Need some help! Rain soaked 6D.

Tonight's I had a photoshoot for a client and after the shoot was wrapped up, we hung around to chat when suddenly it just starting pouring down rain. I immediately grabbed by camera off the ground and tilted it down to shield the lens (my 50L didn't have the front filter one so no weather sealing) and the whole back of the camera got the brunt of the rain while I walked to my car to put everything away. Once inside I wiped it down with towels and tossed it in my pelican case. Thinking it was ok since Ive shot during snow fall with it and my previous 5D2 in both light rain and snow, nothing ever bad happened. Well it seems this time it did. I come to home to test the camera and all the back buttons are wonky. The live view switch keeps going on off, Q button triggers live view. Its a mess! I notice there was tiny bits of water still under the buttons. I immediately pulled battery and tossed it button side down in a bowl of rice. Really hope this thing is not dead. Any other things I should do? I blew out as much as the water as I could from the front wheel and back buttons, but want to leave it in the rice over night. Sigh.

NB: Camera was never on during the rain fall and lens was not removed until I got home some 1.5 hrs later.

Tony_Stark wrote in post #17127270
Tonight's I had a photoshoot for a client and after the shoot was wrapped up, we hung around to chat when suddenly it just starting pouring down rain. I immediately grabbed by camera off the ground and tilted it down to shield the lens (my 50L didn't have the front filter one so no weather sealing) and the whole back of the camera got the brunt of the rain while I walked to my car to put everything away. Once inside I wiped it down with towels and tossed it in my pelican case. Thinking it was ok since Ive shot during snow fall with it and my previous 5D2 in both light rain and snow, nothing ever bad happened. Well it seems this time it did. I come to home to test the camera and all the back buttons are wonky. The live view switch keeps going on off, Q button triggers live view. Its a mess! I notice there was tiny bits of water still under the buttons. I immediately pulled battery and tossed it button side down in a bowl of rice. Really hope this thing is not dead. Any other things I should do? I blew out as much as the water as I could from the front wheel and back buttons, but want to leave it in the rice over night. Sigh.

NB: Camera was never on during the rain fall and lens was not removed until I got home some 1.5 hrs later.

Ouch! sorry to hear of this happening but was caught my eye in your report was what I have made bold above ~ when you say you blew out the water do mean with canned air? If so you are as likely to have forced any moisture into the camera as out. Turning the camera on whilst there was likely still water in 'it' is what could do damage, the fact that it was tuned off (i.e. not on standby) as the time of the "wetting" is good but of no consequence as you turned it and found that the things were 'wonky' as you put it!

I hope it all turns out OK but be prepared for the worst news???

Oh, you mention other occasions where light rain had fallen on camera gear vs this time where it poured down plus that it was previously a different body...........sadly not like for like situation or kit.

No canned air, I put my mouth on the buttons and saw the water come out. Even turned the front wheel could see water coming out. Much worse than my initial thoughts on location. Hopefully tomorrow get some good news. The question remains if there is any deeper water penetration that may affect the camera later on I am expecting the worst in this situation.

What sucks here is that I didn't go out willy nilly, I was randomly caught out at a bad time. With my tripod in my other hand as well as a light stand, couldnt hold camera under my shirt as I was running to the car.

That sucks for luck.
Only similar thing I had happen was my iPhone diving into a pool of water about half a foot deep. I built a dry box with a dehumidifier, a cardboard box and a thick black sack. Worked great but I did get the phone in there within about 10mins.
Hope your camera drys ok

Tony_Stark wrote in post #17127270
NB: Camera was never on during the rain fall and lens was not removed until I got home some 1.5 hrs later.

To be safe, you should take out the batteries and not turn on the camera until at least 48 hours after you've gotten possible water. If you turn on the camera when there's water around the circuits, you run the risk of shorting them. There could be other factors that lead to corrosion and other bad things. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, and don't be tempted to try turning on the camera again! Leave it in rice for as long as you can. And here you started another thread asking about getting another 6D for second body...Murphy's Law! Hope you are able to get another as a second body!

Tony_Stark wrote in post #17127299
No canned air, I put my mouth on the buttons and saw the water come out. Even turned the front wheel could see water coming out. Much worse than my initial thoughts on location. Hopefully tomorrow get some good news. The question remains if there is any deeper water penetration that may affect the camera later on I am expecting the worst in this situation.

What sucks here is that I didn't go out willy nilly, I was randomly caught out at a bad time. With my tripod in my other hand as well as a light stand, couldnt hold camera under my shirt as I was running to the car.

Your breath is/was nothing but moisture!

good luck with your rice trick, hope it works out.

Go watch the abuse Digital Rev put the 7D through with ice and it still worked. I would but your camera is fine after it dries out.

Sorry to hear about this incident.

When electronic gadgets get wet, you never know where the water gets to or the damage it might cause, or whether the damage will be permanent.

I would suggest you put the wet gear into a container with a good amount of silica gel. Take the lens off and open the battery compartment so that air can circulate a bit into the innards of the camera. But make sure no silica gel gets into the gear.

Fresh silica gel has a great thirst for water and will absorb it quickly from the air, which will then dry the camera. The container should be completely sealed so that the silica gel takes the water out of the camera and not from the air in the room.

You can get silica gel from florists who use it to dry flowers. You might be able to get it from hobby shops or hardware stores. If possible, get the kind with an indicator to show whether it is fresh or spent.

You will need enough silica gel to absorb all the moisture that is present without depleting all the silica gel. The amount you need is guesswork ... you might need a few ounces of silica gel. More won't hurt.

You need to get busy on this quickly to try to prevent any development of corrosion or growth of fungus, which could be very damaging to the camera and lens.

You might need to leave the camera for a few days, or maybe it will take longer. It might take weeks. It takes time for water to migrate out of all the little crevices. I have heard of a phone springing to life after months of drying.

From time to time, check the silica gel to make sure it is still fresh. If it is spent, it is possible to regenerate it in the oven (find directions and follow them).

Good luck, and let us know what happens.

I thank everyone for all the suggestions. The rice did the trick and left in the camera in it over night. I popped in the battery today and tested out all the functions and everything is perfect. Lens as well (had my 50L on at the time). I will be buying a 2nd 6D as soon as I can, just need to complete a few jobs first. I was surprised to see my 6D malfunction especially when Ive shot in very light rain before and even light snow fall where snow would collect on the body, and that was before I had a weather sealed prime to attach as well. Did the same with my 5D2 before and never had any issues. In the future will learn that I will always be close to my car to store my stuff away quickly as clearly you never know when things will go bad. "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."

Tony_Stark wrote in post #17128027
I was surprised to see my 6D malfunction especially when Ive shot in very light rain before and even light snow fall where snow would collect on the body, and that was before I had a weather sealed prime to attach as well. Did the same with my 5D2 before and never had any issues.

Well the 5D series is supposed to have more weather sealings then the 6D series. "Supposed" to is the operative word! I had a $800 repair bill shortly after I got my 5Dc: wound up being one bead of sweat that was able to get in and corrode the main circuit board. Water is the enemy with digital photography and it's just a gamble as to whether the camera will get damaged. Glad that drying the camera has helped...should probably still be careful for a little bit longer though.

davesrose wrote in post #17128063
Well the 5D series is supposed to have more weather sealings then the 6D series. "Supposed" to is the operative word! I had a $800 repair bill shortly after I got my 5Dc: wound up being one bead of sweat that was able to get in and corrode the main circuit board. Water is the enemy with digital photography and it's just a gamble as to whether the camera will get damaged. Glad that drying the camera has helped...should probably still be careful for a little bit longer though.

You're right. Canon is very vague with how they word their "weather resistant" evaluations. I just hope my 6D doesn't crap out on me randomly. Especially considering my last thread, definitely will be getting another 6D first chance I get.

Tony_Stark wrote in post #17128089
You're right. Canon is very vague with how they word their "weather resistant" evaluations. I just hope my 6D doesn't crap out on me randomly. Especially considering my last thread, definitely will be getting another 6D first chance I get.

Definitely: they want to advertise that all the cameras have some weather resistance. The more expensive models are supposed to have some more gaskets and such...but it's really a crap shoot as to whether water gets in. They're probably vague to be able to cover their bums since the warranties don't cover "water damage".

davesrose wrote in post #17128123
Definitely: they want to advertise that all the cameras have some weather resistance. The more expensive models are supposed to have some more gaskets and such...but it's really a crap shoot as to whether water gets in. They're probably vague to be able to cover their bums since the warranties don't cover "water damage".

Pretty much what it is. I feel like the lenses have the proper water gaskets and are well protected but the bodies are the most exposed. When you hear people not even trusting a 1 D body in rain that tells you something. And I mean working people not hobbyists with deep pockets who don't want their toy to get wet.

The moral of the story here is when your done shooting store your gear and then enjoy a chat and a
cocktail. Sorry but in over fifty years plus I don't ever recall leaving a camera on the ground. I do hope
things work out for you in the future take better care.