WARNING: Not for the faint of heart. UPDATE.

[roanjohn]

Well folks, I did the unthinkable!!!

I was on Montauk this weekend with my 20D.........so I decided to take some shots by the beach with my 20D on a tripod........I didn't realize that the tide was coming in fast.........and while waiting for the 20D to take a shot - a huge wave moved in.............and in slow motion, I watched my tripod slowly tipped over..........and my 20D with the 17-40 hit the water..........YIKES!!!! I quickly retrieved the camera and dried it off with my shirt..........by this time I was in the verge of crying.........

Lo and behold..........after the 20D is dry.........I put on the battery.........and its DEAD!!!

I have a sickening feeling in my stomach............like somebody punched me there.............and a feeling of weakness...........this is the worst that can ever happen to me.............and all because of my stupidity.

Now my 20D is dead and my 17-40 L is probably ruined too!!! IT has sand around the focusing ring...........and I think some water went in the lens itself :cry:

This is something I will surely regret for the rest of my life............and something that will take me some time to recover from.

I learned my lesson.........and it came with a cost.

In any case, this is probably my last picture to share for a while. This is a shot of the waves before it took my 20D away :cry:

http://www.pbase.com/roanjohn/image/35187967.jpg

Ro1

[yikes]

roanjohn,

Thats very sad to hear, kinda really sucks. Did you have insurance?

Nick

[CyberDyneSystems]

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:


...and what an amazing photo...

[roanjohn]

roanjohn,

Thats very sad to hear, kinda really sucks. Did you have insurance?

Nick

Nope :-( And I just went to Canon's web site.....and this situation will not be covered by the warranty.

If they can clean out the lens..........at least, I will be happy.

At this point, I am accepting the fact that my 20D is most likely dead and will not come back to life again.

Ro1

[yikes]

roanjohn,

I'm not sure about Canon USA, but I know from Canon Canada, you can get anything repaired on most bodies/lens for $185 if it is out of warrenty, or not covered by warrenty. Not sure about the full details of that but I would call them up and ask. It would be worth a shot and intersting to hear what they have to say.

Nick

[roanjohn]

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:


...and what an amazing photo...

.........thanks CDS.............I think as a consolation........all the pics I took that day is still intact..........

Ro1

[roanjohn]

roanjohn,

I'm not sure about Canon USA, but I know from Canon Canada, you can get anything repaired on most bodies/lens for $185 if it is out of warrenty, or not covered by warrenty. Not sure about the full details of that but I would call them up and ask. It would be worth a shot and intersting to hear what they have to say.

Nick

That will be the first thing I will do tomorrow at work. I will keep you guys updated for sure.

Ro1

[jhankins]

So sorry for your loss. I almost lost one of my cameras on London bridge with a timer exposure of me with the Tower Bridge in the background. A lady was walking and walked right into my tripod, thankfully I saw it coming and reached out and grabbed the camera by the strap right before it hit the ground. If I'd have been 1 sec later it would've certainly been history. The lady was very embarrased, I was very happy that I saved it!

A reminder to all, get your camera gear covered! I know I have some new equipment coming soon and I will be calling tomorrow to be prepared to get it insured upon it's arrival. PPA membership provides discounts for this sort of insurance by the way. Accidents do happen unfortnately.

Sure hope they can fix it! Salt water and sand is a bad combo for any camera. Good luck! And please let us know how it turns out!.

[Belmondo]

That is about the worst thing I can think of. Hopefully Canon will get it all put back together for you, but it's going to be a long couple weeks. We will all keep our fingers crossed for you that it all works out okay.

FWIW, the picture is certainly a keeper, although I'm not sure you'll ever be able to look at it with fondness.

Bummer. :cry:

[Aylwin]

I'm sorry to hear about this. I know the feeling. :(

Hopefully, there's still a chance to get it fixed.

[roanjohn]

So sorry for your loss. I almost lost one of my cameras on London bridge with a timer exposure of me with the Tower Bridge in the background. A lady was walking and walked right into my tripod, thankfully I saw it coming and reached out and grabbed the camera by the strap right before it hit the ground. If I'd have been 1 sec later it would've certainly been history. The lady was very embarrased, I was very happy that I saved it!

A reminder to all, get your camera gear covered! I know I have some new equipment coming soon and I will be calling tomorrow to be prepared to get it insured upon it's arrival. PPA membership provides discounts for this sort of insurance by the way. Accidents do happen unfortnately.

Sure hope they can fix it! Salt water and sand is a bad combo for any camera. Good luck! And please let us know how it turns out!.

Thanks Jhnakins..............if things don't work out.....I will most definitely insure my next camera...............

Ro1

[roanjohn]

Thanks belmondo and aylwin........

......my fingers are tightly crossed too.

Guys, thanks a lot of the kind words...........It really helps ease the pain.

RO1

[aam1234]

Not all hope is lost. A friend used to hose his TV with water to clean it (I know, it's crazy) but after it dries, it works better than before. So maybe Canon can do the same to your camera.

Good luck

[phili1]

Wow, I was shooting today and another person told me about someone who thought he had all his tripod legs extended put it down on two and it fell in the water.

So sorry to hear it, I do not know how I would take it. Hopefully Canon can do something

Does anyone know how much insurance is.

[Ballen Photo]

Well folks, I did the unthinkable!!!

I was on Montauk this weekend with my 20D.........so I decided to take some shots by the beach with my 20D on a tripod........I didn't realize that the tide was coming in fast.........and while waiting for the 20D to take a shot - a huge wave moved in.............and in slow motion, I watched my tripod slowly tipped over..........and my 20D with the 17-40 hit the water..........YIKES!!!! I quickly retrieved the camera and dried it off with my shirt..........by this time I was in the verge of crying.........

Now my 20D is dead and my 17-40 L is probably ruined too!!!

Ro1

I certainly hope Canon can revive them for you.
:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:
-Bruce

[yikes]

Does anyone know how much insurance is. I pay $80 canadian a year for $5000 no fault insurance. This protects all my camera equipment.

Nick

[HJMinard]

Does anyone know how much insurance is. I pay $80 canadian a year for $5000 no fault insurance. This protects all my camera equipment.

Nick

Mine is about the same (except American, of course) via a Personal Articles policy from State Farm.

[yikes]

I'm with ING canada.

[robertdrake]

I'm with ING canada.

Same here...comprensive? I understand from reading elsewhere in the forums that if you ever make more than one claim on your converage, you'll lose your household insurance (this goes with all insurers). Not sure if its true, but I've heard it from many sources. Kind of makes it useless.

[AzzKicker]

First of all, why were you away from the camera?


Second, the first thing you should have done was removed CF card, and Battery and rinsed it with DISTILLED water. If you just drived off with a shirt I'm afraid your screwed. That SEA WATER is a KILLER. If its in there for more than a DAY its over.

Hope it works out. I don't have my stuff insured as well,after hearing this story I'll do it right away.

[aam1234]

Second, the first thing you should have done was removed CF card, and Battery and rinsed it with DISTILLED water

That's the right way to do it. I have many stories of mobile phons dropping in the sea. After rinsing w/ water and drying they work fine.

[shiningstardv]

That's a tragic story. I sure hope everything works out OK for you.

But what a wonderful picture you got from that accident. How long was that exposed for?

Good luck with your repairs! :(

[AzzKicker]

ALSO, don't assume just cuz outside is dry that the cam is dry.

Its the inside that needs to dry.

[timmyquest]

Second, the first thing you should have done was removed CF card, and Battery and rinsed it with DISTILLED water

That's the right way to do it. I have many stories of mobile phons dropping in the sea. After rinsing w/ water and drying they work fine.

A friend of mine dropped his cell phone in the bottom of the pool, i found it 10 mins later.

When he brought it in to the store to exchange it for a newer model the sales rep said they should see if it worked just for kicks, sure enough it did.

You may be OK, but i'd be worried about the sensor, not to mention a digital camera seems a bit more delicate then a cell phone

[aam1234]

You may be OK, but i'd be worried about the sensor, not to mention a digital camera seems a bit more delicate then a cell phone

That's true. However, 1- he stands a better chance of recovering the cam. 2- He may only need to change the sensor, not the whole cam (don't know how much that will cost though).

[AzzKicker]

I always heard censor replacements to be in the 300.00 range.

[drisley]

OMG! :shock:
That is horrible! I felt sick just reading.
However, $185 for repair (if that is the cost) isn't too bad.
That picture is so damn amazing, perhaps you could print and sell it to cover the repair costs :idea:

[Olegis]

roanjohn, I'm very sorry about your gear. It's so sad, man ! :cry: :(

[alan sh]

Look - it's dead now. So, go and run it under a tap (assuming you don't have distilled water) and get all the salt water out. Then, let it dry naturally in a warm room.

Take the battery and see if it charges up in your charger - or find another battery.

Tomorrow, try it again. You never know.....

BUT - the sea wather will have started some circuit corrosion, so you will be getting problems later, even if it works now. So, at some time, you need to get it sorted out by Canon.

Alan

[IanD]

:cry: Bummer :cry:

[Hatem Eldoronki]

Sorry to hear about this accident, roanjohn, and I just wanted to say how beautiful that shot is!

[BearSummer]

Hi Roanjohn,

eeek, that really sucks. Very sorry to hear about your cams early demise. Hope you can get a replacement soon. Do you remember the story of the photog who borrowed a couple of cameras and used his own when photographing a bridge demolition. 600lbs of explosive, 1 bridge, cameras 240 feet from bridge, safety zone 850 feet, cameras were badly damaged or totally destroyed but the cf card survived. He sold the picture to the cf card manufacturer and made enough to get a new camera.....

best wishes

BearSummer

[DeeplyDigital]

I am so sorry!
It is horrible to be without a camera from one minute to the next.

My gear was stolen a couple of years ago, that was weird. Shocking.
Two weeks later my father had bad heart attack & I forgot
all about my camera.

I hope you get your 20D either fixed or a new one really soon.

Great shot.

[Andy_T]

Roanjohn,

I feel your pain and wish you luck with your rescue attempts.

The picture is incredible.

Best regards,
Andy

[roanjohn]

:shock:

Thanks for the kind words and advice guys!!!

Last night, I had difficulty sleeping......cuz' I keep thinking what if I didn't do this, and what if I didn't do that.......or I should've done this and I should've done that.............but as life goes...........regret always comes at the end :cry:

Finally contacted Canon service a few minutes ago. They are pretty good actually - they picked up the phone right away - didn't have to wait at all. The guy seemed pretty sympathetic with my loss. I will send both my gears out tomorrow and they will give me a free estimate for the repair cost. I will gladly pay any price below the retail price........

So until then, I have no choice but to keep my hopes up. I also tried post-processing my photos from that weekend last night - but I just got depressed..........and I have computer issues too...........but thats a different story :wink: UY!!!

Ro1

[redbutt]

A friend of mine was on a fishing trip with his Nikon D1 and an Octopus (yes...an Octopus) hosed him down as he was taking a picture. He said that the camera shut down instantly. He took it to a local camera shop and they were able to repair it. It's was more than $185, but it was fixed. So, don't give up all hope. The lens will probably be fixable with a good cleaning.

[redbutt]

He sold the picture to the cf card manufacturer and made enough to get a new camera.....
BearSummer

That was Sandisk...this was actually just mentioned on another thread. The pictures from that are cool. They are on the Sandisk site somewhere. He caught one of the cameras getting blown to bits.

[karusel]

Roanjohn, I feel your pain, I've had similar experiences, and I know how endlessly helpless you feel. Maybe the repair won't cost too much after all..

[Barb42]

If you ever get any piece of electronic equipment wet, cell phones, pagers, cameras......never try and turn it on right after the event. Wait for it to completely dry off - and that may take a while. It will not always save the item, but any electic charge in a wet environment will guarantee the item will fry. Patience gives you a chance.

[marie]

:shock: :shock:

:cry: :cry: :cry:

really sorry to hear what happened.
almost felt sick reading about it

maybe you should put this on the 'talk about photography' or 'about photography' sections as many won't see it here'cos EOS may not be on the agenda ...yet
but what happened you would be of interest to everyone who takes a 'shot'.... at all

very good luck with what happens eventually
about the camera or whatever

and ...
take care

:)

[marie]

Well folks, I did the unthinkable!!!

I was on Montauk this weekend with my 20D.........so I decided to take some shots by the beach with my 20D on a tripod........I didn't realize that the tide was coming in fast.........and while waiting for the 20D to take a shot - a huge wave moved in.............and in slow motion, I watched my tripod slowly tipped over..........and my 20D with the 17-40 hit the water..........YIKES!!!! I quickly retrieved the camera and dried it off with my shirt..........by this time I was in the verge of crying.........

Lo and behold..........after the 20D is dry.........I put on the battery.........and its DEAD!!!

I have a sickening feeling in my stomach............like somebody punched me there.............and a feeling of weakness...........this is the worst that can ever happen to me.............and all because of my stupidity.

Now my 20D is dead and my 17-40 L is probably ruined too!!! IT has sand around the focusing ring...........and I think some water went in the lens itself :cry:

This is something I will surely regret for the rest of my life............and something that will take me some time to recover from.

I learned my lesson.........and it came with a cost.

In any case, this is probably my last picture to share for a while. This is a shot of the waves before it took my 20D away :cry:

http://www.pbase.com/roanjohn/image/35187967.jpg

Ro1




apologies

I forgot to say
the shot is wonderful

[kellylipp]

If you did, you might have insurance through your credit card company. Many of them have this sort of coverage.

I'm sure someone else thought of this before now, but just in case...

Good luck. And if you ever do something like this in the future, keep it to yourself. You made my sphincter tighten!

Kelly

[DocFrankenstein]

You made my sphincter tighten!
:shock: TOO MUCH INFORMATION! :shock:

At least you didn't elaborate which one! :?

[abel]

ugh.... horrible.

i definitely need to look into that personal articles policy....

[roanjohn]

WOW!!! Thank you so much guys!!! I didn't purchase the camera using a credit card............so it's not covered by any insurance. Both the camera and the lens are packed up now and will be sent to Canon repair center in New Jersey ASAP.

Again, you guys are great!!! I didn't realize how much I love photography until this happened............so I guess thats a good thing.

Keep on shooting!!! I will wait on the sideline until I hear from Canon. I'm keeping my expectations low and my hopes high..........so hopefully everything will turn out for the best.

:D

Ro1

[Jonny]

My Credit Card company came up trumps for me once too!!! Bless them.

If i was you i would have cleaned it up and just took it back to the shop and tell them 'it just stopped working, can i have a replacement'. Not exactly fair but i am sure 'canon can' afford it!!

[roanjohn]

My Credit Card company came up trumps for me once too!!! Bless them.

If i was you i would have cleaned it up and just took it back to the shop and tell them 'it just stopped working, can i have a replacement'. Not exactly fair but i am sure 'canon can' afford it!!

he he........I thought of that.........but there's sand all over..........and the LCD screen is frosted because the water got on the other side.

Ro1

[Persian-Rice]

Ouch, I think the lens might be able to be repaired, not sure about the camera, since I doubt any of us know whats wrong with it.

Barb 42 is correct, but the bigger problem is that the camera was on when it hit the water so if water got to any electricals, it would short it out eitherway.

Cheer up pal, at least you got a pretty nice picture out of it, I guess that is no consolation though.

Cheers.

[JABACo]

Our photo club had a moment of silence for you and your now deceased 20D. Maybe Santa saw this and will rectify you at Christmas.

[roanjohn]

Ouch, I think the lens might be able to be repaired, not sure about the camera, since I doubt any of us know whats wrong with it.

Barb 42 is correct, but the bigger problem is that the camera was on when it hit the water so if water got to any electricals, it would short it out eitherway.

Cheer up pal, at least you got a pretty nice picture out of it, I guess that is no consolation though.

Cheers.

.........maybe they can change the electrical components only??..........

Ro1

[ArtierSquare]

He sold the picture to the cf card manufacturer and made enough to get a new camera.....
BearSummer

That was Sandisk...this was actually just mentioned on another thread. The pictures from that are cool. They are on the Sandisk site somewhere. He caught one of the cameras getting blown to bits.

That link was: http://www.sandisk.com/pressrelease/20040823.htm if you are interested...

Tough luck on the camera dood, here's me raving about getting new gear... and overlooking your problems man. I really hope your luck improves. Great photo! :wink:

[rafale]

Well, I am very sorry to hear about your loss. Your story caused me to call my insurer, Travelers, and get a "valuable property" addition to my homeowners policy -- $7,000 of camera and computer coverage with no deductable for $48 a year. Now I'm sure I'd be dropped if I made a claim but at least it will cover me for one big loss, god forbid.

[Persian-Rice]

Ouch, I think the lens might be able to be repaired, not sure about the camera, since I doubt any of us know whats wrong with it.

Barb 42 is correct, but the bigger problem is that the camera was on when it hit the water so if water got to any electricals, it would short it out eitherway.

Cheer up pal, at least you got a pretty nice picture out of it, I guess that is no consolation though.

Cheers.

.........maybe they can change the electrical components only??..........

Ro1

That is an option, but you have to consider the fact that it could have damaged an array of things inlucing the sensor and proccessing mechanisms, which would be the expensive parts.

Either way, I think I speak for everyone when I say I hope the damage is nothing major.

Cheers

[roanjohn]

My dead camera and my lens are shipped to Canon.

Now the waiting game begins.......... :? :cry:

Thanks goodness I still have a G3.........or I would probably go CRAZY!!

Ro1

[Lamplight]

Man, I'm sorry to hear that. :( But on the plus side, that is a beautiful shot! :shock::)

[roanjohn]

Quote from Canon:

We have received your equipment for repair, but are unable to proceed.

Your equipment has been examined for the service you have requested. Our evaluation has determined your equipment to be beyond economical repair due to impact, liquid, sand, or other severe damage.

We are, therefore, returning your equipment to you un-repaired.

Thank you for purchasing Canon products and for giving us the opportunity to serve you.

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

................I think I'm gonna be sick......................

Ro1

[Belmondo]

.....................Me too.............................

Man, that is awful news. I'm really sorry to hear it.

[Aylwin]

Geez... I'm sorry... don't know what else to say... :(

[Big_B]

Really awfull for you.... I wish there was somethign I coudl do to help. :cry:

My household insurance covers electrical goods. Since you haven't mentioned it, I assume that yours doesn't, but thought I'd mention it anyway.

[BearSummer]

Gulllpppp, sorry to hear that news, it really sucks. I know you got a lovely picture out of it but it's not going to make up for the loss of your kit. As for the rest of us I think everyone should check their insurance and make sure that they are covered. It won't do you any good but hopefully it will save someone else losing out.

I guess now is the time to try the plunge and wash trick. It's not going to get any worse. Take the battery out, plunge the camera into clean water and let it fully soak, then allow to drain, replace with more clean water, plunge, soak, drain, repeat several times. Then leave it to sit in a warm place for a couple of days until fully dry. Try the battery after all of this and see what happens. It will probably be dead, but you never know.

If this doesn't work then its time to get the screwdrivers out and see whats inside the body. Use your g3 to document the disassembly.

Best wishes and hope you get something soon

BearSummer

[Andy_T]

Take the battery out, plunge the camera into clean water and let it fully soak, then allow to drain, replace with more clean water, plunge, soak, drain, repeat several times.

Maybe make that distilled clean water...

Best regards,
Andy

[khenn]

I have a friend that got his point and shoot digital camera soaked while on a boat on his honeymoon, the camera would not work, but he was able to salvage all of the photos off the card. After he got home he figured the camera was already ruined, and decided to spray a whole can of contact cleaner into it. He left it dry for a day, and then tried it. You'll never believe it, but it worked, and the camera is still working to this day. This happened in May of this year.

Kris

[C.S.I.]

roanjohn,

Thats very sad to hear, kinda really sucks. Did you have insurance?

Nick




THAT IS very sad and Im sorry for your loss roanjohn. Speaking of insurance, do you guys go through regular homeowners insurance, or some kind of "camera exclusive" type insurance company. What is usually covered? And if its NOT homeowner insurance, what is usually the deductable (I only have about $3000.... invested is it worth it? And what is usually covered?).

Thanks again!
Bill


Show me a young Conservative and I'll show you someone with no heart. Show me an old Liberal and I'll show you someone with no brains. - Winston Churchill

________________
300D
Sigma 70-200 2.8 EX
Sigma 105 2.8 EX DG

[Big_B]

Mines covered for up to about 5k through my home insurance

[HJMinard]

Speaking of insurance, do you guys go through regular homeowners insurance, or some kind of "camera exclusive" type insurance company. What is usually covered? And if its NOT homeowner insurance, what is usually the deductable (I only have about $3000.... invested is it worth it? And what is usually covered?).

I have a "Personal Articles" policy from State Farm - completely separate from my homeowners insurance. It costs $1.65 (US) per $100 of coverage (that's an annual amount). For your $3000 of coverage it would cost you $49.50 per year. It covers theft, accidental loss and accidental damage with NO deductibles.

[Scottes]

It covers theft, accidental loss and accidental damage with NO deductibles.

This reminded me to call my insurance company and ask about accidental breakage, and if it was covered.

"No, wear & tear and breakage isn't covered." she said. "But mysterious disappearance is covered. Between you, me, and the wall, just say that you turned your back for a second and it disappeared."

Nice, huh?

[HJMinard]

It covers theft, accidental loss and accidental damage with NO deductibles.

This reminded me to call my insurance company and ask about accidental breakage, and if it was covered.

"No, wear & tear and breakage isn't covered." she said. "But mysterious disappearance is covered. Between you, me, and the wall, just say that you turned your back for a second and it disappeared."

Nice, huh?

Encouraging fraud ... how wonderful.

Mine clearly states that it covers "accidental direct physical damage" with the following exclusions:
* War or nuclear incident
* Mechanical breakdown, wear and tear and gradual deterioration
* Vermin or insects
* Illegal activites

[Scottes]

Encouraging fraud ... how wonderful.

Mine clearly states that it covers "accidental direct physical damage" with the following exclusions:

I may be moving to State Farm... I'm really no fan of Liberty Mutual anyway.

Then again, I have yet to read the document. We'll see what it says.

[Ogrt48]

Now.. I say take it apart and clean like hell until it looks new.. Don't hold back you have nothing to lose.. then put it back together and return it as "it just stopped working , i have no idea why!" :D

[Scottes]

Not a bad idea. Just send it to a different service center and hope they don't share the records.

[Ogrt48]

I mean return it to where he bought it for an even exchange. :twisted:

[davidwegs]

Sorry about the loss.

For 'stuff' insurance, including the errors and omissions for a wedding or some shoot, I use Hill and Usher. Runs me about $700 per year to cover 20k worth of kit on location.

cheap if I ever need it. reasonable if not.

[Hellashot]

You might want to first try a new or never watered battery. Some cell phone batteries are not well sealed and when dropped in water will be ruined. The same may be for these Li-ion camcorder batteries we use.

[roanjohn]

Again, I would like to thank everybody who sympathize with my loss.....THANK YOU!!!!

I'm still feeling a little down but I'm sure this will just get easier with time. I keep saying to myself, at least I lost something that can be replaced - and it makes me feel a bit better.

I LOVE photography and this is not going to hinder me from my passion - I realize this even more now after going through this experience.

I learned my lessons and thats the best I can do.

...............just like to say thanks again to everybody................the kind words and advice really helped me through these sad few weeks.

Till next time,

Ro1 :)

[Persian-Rice]

Damn, you live and learn it seems.

So I guess the 20D fails the "I dropped my camera in the ocean" test huh? why can't they make these things more reliable? lol

Sorry could'nt help myself.

[timmyquest]

Again, I would like to thank everybody who sympathize with my loss.....THANK YOU!!!!

I'm still feeling a little down but I'm sure this will just get easier with time. I keep saying to myself, at least I lost something that can be replaced - and it makes me feel a bit better.

I LOVE photography and this is not going to hinder me from my passion - I realize this even more now after going through this experience.

I learned my lessons and thats the best I can do.

...............just like to say thanks again to everybody................the kind words and advice really helped me through these sad few weeks.

Till next time,

Ro1 :)

Do you have a film camera?

[roanjohn]

No film camera...........

Maybe I'll borrow my friends film Rebel.........in the mean time.

Ro1

[Ogrt48]

Noo, instead, you should let me borrow your lenses Monday when my new rebel comes. ;)

[JAZZ D.P.G.]

Roanjohn, that justs sucks :( :( :( :(

As a electronic technologist working on communications equipment, and more than a little experience with the Canadian Coast Guard, I'm not surprisedthat they called it economically unrepairable.

This is a common statement in water damage (salt water even worse) because what you may not catch during repair will come back to haunt you. Corporate policy is usually to avoid this trap.

If you know someone in the electronics business and has access to repair equipment, it may be worth the effort to try on your own. Nothing to lose at this point.

By the way, de-frauding the insurance or retailer is just BAD advice. The criminal charges are not worth it. It won't take a genius to figure out that they've been screwed. Salt, sand and water damage? This is very poor advice.

Someone mentioned using contact cleaner, I have done it and it is temporary at best.

During disassembly clean each piece in distilled water, and carefully lay it out so that you know how they go back togeather. Electronic parts can be cleaned with a toothbrush or something softer using contact cleaner and be sure to get into all legs of IC's mounted on the board. Inspect the board for trace damage and repair as required.

Check and clean all contacts.

Allow to dry for a day before powering up.

Quick edit, if contact cleaner is not available, isopropal alchohol will work as well. the same stuff you would use to clean cuts, etc.

Good luck.

This is an opportunity to see how a camera is assembled and how it really works :)

By the way, that is a GREAT picture :D

[RichardtheSane]

You could also try putting your story on ebay and sell prints off the link.... try and make enough money to buy a 20D :D :D

Seriously, you have nothing to loose by trying a repair yourself now... get a service manual and get going! The advice Jazz posted is great!

[roanjohn]

Noo, instead, you should let me borrow your lenses Monday when my new rebel comes. ;)

:D :D ............Sure.............my lenses are just sitting there doing nothing anyways.

Ro1

[roanjohn]

Yes Jim..........I will cut open the 20D when it arrives..........I will surely document it with my G3.

Ro1

[Persian-Rice]

Yes Jim..........I will cut open the 20D when it arrives..........I will surely document it with my G3.

Ro1

Maybe make a G3/20D frankenstein camera.............. lol

[hmongstang]

Lets donate some fund for Roanjohn's next camera! hehe

[S Taylor]

A bit late on that post aren't we? :rolleyes:

[JohnnyG]

That story gives me the shivers!!:cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry:: cry::cry:

I had an Olympus C-5050 and my girlfriend went to pick it up to take pictures. It was at Thanksgiving. The strap caught on the corner of the table and jerked it out of her hand. The camera went to the floor and when I picked it up, the lens was bent over at a 45 degree angle. I returned it to Olympus and for $150.00 they repaired it like new.

Your story is far worse and I am real sorry for you. I have had my 20D for about a month and it took almost a year to get it. I protect it as much as I can but accidents do happen.

I hope the lens is okay and you can replace the body soon. Please let us know what is going on as my heart is with you.

[Falkon]

Sea water is very corrosive you need to remove the battery and rinse it with fresh water as fast as you can then let it dry and then send it to canon for repair. the longer the salt water stays in the frame the worse it will be to fix. I hate this happend for you and wish you good luck.

[OceanView]

I just read this thread for the first time.
It gave me the chills.

I just got off the phone with my insurance agent.
Got $10,000 worth of Camera coverage for $35 per year.

Very reasonable. I suggest everyone else to get covered too if you don't already have it.

Roanjohn, hope your doing better.

[Hoopster]

First thing I did when I bought my equipment was insure my £3,000 worth of gear (incuding accidental damage). Cost me £60 a year but well worth it. Included cover for in my car too.

Hope you get it back working as I'd be lost now without my camera.

[CorruptedPhotographer]

ohh man that sucks, hard luck Roan.

[chunchma]

I am sorry to hear about this also! Scary to think you spend all this money on an epensive hobby or career and in a second it can be gone. I HOPE it all works out for you!

ps Where do you get insurance on a camera and equipment?

[Keiffer]

Man RoanJohn...I feel your pain my brother, Geez I feel sick for you. I can only imagine whats going through your head. Have you tried to dry it with a blow dryer? Man I'm sorry for you dude. Hope things work out with Canon.

[grumpyhaggis]

First thing I did when I bought my equipment was insure my £3,000 worth of gear (incuding accidental damage). Cost me £60 a year but well worth it. Included cover for in my car too.

Hope you get it back working as I'd be lost now without my camera.
Hoopster - what company did you use? Sounds like a good deal.

[kenyc]

Nope :-( And I just went to Canon's web site.....and this situation will not be covered by the warranty.

If they can clean out the lens..........at least, I will be happy.

At this point, I am accepting the fact that my 20D is most likely dead and will not come back to life again.

Ro1

I'm sure it can be repaired. Just depends on the cost....

KAC

[adauria]

You folks realize that the incident we are talking about happened in October of 2004, right??

:)

[zacker]

that sucks... only thing to do now is tear it apart and see if you can fix it. Maybe if you clean it out reallygood you can get a mirical to happen.. If it is really that bad you wont hurt it much! He, I fixed the remote for my dvd player just by taking it apart and cleaning and making sure all the insides were where they were supposed to be and tight. Try it, what else you gonna do with it? give it away? if you do, ill take it...

Ill pray you can fix it or get it fixed... till then, good luck!
-zacker-

[kenyc]

You folks realize that the incident we are talking about happened in October of 2004, right??

:)

And the result was??

"Let's all do the time warp shuffle"
KAC

[zacker]

lol... nice!!! Who the heck resurrected this post?? thats strange.
-zacker-

So then, what ever happened with the 20D??

[Falkon]

I guess we need to read the post date from now on...LOL wounder what happened.

[chunchma]

where do you get insurance on your camera and equipment? Home owners Insurance?

[hmongstang]

Sorry guys, i was the one whom bring the thread to life again after my heart skipped a few beats.

[AJSJones]

Just noticed the thread.
Commiserations.
I have dead 10D paperweight but the 17-40 that went into the Arctic for a little is in great shape optically. They just couldn't replace the USM so it's now manual focus but still autodiaphragm, so hold out hope for at least the lens (Horizon gave it back cleaned but no charge 'cause they couldn't repair it). The AF worked for a while but the salt water corrosion took a while to complete its work :-(

[pfogle]

Same thing happened to me once... only it was the camera bag that got it, luckily I had the camera round my neck so it was saved.

All the lenses in the bag had to be junked, even the ones I got cleaned out... they just were never reliable afterwards. A couple I tried to use for a few months, but in the end I gave up and got new gear.

Bad luck... it can happen so easily... in my case the bag was about 8ft up on some rocks, way above the water line, and all it took was one freak wave :(

[OceanView]

where do you get insurance on your camera and equipment? Home owners Insurance?

Yes home owners insurance.
Call your agent.

[DimensionZero]

Hey roanjohn,

The things we do for that perfect shot huh? :)
Did you ever end up posting pics of the inside of your 20D?

[mrclark321]

Does your house insurance cover it?

Dan

[NickyBlade]

I just switched to State Farm in order to include my camera equiptment at a reasonable cost. State Farm even covers against breakage, like if you drop it. It's a personal articles policy. That sold me. So, I switched all of our insurance to them... cars, home owners, everything. And they really are like a good neighbor. lol.

[RAW]

Wow...I am really sorry to hear about your accident RoanJohn. I hope everything goes ok, and please don't kill yourself with guilt because It was ment to be....I am sure of that, some things you cannot change so why not accept them. It is done now and there's nothing that you can do to change it, but there are a lot of things to do to fix it. Please, let us know when everything will be OK.



My deepest regards.

[Titus213]

Bummer, sorry to hear that.

Interesting that Consumer Reports just did an article on fixing or replacing electronic equipment. Cameras they generally say to replace if it's over 3 years old I believe. Earlier than that it obviously depends on the cost.

[Dante King]

Damn Roan! what a bummer! I am so sorry. moments like these are real humbling, expensive and down right crappy!!! I know the sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. Been some where near there too many times before with another expensive hobby.

Hey if you want to raise some capital, you could sell me your 85 1.2L? see what a guy I am.

Hey this wasnt all subliminally done to make way for a 5D was it?

[martook]

Hey if you want to raise some capital, you could sell me your 85 1.2L? see what a guy I am.

Hey this wasnt all subliminally done to make way for a 5D was it?

Gee, what a friend! Hehehe
If he one year ago knew that the 5D was coming out, I'd be really impressed! True, he did say he had confirmations on it in the 5D thread like a week before official release, but, one week and like... 44 weeks, big difference there ;)


I think Pekka should add a new feature :: if a thread is older than 3 months when trying to reply, put up a 'are you really sure you want to reply to a thread that has been dead since xxxx-xx-xx?' screen to make sure the poster is aware of what he's doing...
And Junior members shouldn't even be allowed to do it. :P

[byso]

I shed a tear reading that. Shocking story.

I suppose it could be worse you could live in New Orleans.

[roanjohn]

WOW!!! Didn't even realize this thread was ressurected until it was linked to a reply on MDJAK's misfortune......

HOWEVER, I must say that I am feeling much better now. I used to get cold sweats when I think about what happened...........but the old saying still applies: time heals all. And it does :-)

But there is a bigger lesson that we all can learn from this situation........

and its not "avoid the beach" or "get insurance"..........no no........an even better and GRANDer lesson.......

its

"GET YOURSELF A G'D D'RN 1 SERIES CAMERA SO IT STAYS AFLOAT!!!"

HAHAHAHA!!! :-) j/k.

actually...........its "Get yourself a Nikon ......... so when it falls in the water..... you can laugh.......point to it.........and yell "NIKON.........U SUCK!!!......NOW DROWN!!!"

Ro1

[EOSX]

Dude, whata bummer! Looks like you have an XT in your signature. I imagine you still can use it as a good backup?

[zacker]

Ill pray you can fix it or get it fixed... till then, good luck!
-zacker-

lol...did I really say id "Pray" ?...lol.lol.lol Dude, I am really sorry for your loss but... I havent prayed in years..nothing aainst you or your 20D...rest its soul.. but I just cant believe I said ill pray for it... what a geek I must be...for real!

so? what are you using these days? another 20D?
-zacker-

[wiselion]

Well folks, I did the unthinkable!!!

I was on Montauk this weekend with my 20D.........so I decided to take some shots by the beach with my 20D on a tripod........I didn't realize that the tide was coming in fast.........and while waiting for the 20D to take a shot - a huge wave moved in.............and in slow motion, I watched my tripod slowly tipped over..........and my 20D with the 17-40 hit the water..........YIKES!!!! I quickly retrieved the camera and dried it off with my shirt..........by this time I was in the verge of crying.........

Lo and behold..........after the 20D is dry.........I put on the battery.........and its DEAD!!!

I have a sickening feeling in my stomach............like somebody punched me there.............and a feeling of weakness...........this is the worst that can ever happen to me.............and all because of my stupidity.

Now my 20D is dead and my 17-40 L is probably ruined too!!! IT has sand around the focusing ring...........and I think some water went in the lens itself :cry:

This is something I will surely regret for the rest of my life............and something that will take me some time to recover from.

I learned my lesson.........and it came with a cost.

In any case, this is probably my last picture to share for a while. This is a shot of the waves before it took my 20D away :cry:

http://www.pbase.com/roanjohn/image/35187967.jpg

Ro1

I bet if you sell this picture you will recoup the money for your lense and camera. It is an AWESOME picture.

[richardho11]

Yikes! Sorry to hear about your 20D Ro1 !!!! I wouldn't wish that upon my worst enemy! At least I see you were able to send it out to get it fixed. Have you heard anything back from Canon yet?

[JohnCollins]

That is a wonderful photo of the wave. Wonderful. At least it died giving good service to it's owner! Good luck.

JPC

[jaggers]

i went rockhopping in Koh Chang Thailand and lost my little Canon about 5 years ago. It wasnt that expensive, but it had all my pics on it. i cried like a child.

[fstop212]

What a damn shame. I think I want to start to cry. I sent my camera in to Canon for a cleaning and I felt like I lost my soul until it came back. I guess it wouldn't hurt to send it to Canon for an estimate

[Peter White]

Best thing to do if that happens again is put the camera and lens into a bucket of frewsh water. Keep it wet! Then get it to service ASAP. If you let it dry, particularly in salt water, you'll get corrosion. Keeping it wet in fresh water will probably mean it's easily fixed.

[SYS]

I learned my lesson this past summer when I took my Canon A80 and Canon Optura Xi digital camcorder in one of water rides at Disneyland. Just a bit of water splash on both, and the built-in flash on both completely died, while A80 stores images in upside down, sideways, and whatever ways it pleases. Good ending to the story? Handed down the A80 to my 8 year old, and I got myself 20D. I will NEVER EVER get near any sort of water with this thing!!

[biggin]

my first digital camera was a g3 and I really thought it was great until mywife took some pics at the beach in mexico and got pina colada all over the lcd and lens so she decides to clean it with a cloth that had a bit of sand in it. Both the lcd and the lens were scratched so bad! It made me sick to death. The photo it took before it went for a drink is really a great shot! Not that really helps. sorry to hear about your 20d.

[fatrat]

well with that picture you took, your 20D went down in a blaze of glory!!

R.I.P

[biggin]

Maybe you will get lucky and can get canon to fix it for a little (or alot) of money. Maybe the water only caused something in it that is involved with the on/off function to blow. Good luck man!