Help - Camera splashed with sea water

shepthedog

Hey all
Stupidly enough I was taking some shots of a sea storm from a pier when a massive wave soaked me and splashed the camera.. Not alot of water got on the camera but enough to make me anxious. I turned it off straight away and dryed it off completely..

Can anyone advise me what to do.. Its a Canon 30D...

I am almost positive no water got into the camera itself.. But still better safe than sorry.

rymus

it'll be fine. fear not. it's happened to me once or twice too.

Ricky91t

Put it into a hot press thing for a few days without the lense just the caps on if you're worried thing the 30D has some weather proofing(could be totally wrong)

Calina

Dumping the thing in the sea is not usually a good idea but by and large, cameras are a bit more robust than they look. This happens me on a regular basis due to a camera death wish that I have.

This would be my normal advice:

1) let it dry by itself and do not touch anything, be it CF door, battery door USB port anything until you're certain it's dry. Do not remove lenses etc.

2) When you're sure it's dry, you can go about getting photos off it and all that mallarky.

3) I would occasionally clean it with a slightly damp (not wet NOT WET NOT WET NOT WET) cloth or per the care instructions in your manual as well.

Generally I prefer to allow the camera to dry by itself (so usually it dries out while sitting on the passenger seat of the car, as I'm driving home).

Be very, very gentle cleaning the front of the lens with a lens cloth as salt is not always nice to glass.

My camera is a 350D by the way.

Calina

ricky91t wrote: »

Put it into a hot press thing for a few days without the lense just the caps on if you're worried thing the 30D has some weather proofing(could be totally wrong)

I don't recommend putting the camera in a hot press at all.

Carrigman

I wouldn't worry about it. It happened to me when I was photographing Ballycotton Island last year. Suddenly, SPLASH!.. a freak wave (see below). No damage done.

Ricky91t

Calina wrote: »

I don't recommend putting the camera in a hot press at all.

well it done the job for 2 of my phones one that had dip in the river and the other that was left in my pocket and had a lovely wash so im happy to do that.But my 2 phones were totally dead so it as alast resort

haz

Calina wrote: »

I don't recommend putting the camera in a hot press at all.

Take the battery out straight off.

If you put a cold object in a hot environment, then it could be below the dew-point so any moisture will condense on the cold camera and make things worse - like glasses misting up when you come in from the cold - so warm the camera first in a sealed plastic bag, then open the bag.

Having said that, I have put two MP3 players and one mobile onto the radiator minus battery and all covers - one nameless family member dropped an MP3 in the toilet.

Ricky91t

haz wrote: »

Having said that, I have put two MP3 players and one mobile onto the radiator minus battery and all covers - one nameless family member dropped an MP3 in the toilet.

Yeah thats what i done desembled phones as much as i could

Calina

I would not open any part of the camera unless the exterior is already dry.

Ricky91t

Calina wrote: »

I would not open any part of the camera unless the exterior is already dry.

I know im wrong here and im not talking about the cam im talking about my phone's.I saw how to do that on the gadget show i think very handy

kensutz

ricky91t wrote: »

Put it into a hot press thing for a few days without the lense just the caps on if you're worried thing the 30D has some weather proofing(could be totally wrong)

Stupid putting it into a hot press for a few days. Also it is lens and not lense.

trishw78

That's a brilliant shot carrigman even if your camera got soaked.

Shepthedog - have you tried taking any shots since.

Calina

kensutz, a little less bluntness might be a little more helpful.

_________________

The reason I advise against putting the camera into a hot press - particularly from the cold - is condensation can build up inside and that is not good. If you read any advice about using cameras in extreme conditions, they always advise you to be careful bring a camera from a cold to a warm location for that reason.

_________________

The reason I advise you not to open any part of the camera (particularly the battery compartment) until it's dry is that your camera does a reasonable job on keeping water out. You absolutely don't want to get water into it afterwards and in particular, you don't want to get salt water drops in.

kensutz

Sorry Calina, just back from getting a hammering in football. Anyway, like you said condensation will mess up anything in the camera if exposed for a long time. Also leaving it in the hotpress at a constant warm temperature will do more harm than good.

rymus

like I said.. it'll be grand, dont worry about it.

shepthedog

PHEW.. Thanks everyone for all the advice (as usual) and the reassurance.. I was freaked out by it as I am usually so careful with it..

What i did was. Turned it off, Immediately dried all surface drops off it, went back to hotel and took out battery, CF card, dried it further at a good distance with a warm hairdryer, only lightly and not enough to damage it.. Left it overnight to dry in a nice even temperatured room..
Now for the acid test, going to go turn it on..
Thanks again to all for replies..

bigeoino

Carrigman wrote: »

I wouldn't worry about it. It happened to me when I was photographing Ballycotton Island last year. Suddenly, SPLASH!.. a freak wave (see below). No damage done.

a great picture though, nearly worth trying the technique again with a bit of protection...