Professor Tom
19th of May 2010 (Wed), 11:18
Here's a tale of an adventure with a 5D Mark II. Our African adventure was well planned and we were to visit 3 countries: South Africa, Botswana, and Zambia. I had carefully selected a Tamarak 3385 backpack and had customized the packing of my 5D MII, a 24-105 f/4 isL, 300 f/4 isL, 50mm f/1.8 (for macro work with extension tubes), 20mm f/2.8, and a walk-around lens (Tamron 28-300 VC). I also carried a Panasonic LZ-10. I list all of this since on the second day of our tour in South Africa, this entire kit was stolen from the tour van as a flat tire was replaced in a tire shop. I was devastated, but ready to continue the journey since there is a great camera shop in Cape Town where I replaced the camera and the 24-105, but had to substitute a 100-400 and a 50mm 1.4 since they did not have the other lenses in stock. Here's the moral of the story. If in a country like South Africa, don't let your equipment out of your sight or touch for any time at all. The thieves are so prolific and crafty, you won't have it as I didn't. I'm sure it is being used to photograph the world cup soccer matches as you read this now. The warranty is "world-wide" - meaning Europe and Asia. Canon USA might consider it if I plead robbery, but at least it can be fixed in the USA. That brings up the next problem with my "bad camera karma." While photographing Victoria Falls in Zambia, the camera got damp and refused to turn on. I got a few fleeting messages, saying the camera can't communicate with the battery. After a day of drying out, it began to function, but would turn off without warning. After 2 days, it was back to "normal." I figured the sensor fingers in the battery compartment were not making good contact and after I rubbed them down, that fixed the problem. So while the 5D MII is well sealed, it can be harmed by moisture.