Gadget Finder

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Ricoh LC1 auto lens cap on Leica D-Lux 4 and Panasonic LX3

Here's the Transformers looking thingy I modified for my camera. It's called a Ricoh LC-1 lens cap. This is the thing that puzzled the salesman at the puny so called Leica fair at Pavilion yesterday. I thought I'd post the youtube video I made so u guys can see what I was talking about. I love it so much that I sometimes play with it just to see the thing pop in n out of the camera. hehehe








This is how the normal lens cap looks like b4 I modified it. A few fellas asked me how come I got a Panasonic LX3 in the pic too. They're both mine. Why you ask? I did say I was a crazy gadget freak didn't I? Hehehe.

lx3 and dlux4


Here's how u guys can have a Ricoh LC-1 auto lens cap on your LX3 n D-Lux4 too. I'll explain it as simply as I can.

Instructions

1. This is how the lens looks like before you do anything.
Ricoh LC-1 lens cap mod on LX3



2. Now screw off the ring on the front of it and it will look like this.
LC1 on  LX3



3. That's the ring we've just removed.
LC-1 mod




4. The Ricoh LC-1 lens cap is a bayonet mount. All it needs is a lil bit of force n it'll pop right on to the threaded part of the lens. Then all you have to do is screw it on until it comes to a stop. It will look like this now. Everything fits perfectly and looks factory fit. There is a slight problem though. At 24mm the 3 flaps open up all the way coz the lens is poking out all the way. When you start zooming in, the lens retracts more n more until you're left with 3 small slits n you get vignetting in the pics from about 30-60mm.
LC1 on dlux4




5. This is what you have to do in order to make the flaps open wide at 24mm n enough even at 60mm to prevent vignetting. If you look inside the flaps, you will see 3 springs. You will need to add some black double sided foam tape to the insides of the flaps where the springs are. Just cut out a small 1cm square piece of double sided tape n pile on 3 layers. Now stick it on the inside of the flap where the spring is. Make sure you leave the wax paper on the last layer that contacts the lens barrel so the barrel can slide smoothly on the tape's back. The double sided tape can be seen in the 3 red circles. The mod is now complete. Everything fits perfectly n there's no vignetting at all.
lc1 on dlux4




This is how it looks like wide open at 24mm.
lc1 on dlux4

lc1 on dlux4






This is how it looks like at 60mm zoom. Don't worry, there's no vignetting. It looks like it will obstruct the view but it doesnt vignet at all. I've tested it by zooming to 60mm n shooting at a white wall n got a perfectly even white frame with no shadows at all.
lc1 on dlux4


We're all done. It's time to go out n enjoy instantaneous response. No more fiddling around with the lens cap n silly string. Hope u all liked the guide.

If you liked this article or found it helpful, please check out the advertisements ya? You can also buy the Ricoh LC-1 cap from Amazon through the link below. Your support is much appreciated. :) :) :)



67 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks Ian, much appreciated. I think I might try gluing some bits of slippy plastic on mine, with cyano, since I'm sure the double sided tape wil get a bit gummy after a while.

Ian Ho said...

I thought of using super glue n some plastic parts to extend those bits. as well but I needed to use my camera immediately. With cyano, u hafta be sure to let it dry completely coz it fogs up plastics n glass n leaves that white powdery stuff all over the place. I didnt wanna risk that white powdery stuff on my lens so I went with the tape.

Anonymous said...

I will have to try it on my C5050z.
I have the LC1 for my gx100.

Anonymous said...

good thought, I hadn't thought of the cyano fumes, and I'm pretty impatient with this stuff as well!

Anonymous said...

you can use chloroform if you want to stick plastic to plastic....no whitish powder coz it melts plastic

exactly the same sticking material that they use for car number plate plastics

well done ianho

Anonymous said...

Can you do this mod to a d-lux 3???
is it the same??

Ian Ho said...

IINM the DL3 doesnt have that threaded bit on the front of the lens. Anyway, I'm sure there's a way to do it even without the threaded front as long as the cap diameter is bigger than the lens.

Anonymous said...

Great show of how to get the Ricoh auto cap to fit.
Question: will the DL4 fit the Leica leather case with this auto cap installed?

Thanks!

Dan

Anonymous said...

Hi Ian, this is great! I wonder if lx3 will still fit inside the Panasonic DMW-CLX3K leather case WITH the modified lens cap on. Please let me know when you get the chance.

Thank you.

Ian Ho said...

The LC1 cap is about double the thickness of the standard lens cap. It should fit I guess. I'm waiting for the brown leather Leica case so I guess I'll find out for sure soon enough.

Anonymous said...

That is really great!!!

Is it very easy to take off and put on again once you've got it on? Guess just unscrew and yank?

Anonymous said...

Where did you buy the LC1 for $10? Thanks!

Anonymous said...

This is amazing! Great job and thanks for posting it!

I just ordered an lx3 last night (I'm tired of my nikon d200 and the superb lenses I own but never use because the camera is too big and heavy to actually carry around just for fun) and after seeing this addictive video I called the store back to add this lenscap to my order. I'm sure after I install this lenscap, all I will do for a few days is probably just stare at the camera open and close the flaps - and be perfectly happy...

Anonymous said...

I wonder how well it doubles as a lense hood? :D

Anonymous said...

Just checked my LX3 and it does in fact have the same threaded ring on the lens. This mod is much appreciated and should work equally well on the LX3!

Anonymous said...

Two questions:
1. If lx3 will still fit inside the Panasonic DMW-CLX3K case with LC-1 cap?
2. Dust on the lens problem?

dickie said...

Yes, the LC1 will still fit in the DMw case.

As a side note, I ended up using Pro-Tec Soft Dots (2 small stacked), placing them to the right of the spring, and high enough that when the lens is fully extended, they are resting on the interior cylinder.

Here's what the dots look like:

http://www.miller-studio.com/Products/3727.htm

NikonRumors.com said...

I guess this can serve also as a "partial" lens hood.

Unknown said...

Tried it out today...noticed a couple of things.
Loved that I didn't need the cover that the camera came with, but the LC1's edges are wide and obstruct the orange light a bit and shadows the built in flash. When taking a picture with a flash I get a dark lower right corner…the cap is in the way. Tired to move it around…still working with it.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

i really like how it fits the lx3 but i have one question. can you take the lc-1 easily or you need to take it out forcefully?

Anonymous said...

Is it possible to sand off to get the thickness of LC-1 same with the lx3 cap?

Anonymous said...

FYI, I put the LC1 on my LX3 and it fits the brown leather case for the D-lux 4. A bit tight, but it'll fit

Anonymous said...

Hi, nice thread so far...
Got a little question-
what happens when you need to mount the wide angle lens on the front thread to which the LC1 is attached? Can the LC1 easily be removed and placed back again after?

Unknown said...

Can the LC1 easily be removed and placed back again after?

without any modification its going to be hard to remove! and it might even damage the metal threads in lx3. so i did was just shaved 2 of the small clips in lc-1 using a blade( i know its a lot of work but its nice and clean) and added 2 layer of electrical tape to fit nicely! now i can put and remove lc-1 without any problem!

Anonymous said...

sanding off and gluing to front ring seems to be most accurate mod...

http://202.66.137.11/lx3/DSCF0302.JPG

Ian Ho said...

Excellent idea! I will get down to it when I have the time. I will use my dremel to cut it down to size n glue the lens ring to it. I will be needing this as I plan on getting the ultra wide angle adapter.

thomy Keat said...

Hello Ianho,
thank you very much for the tip, i just got my LX3 with the Leather case, what a look, i was wondering if it would fit, well, very nicely, it even is some space left so i am very happy with that, i cut a little bit of the inner plastic inside to be able to use the filter complement and to avoid damage to the thread, and it still fit really good in it.

Thanks again for the tip and excuse my poor english ;)

Regards.

Romejc & Moco said...

Just received LC1 and I cannot fit it on my LX3.. I have a silver model, do you think it might be the case for not fitting it on? Though I doubt... :(

Unknown said...

Can you do this mod AND still use a uv filter on the lx3? from the pics it looks like you have to give using a uv filter...true? no?

smallcaps said...

would really like to know where we could buy just the outer ring as a service part? i would like to custom mod a separate piece. who knows what people could be attaching on to their lx3/dlux4 with access to the right materials.

Anonymous said...

Panasonic parts ordering:

http://www.pasc.panasonic.com/EpartR/

fjs said...

at last, after days (in the Netherlands) of searching on internet i found the lens cap. Hope it will arrive soon, and i think it is a brilliant idea. Also glueing something at the inside!

fjs said...

first this:
Anonymous said...

Just checked my LX3 and it does in fact have the same threaded ring on the lens. This mod is much appreciated and should work equally well on the LX3!
December 15, 2008 5:54 PM

then here:http://www.flickr.com/groups/843626@N22/discuss/72157613371511567/
Sorry for posting this in two topics, but I feel it's important to warn people.

The LC-1 will compress the threads on your LX3's lens barrel. You have to jam and force it on, and there is a price for that. The threads are only plastic, and they strip and squash quite easily. If you want to use attachments on this camera, DO NOT perform this mod. If you're going to just place it on once and leave it there, you'll probably be okay.

I'm going to attempt to make the LC-1 into a screw on cap. I'll let you know how it
(end)

so i'm still not certain about the threads fitting or not.

Anonymous said...

just ordered an LC-1 cap, i'm a gonna go for this! thanks a lot! i saw a picture of your mod through google image search which was on a japanese (or other asian) site and couldn't find out what that lens cap was! i wanted it! now i found it again through google, searching for "lx3 hack"..
have you already thought of a neat way to protect the LCD on the back aswell? I love these practical customization hacks! :-)

Ian Ho said...

fjs,
I've popped my LC-1 on and off many times and have no such problems with stripped threads. They're really thick threads and I dont see how it can strip so easily. I think you're just being a lil bit too paranoid.

sjogro,
I used a spare iPhone screen protector that I had lying around. I cut it down to size and stuck it on. I got the generic crystal clear type that only costs about $3. The dedicated LX3, D-Lux4 screen protectors cost a whole lot more and do the same thing.

Sam said...

That is really great!! It is a really useful that you want can use turn on your camera without removing the len cover when you need to shoot something fast.. not to mention forgotting putting back on the lens cover sometime.

James said...

Hi Guys, just wanted to check if the LC1 modification, will cast shadow when usign flash. It's a really cool mod! But concern on flash shadow. Please advice. Thanks.

James said...

Hi Ian, just wanted to check if the LC1 modification, will cast shadow when usign flash. It's a really cool mod! But concern on flash shadow. Please advice. Thanks.

Ian Ho said...

If you're concerned about shadow, just turn the cap a lil bit. My pictures show the LC1 flaps positioned at 12, 4 and 8 o'clock. To reduce shadow just turn the flaps to about 11,3 and 8 o'clock.

Anonymous said...

Fabulous presentation...but I need a little nudge to "get it right" without damaging my LX-3. I have tried to place modest pressure to start the threading process but without success. Any getting started suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

Ian Ho said...

Just push it a lil harder and it should pop right on.

Anonymous said...

I use wide and tele and the cap has to come off a lot. Any ideas how to make that happen? PUU

Ian Ho said...

U can stick the LC-1 onto the lens ring. Then all u hafta do is unscrew it and screw on the wide or zoom lens accessory.

Michae Lee said...

I can't seem to unscrew the ring for my d-lux 4 and I'm afraid to break it... Is it just me or did you have a hard time also unscrewing it?

Ian Ho said...

No probs on both my LX3 n DLux4. I suppose u need a lil bit more force to screew it off. Make sure to turn it in an anti clockwise direction to open. Mebe ur tightening it instead of opening?

Anonymous said...

If i stick it to the lens ring, do i still have to do the tape thing?

Ian Ho said...

Yes u will still hafta do the tape thing inside or else u will get vignetting.

Anonymous said...

i have my LC-1 in hand (waiting for LX3 to be delivered anytime). I have a few Q's.

1)If i choose to stick the LC-1 to the lens ring, do i NEED to sand it down or i can just stick them together?
2) does the glue go on side of lens ring or top surface?
3) will gorilla glue work?
4) finally, whats the dimension of the piece that needs to be stuck to LC-1 for vignetting issue? how high and how long?

Ian Ho said...

I used 1cm square pieces of heavy duty black double sided foam tape. 3 layers thick. I guess any super glue shud do the trick between the lens ring n LC1.

Peetah said...

Hi, I saw the following (below)

Any such problems (or creative ideas on how to make the LC1 and lens ring inseparable)?

"UPDATE: I have since abandoned this mod and gone back to the old dangling lens cap. Regardless of the type of glue used, the lens cap popped off very easily with a good bump. My guess is due to the less than optimal plastic/aluminum bond. After the fourth re-adhesion I'd had enough. Therefore, I'm no longer recommending this mod."


http://www.flickr.com/photos/12396591@N06/sets/72157616182660321/

Anonymous said...

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! take the lens cap off when you take the camera out of it's case! Go and take some photographs with your expensive very nice new camera instead of messing about!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ye gods guys! come on- I bet you are all divorced.

Ian Ho said...

LOL. Thing is, with the LC-1 mod we probably get more shots in since it's instantaneous response for the "moment" instead of messing around with the lens cap n missing the shot. And NO we're not divorced. Haha

Anonymous said...

This is some wicked shiat...yeahhh! Love it!

LITHIUM PICNIC said...

I just got a new Dlux 4 it doesn't seems to have the ridged edge or ring to remove to get to the threads - it's just got a smooth round lip that doesn't seem to want to screw off easily... any advice?

Ian Ho said...

The ridged ring is for the LX3. The D-Lux 4 has a smooth ring. It works the same. Just twist it off in the anti clockwise direction.

Des said...

Hi Ian, one burning question. Will this work with the 46mm adapter on?

Anonymous said...

Hi Ian, one burning question. Will this work with the 46mm adapter on?

- Hi Des with all due respect even if it does work why would you use the LC1 on it? it doesnt make sense to use it with the adapter

Ian Ho said...

It won't work with the adapter on anyway. The lens won't be pushing outwards to open the LC1.

Unknown said...

hi ian,
thanks for the tips and by the way, i'm glad to learn you're not divorced. appreciate your sense of humour. good day!

Ian Ho said...

Glad it helped you MNH.

Unknown said...

from Bob
Thanks for the tip you've just made two Leica D Lux4 folks happy

Ian Ho said...

Glad u like it Bob. It sure makes life a lot easier eh?

Mandy said...

yay~ i finally get one, after reading ur post for some time dy. thanks ian~

RT said...

Cool mod. Haven't "seen" you since kena permabanned from LYN LOL. Btw, I just grabbed an LX5, will the LC1 lens cap fit?

Ian Ho said...

Wow what got you banned from LYN RT? Anyway, if the LX5 has the same barrel as LX3 then it will work for sure. I haven't got my hands on an LX5 yet so I don't know for sure.

Unknown said...

Really nice cam.

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