Hey, Barnard, what Paniza and others are saying is that it is extremely difficult to remove the lens ...

It came off very easily when I stopped squeezing it ( and used a rubber band).

Even better than a rubber band is a piece of silicone. My wife has hot pad used in cooking that is silicone.  It grips very well when clean.  Also, when you grip the filter on the outer rim, do so with as many contact points as you can.  If you use only two, it will be tight.  Three, or even four, evenly spaced, will break it loose much faster.  Those of us with DSLR cameras, have the same problem with filters on the big lenses.

What also works perfectly is a piece of a rubber mat like the one you can use on the dashboard of your car. I cut a stroke of 15 mm x 100 mm and put this around the lens cap. You then have more equally distributed grip and it turns off very easy. I keep this rubber strip in my Phantom case all the time.

Yes one needs to be Zen like in the approach.  

Grip gently on outside of lens, with very little presure it should screw iff easel.   A little tip for when screwing on first rotate in place to the right.  One or two rotations then clockwise to screw on,  this lines up the threads nicely.

Apologies spelling hard to see on mobile.