Camera viewfinder scratched my prescription glasses lens

My metal edges of Panasonic ZS40 and ZS70 camera viewfinders scratched one of my prescription glasses lenses.

The top, left part of the right lens of my glasses is where I gaze through to see through the camera's viewfinder, and that's the only part of my prescription glasses that's been scratched.  I went to an optical store and the optician asked me if I use a camera and pinpointed the source of the scratching and said he's had other customers with the same problem.

What substance can I jerry-rig to stick to the edges of the viewfinder to create a slight barrier between my glasses lens and the viewfinder?

Tony

You might try Sugru around the edges of the viewfinder.

Or perhaps Thermoplastic.

I could also imagine gluing some felt around the edge of the viewfinder.

Thanks, Michael.

I Web-searched Sugru and Thermoplastic.

What kind of glue would you recommend for gluing felt onto the edges of my viewfinders?

Tony

Tony Max wrote:

Thanks, Michael.

I Web-searched Sugru and Thermoplastic.

What kind of glue would you recommend for gluing felt onto the edges of my viewfinders?

I am not an expert on glues.  In fact a lot of times, glue seems to become unstuck just when you need it the most (particularly hot glue used in DIY costume making).  I often seem to be in glue hell and having to reapply things I've glued.  But with something like felt, it isn't structural, so if the felt comes off, just re-glue a new piece when you get home.

A quick google search shows: https://www.wikihow.com/Glue-Plastic

Michael Meissner wrote:

You might try Sugru around the edges of the viewfinder.

Shaping a sugru part to fit over the viewfinder would be the popular answer.

However, sugru isn't really all that soft. I'd suggest trying self-stick Velcro, which is backed with a pretty good adhesive. Ignore the hooks part; the other part is basically soft and fluffy, so unlikely to scratch anything.  Self-stick (backed) craft foam would be ok too, but it doesn't hold up very well, so you'd be replacing the foam bits often (and the pieces get a little messy when they fall apart).

ProfHankD wrote:

Michael Meissner wrote:

You might try Sugru around the edges of the viewfinder.

Shaping a sugru part to fit over the viewfinder would be the popular answer.

Thanks.  I've never really used Sugru, and thermoplastic would be even worse.

However, sugru isn't really all that soft. I'd suggest trying self-stick Velcro, which is backed with a pretty good adhesive. Ignore the hooks part; the other part is basically soft and fluffy, so unlikely to scratch anything. Self-stick (backed) craft foam would be ok too, but it doesn't hold up very well, so you'd be replacing the foam bits often (and the pieces get a little messy when they fall apart).

However, it is my experience that the glue on the self-stick Velcro (tm) doesn't really stick long term.  I find in my craft projects, I have to replace it every so often (or if it is a wood project, staple the velcro to the wood).

Michael Meissner wrote:

ProfHankD wrote:

Michael Meissner wrote:

You might try Sugru around the edges of the viewfinder.

Shaping a sugru part to fit over the viewfinder would be the popular answer.

Thanks. I've never really used Sugru, and thermoplastic would be even worse.

However, sugru isn't really all that soft. I'd suggest trying self-stick Velcro, which is backed with a pretty good adhesive. Ignore the hooks part; the other part is basically soft and fluffy, so unlikely to scratch anything. Self-stick (backed) craft foam would be ok too, but it doesn't hold up very well, so you'd be replacing the foam bits often (and the pieces get a little messy when they fall apart).

However, it is my experience that the glue on the self-stick Velcro (tm) doesn't really stick long term. I find in my craft projects, I have to replace it every so often (or if it is a wood project, staple the velcro to the wood).

Hmm. I guess YMMV. I've more often had the problem that I can't get the self-stick Velcro off if I want to. Then again, wood that hasn't been finished is about the least friendly thing for it to stick too; here is should be painted metal/plastic with a smooth finish. Certainly, without the stress of repeatedly bonding/tearing the mating Velcro it should stay in place much better....

Thanks, guys.

I decided to try the self-adhesive felt pads that are used to stick onto the bottoms of chair legs to prevent the chair legs from scratching floors.  I cut a few of those self-adhesive chair pads into four, small, thin strips and glued them to the rim of the viewfinders of three Panasonic cameras.

I works well so far.  The only problem so far has been that I forgot to allow for the tilting of the tilt screen on the ZS70; when I titled the screen, one of the self-adhesive prevented the tilt screen from opening all the way, so I had to cut a smaller piece of felt pad for that part of the viewfinder rim.

I decided against using Sugru because I thought it might be too hard, and that it, too, therefore might therefore scratch my spectacles lens.  Also, I feared that Sugru might be difficult to get Sugru to be flat.  Also, I saw videos on Youtube of Sugru being removed with an art knife, and I didn't want to scratch my cameras or (worse: the viewfinder) with an art knife if I wanted to remove the Sugru.)

Tony

I've used sugru extensively. It is currently holding together parts of my dishwasher, my kitchen mixer, and my car, as well as numerous cables; functioning as key risers, finger railings, and thumb rests on all but one of my saxes; and serving as grips on all manner of things.

You'd have no trouble getting it flat/smooth. It goes on like Play-doh and before it dries it can be sculpted with any tool you like - I typically use a razor blade, a butterknife, and a toothpick. To smooth it you can put some soap on your hands and sculpt it that way, although the site might have a better way to do that.

You also won't have to worry about it scratching your glasses. It cures into rubber. If you don't get it smooth enough it could collect oils and leave residue from time to time, so be sure to do smooth it well, but even if you attempted to make it sharp I doubt it could scratch glass and certainly not polycarbonate.

Just be careful not to clog the air vents on the VF and you'll be fine.

Can you find the offending area that caused the scratch? Some models come with viewfinder inserts that might solve the problem. If you can feel the "burr" an emery board might remove it.

TallTree wrote:

Can you find the offending area that caused the scratch? Some models come with viewfinder inserts that might solve the problem. If you can feel the "burr" an emery board might remove it.

Thanks, Tall Tree.

No, I can't feel the roughness of the metal rim of the viewfinder.  The rim feels smooth, but it was still scratching my right eyeglasses lens when I had my right eyeglasses lens was pressed against it.

There's no viewfinder insert available for the Panasonic ZS series cameras.

I hope the felt chair pads will prevent further scratching of my lens.  I don't know yet if that'll work, because I haven't made many photos since I applied the felt strips to my viewfinder rim, and I haven't yet replaced my eyeglasses lens.

Tony