I was given a DJI 15mm lens a while ago, which, together with it's X5 camera had been for a little trip in the sea.
Predictably, trying the lens on my Olympus PEN EPM1 test mule didn't do much - just a black screen on the display, but at least it didn't complain about the lens (I have a smashed Olympus 12mm which the camera does NOT like at all)
Given the lens is essentially a Panasonic 15mm ASPH lens (maybe without the Leica optics), I contacted the UK repair centre for Panasonic. Unfortunately they're take was that being DJI-branded, there were no servicable parts inside and that a salt-water dunking would be terminal anyway.
I was curious to see inside it and there was nothing to lose so I dissected as much as I could, taking photos along the way so I could get it back together again. The rear lens element was cleaned and I brushed clean all of the electronics with 99.9% isopropanol, then popped it back on the camera.
Surprisingly I now got an image onscreen! None of the focusing worked and the dirty central lens made for a really murky shot but it was progress of a sort.
It got me to thinking - for drone work, if I could set the aperture wide open and the focus to infinity, it'd work pretty well. Certainly better than scrapping it.
I had another go at disassembling it and after a lot of head scratching (and using much more force than was comfortable) I managed to disassemble the front of the lens too. This provided the necessary access to the focusing lens and diaphragm so I was able to clean the rest of the lenses and gave the motors an isopropanol bath.
It all went back together again and back on the camera to see whether i could now get a clear image. Not only was the image nice and clear, the autofocusing had popped back into life.
All in all a better result than I could possibly have hoped for.A methodical approach, some perseverance and a healthy dollop of luck can get you a long way!
Predictably, trying the lens on my Olympus PEN EPM1 test mule didn't do much - just a black screen on the display, but at least it didn't complain about the lens (I have a smashed Olympus 12mm which the camera does NOT like at all)
Given the lens is essentially a Panasonic 15mm ASPH lens (maybe without the Leica optics), I contacted the UK repair centre for Panasonic. Unfortunately they're take was that being DJI-branded, there were no servicable parts inside and that a salt-water dunking would be terminal anyway.
I was curious to see inside it and there was nothing to lose so I dissected as much as I could, taking photos along the way so I could get it back together again. The rear lens element was cleaned and I brushed clean all of the electronics with 99.9% isopropanol, then popped it back on the camera.
Surprisingly I now got an image onscreen! None of the focusing worked and the dirty central lens made for a really murky shot but it was progress of a sort.
It got me to thinking - for drone work, if I could set the aperture wide open and the focus to infinity, it'd work pretty well. Certainly better than scrapping it.
I had another go at disassembling it and after a lot of head scratching (and using much more force than was comfortable) I managed to disassemble the front of the lens too. This provided the necessary access to the focusing lens and diaphragm so I was able to clean the rest of the lenses and gave the motors an isopropanol bath.
It all went back together again and back on the camera to see whether i could now get a clear image. Not only was the image nice and clear, the autofocusing had popped back into life.
All in all a better result than I could possibly have hoped for.A methodical approach, some perseverance and a healthy dollop of luck can get you a long way!
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