fatal accident: need help to bring back to life my Nikon

[panocho]

yesterday I have a fatal accident -well, luckily it was not fatal at all for me, but it was for my camera. Trying to capture some nice shots of an spectacular beach we have around here, I slipped on a rock and fell. The result for my camera was that it got an awful bath: since my right arm got the worst part when falling I couldn't help the camera getting into the water for a second.

the help I need is obviously for trying to bring it back to life. Of course, now it won't turn on at all. I'm trying to disassemble it in order to dry well the different parts. I'm most worried for the shutter and the digital part of the camera.

This is something I have to try on my own: the camera being a Nikon D100, sending it for a professional repair would very likely be as much as getting a new (second hand) one. So any tips on what and how to do the repair? It would be much appreciated.

By the way, the lens suffered obviously the same luck. It's a nice ED AF-S Nikkor 24-85mm G. I'm thinking of also a basic disassembling to dry it the best I can. Appart from that, leaving it under the sun the most I can. Maybe I can after all use the lens longer. The camera, though, worries me the most.

 

[Meysha]

Salt water = death for cameras.

I'd send the lens in to be cleaned by someone who knows what they're doing. They're impossible to put back together if you don't know what you're doing. Plus you'll have an awful time getting the salt water residue off the glass.

As for the camera, Don't worry about the shutter - The salt will basically have ruined all the circuitry.

If you get the camera apart, clean it like there's no tomorrow.

Did I mention salt is evil?
sorry. :-(

 

[Arch]

yea iv even read that sometimes rinsing with clean water is a last resort because the salt will distroy the electrics... but that only has a slim chance of working and could make things worse (if thats possible).
The point is even if it dries and starts to work again, it will only be a matter of time before the salt kills the electronics.

I have seen a mobile phone rescued from a similar situation and it lived... but only because the contact with the sea water was so very brief, and it was Immediately taken apart and dried using q-tips and desk lamps.

I would go with Meysha's advice if you want to save the lens. The only thing i can say is if you make the small percentage of people who manage to rescue something like the cam then well done and good luck.

 

[panocho]

in my case the contact with water was minimum. It did get in the water, but just for a second (literally). I'm with the disassembling now and seems to me that there is no traces of water getting into some parts of the camera. There is, though, in others. So my hope now is that the camera can recover form a minimum presence of water that hopefully wouldn't have reached the most important and delicate parts (as the shutter, which I checked inmediately after the fall and I would say it did not get any water in it -not sure, though)

by the way, anyone nows how to take apart the shutter release button? that's the one part I cannot manage to do. The rest is already disassembled, but I still need this one to take the upper cover apart

 

[Mike_E]

Hi Panocho, I'm sorry to hear of your misfortune.

You might want to sit for a while and see if you can find parts for the D100, or which parts are available I should say. The button may not be meant to be taken apart.

If you find salt on the circuitry then use purified water to rinse only the parts affected (purified not filtered- you want H2O that has 0 minerals in it to better dissolve what may be left on the circuit. This works some of the time, but if you have tried to power on the camera it may be too late.

It is not too late to call Nikon to check on how much it would cost to have it repaired as it might be less than you think.

Lenses can be taken apart and put back together successfully. Once again use the purified water to wash away the salts. I would be careful about using cleaners because the hardest part about cleaning a lens is getting the proper amount of lubricant back in it. Too much and it gets on the glass and aperture blades and too little and it doesn't work very well.

If you do need a cleaner I would suggest that you find some 190 proof alcohol (the kind you drink because it has far less contaminates in it that will leave behind a residue). Do not drink it though- that stuff will kill you!

Very best of luck to you

mike

 

[panocho]

thanks for the posts. Unfortunately, as you mention, Mike E, it was too late. I had already turned on the camera (in fact, I believe it was turned on the moment I fell) and this seems to have killed the circuitry. Now I have it completely disassembled. I've seen that very little water came into it, but enough to kill it. The sensor is completely clean, and I suspect the shutter is too. But the water did get into the power on/off area, as it was easily noticeable once opened. That, plus powered on, made the camera start burning the circuitry around.

To make things worse, I've just put my hands on it, but the accident happened yesterday. I could not do it before, since I was far from home. So around 24 hours wet in the inside definitely killed it. I guess the only thing I could do now is to sell the remainders, part of the extra equipment I've got at home (some I don't use) and start planning a new one. Aaaaaaggghhh!!

By the way, since I have to start thinking in the future, the weather-proof body of a D200 would have survived a situation like this one??

 

[Mike_E]

A D200 is tough, but I don't think that it would have with that lens. Or many other cameras at all for that matter.

A D200 isn't water proof but with a lens with a gasket you would have a much better chance. This is one of the reasons that a D200/18-70mm is such a great combo. Not only is the 18-70mm very sharp and fast focusing, it has good weather sealing as well. (yes, you can take this as a hint.)

A D2x might have survived the splash. Here is one that's a little beaten up but still sound for $1429 - about what a new D200 would cost..
http://www.keh.com/OnLineStore/Prod...ID=&BC=DN&BCC=3&CC=2&CCC=1&BCL=&GBC=&GCC=&KW=

 

[yeti]

Sorry man,

I personally doubt the water short-circuited your camera as I seriously doubt you have more than 5V running through your camera (apart from your flash that is), but the salt is very good at corroding exposed metal, for example everywhere the circuit board is soldered (everything else is typically coated with epoxy, which is water-repellant)

If something like this happens again to anything you own, take it apart immediately. I mean IMMEDIATELY and rinse it with fresh water and dry it. It doesn't matter where you are, take a size 0 philips screwdriver and take it apart, wash out the salt and wipe it dry. Don't worry about warranty, no electronics manufacturer will fix something like this under warranty. This purely damage control.

Your lens probably needs the same treatment, even if it was a short dip, you left your camera wet overnight and the little water that went in has found its way everywhere.

 

[MichaelT]

Mine went into fresh water, just a quick in and out. Factory repair wouldn't even touch it. It still looks like new and makes a very fancy paper weight. I keep it as a reminder to keep my footing solid.

 

[panocho]

Mine went into fresh water, just a quick in and out. Factory repair wouldn't even touch it. It still looks like new and makes a very fancy paper weight. I keep it as a reminder to keep my footing solid.

and I guess that's what awaits mine as well. After the disassembling and reassembling the conclusion is that there is nothing to do. Not unless I were willing to pay an stupid repair. Why stupid? well, cause I can get a new one for little more than 200 euro, and I really really doubt I could get this one repaired for significantly less than that. So either a paperweight (second one! I already have a lens as such, since one seated on the bag that carried it!) or sold for someone who might use some parts (as I said, I've just checked and the sensor, for instance, has not been touched at all and remains as new).

So now, once I get the anger away, a new search starts for me. And with it, new questions to answer. Will I continue with a second D100? move to a D200?... maybe leave Nikon?!?...

 

[Patrice]

Check with your insurance agent. Since it was an accident, you might be covered under the possessions clause of your house insurance policy. It depends on the policy.

 

[Rhubarb]

Ouch! Sorry to hear about your camera. Go find yourself a D200, me thinks.

 

[Happy Hour]

Check with your insurance agent. Since it was an accident, you might be covered under the possessions clause of your house insurance policy. It depends on the policy.

Or you can claim it on your homeowners insurance, (among the 10 lenses that were stolen with it!) Wink,wink!! Oh and as for rinsing with fresh water thats a no no Alcohol if anything will clean the salt off and it evaporates fast.

 

[panocho]

Check with your insurance agent. Since it was an accident, you might be covered under the possessions clause of your house insurance policy. It depends on the policy.

I'm afraid I'm not covered at all, but thanks for the suggestion anyway

 

[Alex_B]

the longer you wait, the more damage the salt will do to the electronics ... and i guess also your lens has electronics.

i know of cases where cf cards were still working 1 day after they fell into salt water, but 3 days later they were totally dead.