Anyone had luck Recovering a water damaged Lens?

[DustinB]

I don't have any experience with wet lenses, but I do have experience with electronics. In most cases water won't really hurt electronics, not to say there's not some things that can't handle it. What normally kills an electronic device after getting it wet is an electrical short when applying power to a wet device. Even small amounts of moisture can do it.

I actually wash my electronics projects in the sink with a brush to get all the flux off after soldering and testing. I usually bake the boards in the oven at about 130 degrees for 30 min or so. I can't recomment doing this for the lens though. As long as you don't apply power until fully dry you will almost never have an issue. This is why sm4him had the intermittent issue with his lens for a short time, residual moisture. I would get some dessicant packs and leave it sealed for several days, or rice for a couple weeks in a warm room or garage to help the moisture evaporate.

You are always risking it if its not fully dry, even residual moisture can kill electronics or at the very minimum cause issues. Better safe than sorry, especially if its an expensive lens. The only other possibility I could see is residue from dirty water drying. No idea how much effect you could see if any IQ degredation at all.

 

[ruggedshutter]

Maybe one day someone will find my Canon kit lens at the bottom of one of the Biltmore Estate ponds in Asheville NC. I dropped it a couple of years ago. Those things sink faster than a rock.