I think I screwed up my camera :(

Lyncca · Jul 18, 2008

I was walking around downtown Abu Dhabi a bit earlier and had gotten Starbucks to cool off (its hotter than hell here) and my flipflop hit a slick spot in the sidewalk (they like ceramic for some freaking reason) and down I went.

I don't think the camera actually hit the ground (no scratches) but it did get some latte on it. I brought it back immediately to the hotel and cleaned everything off and it seems to be fine except it wants to fire the flash no matter what.

I have the flash down and it still fires. It wasn't even up at the time it happened. I never use the on camera flash, so I don't know why its doing this.

For now I can shoot with the flash up and put it in commander mode to eliminate it, so beyond looking like a dumb tourist using a flash in broad daylight I will be ok until I get home to a camera shop if I have to, but do yall think its fixable?

It really didn't even get that wet, just a little bit of the surface area but some did leak down into the flash area. Also, if I push the flash button to pop it up, it won't work. I have to push the button and manually open it.

Any ideas? :grumpy:

Maybe it just needs to dry out, or is there an electrical part that may have gotten fried?

Bifurcator · Jul 18, 2008

You should have immediately removed all the batteries. I would still I think. And then let it dry out. (48 hours?)

If it keeps doing that have a shop look at it for sure.

Lyncca · Jul 18, 2008

Ok, it's fine now! Yea, I removed the batteries too. It just wasn't acknowledging that the flash was not up. I finally pushed it down with a little more pop instead of gently and that's all it took. Now it pops up and down by itself again. Whew! I still got it all taken apart and letting it dry out anyway just to be cautious. Thanks for your help.

Bifurcator · Jul 18, 2008

Kinda scary huh? Well, glad it's working now though. Good idea letting it dry even more!

Do'Urden's Eyes · Jul 24, 2008

i heart my camera. i dont want it to die. i dont know what id do... im happy that yours didnt die.

tron · Jul 24, 2008

yeah just a word of warning in the future. if ytou get any electronics wet, shut it off immediatly, take out the batteries, dry it off, and put it in a dry spot and let the liquid evaporate for a day or two depending on the amount of liquid on it. the last step is the most important because if you dont let it dry completely, when you turn it on again you could short something out.

lockwood81 · Jul 24, 2008

I remember you talking about going on this trip and taking some pictures....good to hear you can still do that. Whew, close call.

Lyncca · Jul 24, 2008

Well, the camera survived, but it is going to the camera doctor now that I got home (yesterday). I want to get the sensor cleaned, have them clean everything else and the flash ended up burning out since it was shooting with it closed.

It also went on a trip to the desert and the wind kicked up once or twice so it got some sand on the surface of it. Sand sucks! Thank goodness for UV filters and not being dumb enough to try to change the lens out in those conditions, although I was still dumb enough to take the pictures anyway. What's the point of having a camera and having the opportunity to visit amazing spots if you aren't going to use it?

Joves · Jul 24, 2008

They will probably send it to Nikon to fix the flash. Sorry to hear you had an accident, I lost my Coolpix 995 it had a nasty drowning accident and, died. Even after pulling the battery and, disassembling the body. I feel your pain.

manaheim · Jul 24, 2008

Lyncca said:
Ok, it's fine now! Yea, I removed the batteries too. It just wasn't acknowledging that the flash was not up. I finally pushed it down with a little more pop instead of gently and that's all it took. Now it pops up and down by itself again. Whew! I still got it all taken apart and letting it dry out anyway just to be cautious. Thanks for your help.

oooo... it's like a Microsoft camera! You just reboot it and it works bettah! My car does this too sometimes. It's great.

Before anyone goes ape-sh*t on me for picking on MSFT, I'll point out that I'm a most MSFT-based IT guy by trade, so chill out. :lmao:

usayit · Jul 24, 2008

manaheim said:
Before anyone goes ape-sh*t on me for picking on MSFT, I'll point out that I'm a most MSFT-based IT guy by trade, so chill out. :lmao:

That's ok... us Unix/Linux folk like to pick on MSFT too... we all have something in common.

OT:
I got a laminated card in the mail today from MSFT. It has a FAQ on how resellers should deal with the concerns potential clients have with Vista. HEHEHE LOL The entire office had a laugh!

To the OP... glad all worked out fine. BTW... flash in broad daylight isn't necessarily a bad thing... if leveraged properly.

rmh159 · Jul 25, 2008

Lyncca said:
What's the point of having a camera and having the opportunity to visit amazing spots if you aren't going to use it?

Yeah I hear you... I'm totally willing to sacrafice my camera to get a shot in a dangerous enivronment if I'm confident in getting a good shot. So when do we get to see some of these shots?

Side story: I was in Amsterdam a few months ago and it was raining the entire nite I was there (I was only there for 1 nite). I figured I'd just whip out the camera, try to keep the lens dry-ish and use it in the rain anyway cuz I knew I wouldn't get that same opportunity again anytime soon. I had a waterproof bag that I'd put it right back into after shooting but yeah... I wouldn't want to limit myself to 'safe' shots.

Lyncca · Jul 25, 2008

usayit said:
To the OP... glad all worked out fine. BTW... flash in broad daylight isn't necessarily a bad thing... if leveraged properly.

Oh yea, I know. I just have a SB600 I use instead of the popup.

Lyncca · Jul 25, 2008

rmh159 said:
Yeah I hear you... I'm totally willing to sacrafice my camera to get a shot in a dangerous enivronment if I'm confident in getting a good shot. So when do we get to see some of these shots?

Side story: I was in Amsterdam a few months ago and it was raining the entire nite I was there (I was only there for 1 nite). I figured I'd just whip out the camera, try to keep the lens dry-ish and use it in the rain anyway cuz I knew I wouldn't get that same opportunity again anytime soon. I had a waterproof bag that I'd put it right back into after shooting but yeah... I wouldn't want to limit myself to 'safe' shots.

Yesterday I posted the first set under Cityscapes. More to come.