Loose lens grip rubbers are a frustrating and common problem for photographers and videographers alike. It’s easy to spend so much time worrying about the valuable lens elements and delicate lens coatings, not to mention the sophisticated sensor in your digital camera, that you forget about the little things. But if the little circular grip rubbers of your focus or zoom rings come loose, it can cause a whole host of problems!
For one, it makes your grip on the lens much less secure, and this means it’s easy to drop. You’ll probably end up squeezing the barrel more tightly to compensate, and this can easily cause mishandling or slippage at a crucial moment. It can also make it much more difficult to achieve a smooth zooming or focusing action, which can cause you to miss a crucial shot. If you’re a working photographer, or just someone who uses their camera a lot, a loose lens grip rubber is something you want to take care of sooner rather than later.
There are a few DIY solutions that some people have tried to fix loose lens grip rubbers. Some recommend a dab of adhesive or a double-sided tab to keep the rubber in place on the lens barrel. Others will even suggest heating the lens grip to shrink the rubber a little and help it stay in place, with a hair dryer or similar appliance! There’s also the tried and tested quick solution of wrapping a rubber band around the ring to hold it in place and make it easier to grip.
A Nikkor 70-200mm ƒ/2.8G with a stretched and loose zoom grip
All these are potentially workable. However, they tend to be stopgaps, meaning temporary solutions that are really just putting off the inevitable – that the lens grip rubber needs replacing. After all, with lens grip rubbers as cheap as they are, the best and safest thing to do is to get hold of a replacement part and fix it on at home.
Let’s quickly walk through the process.
Replacing lens grip rubbers
You can get in touch with us to order the correct grip rubbers for your lens – the details are at the bottom of this page. One important thing to remember is to ensure you’re getting the correct rubber for the focus ring or the zoom ring, depending on which has come loose. You’d be surprised how many people mistakenly order the wrong one! If you’re unsure, you can send us a photo of your lens to double-check.
Once you have the lens ring replacement, you can fit it yourself at home. Find a decent working space – an ordinary clean desk will do – and lay the lens out on it. Work off the loose lens ring if it isn’t completely off already.
Attaching the new lens grip ring is nice and straightforward – you don’t even need any adhesive! If the rubber is in the right place, it should fit snugly and stay there. The only trick is to make sure that the lens surface is completely clean, and does not have any loose dust or dirt particles on it, as this may compromise the fit of the grip rubber. Give it a good wipe with some methylated spirit and that should take care of it.
Once this is done, work the new grip rubber onto the lens, ensuring that it first snugly in the groove. Now that you’ve replaced the rubber, give it a few turns, check the rotating action is smooth and there isn’t any play between the rubber and the lens. Once this is done, you’re good to go!
Ordering new lens grip rubbers
To purchase grip rubbers, simply contact our admin team on 020 7582 3294 or email admin@fixationuk.com. The average cost is around £10.00 (excluding VAT).
Also, we know that not everyone likes tinkering with their own equipment, even for things as small as lens rubbers! If you’re not comfortable fitting the lens grip rubber yourself, our service department will happily oblige at no extra charge.