Didn't mean to dive -- Canon Rebel
Dennis Bathory-Kitsz
I'm way out of the country in rural Portugal, and had a fall off a rock
ledge into a river with my audio gear and Canon Digital Rebel.
After disassembly and drying, everything is working except the camera
and a couple broken ribs. The ribs are healing, the audio gear is all
cleaned and back to operation, but I'm at a loss to get any further with
the camera.
I've disassembled the first level of the camera and the outer lens
assembly, cleaned the connectors, and let it all dry completely before
putting it back together. I've got nothing. The last thing I remember
when coming out of the water is the flash popping open (the camera was
off) and the mirror mechanism moving.
Since it wasn't stolen or wrecked in a car crash or something similar,
my homeowner's policy won't cover it. And I'm far from anywhere with an
affordable replacement or any kind of repair service. I have seven days
left here to work.
Any suggestions are welcome, with copies (pretty please, as I'm on a
very slow dialup) to bathory[at]maltedmedia[dot]com
Many many thanks,
Dennis
--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
Annika1980
>
> Since it wasn't stolen or wrecked in a car crash or something similar,
> my homeowner's policy won't cover it.
Sorry to hear about your stolen camera.
Private
"Annika1980" <annik...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1177175517.8...@y80g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
Good thing you posted under an internet handle and not your real name.
Fred McKenzie
Dennis Bathory-Kitsz <bat...@bathory.org> wrote:
> I've disassembled the first level of the camera and the outer lens
> assembly, cleaned the connectors, and let it all dry completely before
> putting it back together. I've got nothing. The last thing I remember
> when coming out of the water is the flash popping open (the camera was
> off) and the mirror mechanism moving.
Dennis-
It is possible there is still some moisture in the works. You might try
baking the camera body in an oven at just over 100 degrees F (40 degrees
C?) for an hour or so. I fear anything hotter might cause damage.
Are you sure your battery hasn't run down?
Fred
Dennis Bathory-Kitsz
> It is possible there is still some moisture in the works. You might try
> baking the camera body in an oven at just over 100 degrees F (40 degrees
> C?) for an hour or so. I fear anything hotter might cause damage.
>
> Are you sure your battery hasn't run down?
Fred, many thanks for the ideas.
The batteries are both charged; the charger and one of the batteries
weren't with me, and suffered no damage.
The camera has now been out of the water and open for four days, and the
air here is very dry and breezy. At this point, even the moisture in the
inner part of the lens is evaporated, and with the water so clear, there
was no grit to speak of (full cleaning when I get home, though).
I'm wondering if an onboard fuse (one of those surface-mount ones)
opened up, and if someone might know if that's possible, and if so,
where it is? I don't want to go any deeper into those sub-millimeter
connectors (which are all cleaned and in good shape) unless I really
have to.
I thought it might be the display, but I have one microdrive which would
be heard spinning up if the power were working. But it's not spinning
up, so no power is getting through. The microswitches are fine (the
battery compartment, the battery door, the CF door).
ASAAR
> The camera has now been out of the water and open for four days, and the
> air here is very dry and breezy. At this point, even the moisture in the
> inner part of the lens is evaporated, and with the water so clear, there
> was no grit to speak of (full cleaning when I get home, though).
>
> I'm wondering if an onboard fuse (one of those surface-mount ones)
> opened up, and if someone might know if that's possible, and if so,
> where it is? I don't want to go any deeper into those sub-millimeter
> connectors (which are all cleaned and in good shape) unless I really
> have to.
>
> I thought it might be the display, but I have one microdrive which would
> be heard spinning up if the power were working. But it's not spinning
> up, so no power is getting through. The microswitches are fine (the
> battery compartment, the battery door, the CF door).
Are you sure that they're all microswitches? Sometimes
capacitance switches (common in keyboards, PDAs, etc.) are used
instead and they're more open and easily contaminated. As a last
resort if there's no alternative beyond scrapping the Rebel you
might want to try spraying around some of the switches, especially
the power switch using a spray can of "contact cleaner and
lubricant". I've never used it on any electronic device that was
immersed, but it seems to penetrate well as it almost always helps
with devices that shouldn't be opened or aren't worth the effort.
It's available from most electronic distributors, Radio Shack, etc.
Lee K
"Annika1980" <annik...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1177175517.8...@y80g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
I thought he prevented the theft but the mugger knocked him off a ledge into
a river.
Dennis Bathory-Kitsz
> I thought he prevented the theft but the mugger knocked him off a ledge into
> a river.
Oh, it was dramatic, but not that way. :)
A group of us were helping to develop a trail along a river, and I was
wearing bifocals -- which I never wear for hiking, but forgot to swap
out after driving. I misjudged a leg-reach down with my left leg, and my
right one was hung up and propelled me straight back into the river,
where I hit some submerged rocks but kept the gear from hitting
anything.
I had the camera, lenses, Microtrack 2496 with two external power
supplies, various batteries, flash cards, and peripherals. Quite a
sight. Nobody photographed it, though. The Canon is the only SLR at the
moment, and the other cameras are mostly for quick documentation.
Pat
electrical contact cleaner is a good bet, but be careful around some
plastics.
Start with the battery contects and the on/off switch.
Blow drier on low migh get rid of some water -- or compressed air.
Now you know why they make those waterproof, single use cameras.
Also try putting it out in the sun and see what evaporates (or as
mentioned, try an oven).
Other than that, leave it on the table in the cafe and hope someone
steals it.
Eatmorepies
>
> Since it wasn't stolen or wrecked in a car crash or something similar,
> my homeowner's policy won't cover it. And I'm far from anywhere with an
> affordable replacement or any kind of repair service. I have seven days
> left here to work.
>
>
domestic insurance policy. Mine covers me for accidental damage, it even
covers me for being dull. I once left a rucksack full of mountain bike gear
on the back of the car and drove off - the insurance company paid up.
John
Hoover
"Fred McKenzie" <fm...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:fmmck-720EFC....@nntp.aioe.org...
Dennis Bathory-Kitsz
> Now you know why they make those waterproof, single use cameras.
I wasn't actually planning to go into the water. :)
Everything is now stone dry in the camera, and I've cleaned up the
contacts; there was cleaner here in the small studio where we're in
residence.
But no luck. So I'm back to the question: Does anybody actually know
anything about this camera's workings, or is it as much a guess as I've
been making?
At this point, the behavior is precisely like the power supply is being
blocked by an open fuse or crowbar; the mirror is halfway up, so the
electronic trip motor or latch is not being engaged either.
Finally, for when I get back to the U.S., has anyone had one of these
repaired? It's the original Digital Rebel, not the XT or XTi versions.
Possible? Cost?
DD-Diver
"Dennis Bathory-Kitsz" <bat...@bathory.org> schreef in bericht
news:462B30...@bathory.org...
Check e-bay for a second hand one, probably cheaper!
yeah,... I'm Dutch.....
Savageduck
Steve Wolfe
> air here is very dry and breezy. At this point, even the moisture in the
> inner part of the lens is evaporated, and with the water so clear, there
> was no grit to speak of (full cleaning when I get home, though).
Still, when water gets stuck in between closely-spaced objects (like some
types of switches), it won't air-dry for quite some time - often weeks, or
even months.
> I'm wondering if an onboard fuse (one of those surface-mount ones)
> opened up, and if someone might know if that's possible, and if so,
> where it is? I don't want to go any deeper into those sub-millimeter
> connectors (which are all cleaned and in good shape) unless I really
> have to.
Somewhere out there, there is a guy who opened his up to take out the IR
hot filter, and I remember he blew the microfuse, and pointed out where it
was. You might want to start by googling and looking at the various IR
conversion sites for the Rebel.
steve
Marvin
are also susceptible to water damage. A few years back,
someone whose camera got dunked, and he shared the outcome
with us all. After he let it dry out completely, he could
still get images, but they were wildly distorted, like
abstract art.
Dave Martindale
>I'm wondering if an onboard fuse (one of those surface-mount ones)
>opened up, and if someone might know if that's possible, and if so,
>where it is? I don't want to go any deeper into those sub-millimeter
>connectors (which are all cleaned and in good shape) unless I really
>have to.
Did you remove both batteries from the camera immediately? There is the
main power battery, plus a second lithium coin cell that provides clock
backup. If one was left in, power was still applied to some circuitry,
and you may have accelerated corrosion damage to that circuitry.
Dave
Robert Coe
: If the sensor got wet, it is gone. And other electronics
: someone whose camera got dunked, and he shared the outcome
: with us all. After he let it dry out completely, he could
: still get images, but they were wildly distorted, like
: abstract art.
Sounds as though the emerging advice is to buy a new compatible camera body
and concentrate on saving the lenses.
Bill Funk
<bat...@bathory.org> wrote:
>Finally, for when I get back to the U.S., has anyone had one of these
>repaired? It's the original Digital Rebel, not the XT or XTi versions.
>Possible? Cost?
Unfortunately, as far as cost is concerned, without knowing what's
wrong, it's almost impossibble to say what it'll take to fix it, and
the cost to do so.
The advice re: drying you've gotten here is pretty good. If, as you
say, the mirror is half-up, the camera either took a shock, or it
turned on when it hit the water. Either way, the repairs needed would
be pretty much unknown until someone who knows what's what looks at
it.
The problem is, in things like cameras, the failure modes aren't all
known; they don't all fail the same way from the same cause (say,
being dunked during a fall that's obviously pretty hard). :-(
If it dries out OK, and still doesn't work, chances are the problem is
electrical; the cure can be simple (low $), or so high-$ that it's
cheaper to buy another camera. Used DRebels are easily available.
Bummer.
--
THIS IS A SIG LINE; NOT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY!
John Edwards' campaign records showed Monday
that he paid eight hundred dollars for two
haircuts in Beverly Hills. There's no shame
in what he did. John Edwards represents the
downtrodden and the powerless in America,
and they deserve the very best.
Bill Funk
Mine (USAA) will, too, but because I have a rider for the gear; about
$15/year, IIRC.
Different insurance companies will handle this differently, of course.
A romp through the policy can be very informative.
Dennis Bathory-Kitsz
> Sounds as though the emerging advice is to buy a new compatible camera body
> and concentrate on saving the lenses.
A friend gave me a Canon lens, since he bought a new stabilized one, and
I bought just the XTi body.
It didn't help while I was on location in Portugal (we used a small
Fuji, and did what we could), but it's nice to have something again now
that we're back in Vermont.
Thanks to everyone who advised on this -- very helpful to see how
quickly technology changes compared with the Olympus OM-1 that I carried
around for 20 years!