Camera Modding
Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 6:45 amI've mentioned before the camera I got for my birthday was good, but suffered from a rather unsightly complexion.
This is mostly due to the fact that I prefer a specific scheme when it comes to electronics. It's rather clear with just a glance at some of the things I own (or owned in the case of the camera, some of you will know
).
Silver and black is the order of the day. I still refused to return the camera and get the black version - which of course has 0% silver, so I decided to see what I could do about it. I ordered a black handle grip, but I'm no camera expert. I tried calling a few places, but I kept getting "bring it in for an estimate". Encouraged by the likes of my father and Fozzer, who always fix things themselves, I decided to just do the thing myself. I'll be danged if some doofus who "just works there" is going to mess with my camera, and then pull a fast one on me and charge me $100 for it.
All the while this happens I'd get no explanation of how it was done, or at most, I'd have my intelligence insulted. 
On the inside of the handgrip were 4 tabs and one anchor (though I did not know this to be an anchor at the time) near the lens barrel when installed on the camera, which I examined.
I consulted my dad (AKA jack of all trades), and he reccomended I pry the grip off; the tabs would certainly give way. After several days, with no better alternative, that's what I did. Hacking and prying away at the old grip, I was finally down to the final piece, and only now did I realize it was an anchor. It seemed to be attached onto a screw (or chould I say the screw was screwed into the grip from the inside?), so I tried rotating what was left of the grip to undo this. A good deal later, I realized the grip was still securely attached, and there wasn't actually anything to suggest there was threading to begin with. I unscrewed the body, took a peek, but the chip was in the way. Deterred? About as much as a shark in blood. I unscrewed the chip as well. So here I sat with screws, plastic, tools and nano-cables everywhere, and finally good sense prevailed. I put the body back together and called in the big guns - my dad. Solution? Melt it! This made me antsy, but what the hey, eh? With the help of a soldering iron, we (or he, while I looked) melted the stub of plastic off the anchor point and the plastic around the anchor socket itself. The new grip was prepped by widening the anchor hole (which should go over the threadless mystery screw) to accomodate the screw and the melted remains of the old grip's anchor by what other than softening/melting? I snapped everything in as quickly as I could, and gentlemen and gentlemen, I present to you: The DMC-FZ7S Mk. 605!
I discovered some nicks afterward, and while initially painful, mistakes are what makes life memorable and personal; this FZ7 is MINE!
Or maybe I'm just too picky. Guilty as charged I guess.
Proof that some people still believe in "do-it-yourself"!
PS: And the most important part? It still works! Here's something for y'all to whet your appetites! Credits due to my dear mother, of course!
This is mostly due to the fact that I prefer a specific scheme when it comes to electronics. It's rather clear with just a glance at some of the things I own (or owned in the case of the camera, some of you will know
).Silver and black is the order of the day. I still refused to return the camera and get the black version - which of course has 0% silver, so I decided to see what I could do about it. I ordered a black handle grip, but I'm no camera expert. I tried calling a few places, but I kept getting "bring it in for an estimate". Encouraged by the likes of my father and Fozzer, who always fix things themselves, I decided to just do the thing myself. I'll be danged if some doofus who "just works there" is going to mess with my camera, and then pull a fast one on me and charge me $100 for it.
All the while this happens I'd get no explanation of how it was done, or at most, I'd have my intelligence insulted. On the inside of the handgrip were 4 tabs and one anchor (though I did not know this to be an anchor at the time) near the lens barrel when installed on the camera, which I examined.I consulted my dad (AKA jack of all trades), and he reccomended I pry the grip off; the tabs would certainly give way. After several days, with no better alternative, that's what I did. Hacking and prying away at the old grip, I was finally down to the final piece, and only now did I realize it was an anchor. It seemed to be attached onto a screw (or chould I say the screw was screwed into the grip from the inside?), so I tried rotating what was left of the grip to undo this. A good deal later, I realized the grip was still securely attached, and there wasn't actually anything to suggest there was threading to begin with. I unscrewed the body, took a peek, but the chip was in the way. Deterred? About as much as a shark in blood. I unscrewed the chip as well. So here I sat with screws, plastic, tools and nano-cables everywhere, and finally good sense prevailed. I put the body back together and called in the big guns - my dad. Solution? Melt it! This made me antsy, but what the hey, eh? With the help of a soldering iron, we (or he, while I looked) melted the stub of plastic off the anchor point and the plastic around the anchor socket itself. The new grip was prepped by widening the anchor hole (which should go over the threadless mystery screw) to accomodate the screw and the melted remains of the old grip's anchor by what other than softening/melting? I snapped everything in as quickly as I could, and gentlemen and gentlemen, I present to you: The DMC-FZ7S Mk. 605!
I discovered some nicks afterward, and while initially painful, mistakes are what makes life memorable and personal; this FZ7 is MINE!
Or maybe I'm just too picky. Guilty as charged I guess. Proof that some people still believe in "do-it-yourself"!
PS: And the most important part? It still works!
Here's something for y'all to whet your appetites! Credits due to my dear mother, of course! 
I still think it looks better. 