Wet camera.

[Neil]

My camera (Canon G10) has been out in the wet woods for a week. It's in a water resistant case but it has rained hard and lots wet snow has been forecast for the Dacks since I dropped it. I believe I have a very good chance of recovering it this Tuesday (enough to hike and bushwhack for 5 hours to get to where I lost it).

When I get back to my vehicle I thought I might put it in a zip-lock with some rice. When I get it home I thought I'd open up all the compartments, remove the memory card and battery and put it in a heated room with a dehumidifier for a couple of days before turning it on. Any other suggestions? I suppose if there is any corrosion the camera is toast.

 

[Peakbagr]

I'd skip the rice and put in a large amount of desiccant. The memory card s/b fine, the camera, maybe not.

 

[DougPaul]

I'd skip the rice and put in a large amount of desiccant. The memory card s/b fine, the camera, maybe not.

Dry rice is a desiccant.

Doug

 

[Peakbagr]

Was aware of that. It if it were my expensive camera I'd prefer a commercial desiccant as the results might be more predicable and better.

 

[DougPaul]

Neil,

Your strategy sounds good, but I'd dry it a bit longer--up to two weeks.

Pull the battery and memory card and start drying the camera ASAP. (The voltage from the battery drives corrosion.)

The memory card is probably ok, but only time will tell for the camera.

If you google "wet camera" or "wet camera rice", you can get lots of advice.

Modern cameras can be surprisingly rugged...
Burned, Frozen And Thrown Down Stairs, The Canon 7D Keeps On Shooting
http://www.cultofmac.com/166852/bur...-stairs-the-canon-7d-keeps-on-shooting-video/

Doug

 

[DougPaul]

Was aware of that. It if it were my expensive camera I'd prefer a commercial desiccant as the results might be more predicable and better.

If a commercial desiccant were at hand I'd use it, but rice is far more available and appears to work pretty well.

Doug

 

[Neil]

Was aware of that. It if it were my expensive camera I'd prefer a commercial desiccant as the results might be more predicable and better.

Available perhaps at hardware/renovation stores? IIRC people used to hang sacks of it in their basements with a basin underneath.

I had rice in mind for the drive home but perhaps the real thing is readily available.

 

[yvon]

I send you an email Neil.

 

[Peakbagr]

Neil, expensive gear. Use the stuff designed for it.

 

[sardog1]

If you have an air-tight container large enough, you might consider this, a version of which I use in my gun safe. It's sold under many brands.

Mini-Dehumidifier

 

[Neil]

I recovered the camera yesterday and although the outer body was wet, the battery compartment was bone dry. I removed the battery right away. The display was fogged over but by the time I got back to the car it was clear. I'm going to just leave it for a day in a dry location and then I'll turn it on.

 

[yvon]

I recovered the camera yesterday and although the outer body was wet, the battery compartment was bone dry. I removed the battery right away. The display was fogged over but by the time I got back to the car it was clear. I'm going to just leave it for a day in a dry location and then I'll turn it on.

It should be OK Neil, as I explained in my email of my personel experience.

 

[DougPaul]

I recovered the camera yesterday and although the outer body was wet, the battery compartment was bone dry. I removed the battery right away. The display was fogged over but by the time I got back to the car it was clear. I'm going to just leave it for a day in a dry location and then I'll turn it on.

Sounds good so far, but IMO it might be prudent to wait a little longer. For instance, if there is water in the shutter mechanism (which might contain two metal blades against each other) it might stick and be very slow to dry. Similarly, if there is water in the electronics, it might also be slow to dry.

Of course you will ultimately have to take the plunge and turn it on to see what happens. But I would give it a week or so of drying time (perhaps in a warm place and/or with a desiccant) before giving it a try just to hedge my bets.

On the other hand, it should be safe to try reading the memory card (in a reader) after only a short drying time.

Doug

 

[nartreb]

I don't think water between the shutter blades would cause any harm if you tried to use the camera. Similarly, water in various places could easily cause a short resulting in malfunction, but I don't think turning it on for a few seconds is going to result in a visible increase in corrosion. I'd give it a try after just a day or so. If it works, maybe continue drying it another day for insurance; if it doesn't work, keep trying every couple of days for a week or two before giving up.

(True story: somebody who isn't me accidentally picked up my pants along with a pile of laundry, thus washing my wallet, car remote, and cell phone. I took the battery out of the phone and let it dry for about four hours in open air, and it was fine.)

 

[DougPaul]

I don't think water between the shutter blades would cause any harm if you tried to use the camera. Similarly, water in various places could easily cause a short resulting in malfunction, but I don't think turning it on for a few seconds is going to result in a visible increase in corrosion. I'd give it a try after just a day or so. If it works, maybe continue drying it another day for insurance; if it doesn't work, keep trying every couple of days for a week or two before giving up.

The risk to the shutter blades is that they might stick--hopefully without damaging the motor.

I just prefer to err on the conservative side--I'll take a few extra days to reduce the risk of losing a few hundred dollars.

(True story: somebody who isn't me accidentally picked up my pants along with a pile of laundry, thus washing my wallet, car remote, and cell phone. I took the battery out of the phone and let it dry for about four hours in open air, and it was fine.)

I have read about countering water damage from fire sprinklers and fire fighting to (professional) computers. A lot of electronics can recover pretty well if it is properly dried before restarting. Sometimes the equipment can be washed in alcohol to speed drying.

Salt water is far more dangerous (to electronics) than fresh water. Washing with fresh water to get rid of the salt is an important step.

Note that electronics may still work when wet but the voltages can start corrosion which can lead to an early death.

Doug

 

[Neil]

An easy thing to do was put the camera along with some rice in a ziplock. Then I put the whole thing on top of a heat source (electric boot dryer) and quickly, the inner surface of the bag became covered with condensation so I removed the camera. Then I took a second ziplock and put only rice in it and put that on the boot dryer. I suppose you already guessed that I got the same condensation. So much for "rice-as-dessicant" folklore.


I still haven't fired it up because I have no need to take pictures right now. I sat in out in the blazing sun yesterday (it has a black body).

Incidentally, I got these pics from the memory card.

 

[DougPaul]

An easy thing to do was put the camera along with some rice in a ziplock. Then I put the whole thing on top of a heat source (electric boot dryer) and quickly, the inner surface of the bag became covered with condensation so I removed the camera. Then I took a second ziplock and put only rice in it and put that on the boot dryer. I suppose you already guessed that I got the same condensation. So much for "rice-as-dessicant" folklore.

Condensation on the ziplock is evidence that moisture was being removed from the camera and I expect that the rice was absorbing some of it. You could just set the camera on top of the heater (without the bag or rice) and let the moisture dissipate directly into the air.

The good news: You can use the "ziplock test" to determine if there is any water left after drying by other means. (It works because the camera is warmer than the part of the bag that collects the condensate.)

The desiccant approach is indicated when one doesn't have an appropriate heat source. Mild heat alone can do the job.

I still haven't fired it up because I have no need to take pictures right now. I sat in out in the blazing sun yesterday (it has a black body).

This works too (and even uses renewable energy sources! ). However it could overheat the camera if the sun is too strong.

Doug

 

[Neil]

Camera's working A-OK!

Doug, I had put rice only (no camera) in a zip-lock over the heat source and got the same condensation. If rice absorbs humidity then the rice I used had already absorbed some from the ambient air. One could always dry rice out in an oven and then use it as a dessicant.

 

[DougPaul]

Camera's working A-OK!

Great!

Doug, I had put rice only (no camera) in a zip-lock over the heat source and got the same condensation. If rice absorbs humidity then the rice I used had already absorbed some from the ambient air. One could always dry rice out in an oven and then use it as a dessicant.

That is pretty much true for any reusable desiccant--it absorbs moisture that needs to be driven off (generally by heat) before use or reuse.

Doug