Oh no I killed it!!

My Doh! moment came about 2 months ago when I made the mistake of not checking that I zipped up my bag properly before hauling it out of my car. My new 70-200 2.8 IS II and 100L both went flying down on to garage floor.

Thankfully 2 months later both are still working correctly and I learnt an important lesson )

that's why they make STRAPS... hand neck or shoulder...

LowriderS10 wrote in post #11729545
Oh man...I've done the whole pick up a backpack while unzipped thing...thankfully nothing ever happens (except that dropped stomach feeling) because I KNEW I'd do this when I arranged the padding in my backpack and put an extra pieces OVER top of my gear, specifically to prevent them from falling out when picked up with an open zipper...this is what it looks like:

Even my baby backpack has a nifty strap for preventing such tragedies:

I rarely ever let anyone touch my gear...if they do, it's within arm's reach of me and I make them put the neck strap on before they can handle it...but even then, I don't think anyone other than me has pressed the shutter release button on my 1D since I bought it haha

Thats an excellent idea. I have removed bits of the padding to make room for my kit and its just sat at home, now I have a use for it

MOkoFOko wrote in post #11729586
Once had a family member pulling a luggage cart with my padded camera bag on top. It got turned and the whole cart fell over. My padded bag only went down a foot or two--and it was very well padded--but the 580ex speedlite didn't survive. The lamp completely shattered. That was absolutely pathetic. It's my belief that flash lamps are the weakest link.

I also had a P&S camera in the storage compartment of a waverunner--some water managed to get in, and totally toasted it.

Wow that's pretty bad for the flash...as for the P&S...I picked up a little Pelican for like 10 or 15 bucks and used to take my old SD790IS kayaking and stuff in that...it worked really well...then I sold the 790 and the G9 is too big for it...I think it's time for a new Pelican...

LowriderS10 wrote in post #11729761
Wow that's pretty bad for the flash...as for the P&S...I picked up a little Pelican for like 10 or 15 bucks and used to take my old SD790IS kayaking and stuff in that...it worked really well...then I sold the 790 and the G9 is too big for it...I think it's time for a new Pelican...

I bring my cheaper 1d2 body with me when I'm kayaking Unless I'm shooting, I'm keeping everything nice and dry in my lowepro dryzone backpack. There was one time when a sleeping manatee woke up as I passed over it with my kayak... and nearly pulled me under when it flapped its fin to speed off. Sea-Cows my arse--those things can move quickly and create whirlpools. My waterproofed bag was unzipped at the time I never accounted for the possibility of the local wildlife drowning me and my gear.

As for the flash--it's amazing that people can drop lenses and bodies from four foot onto concrete without issues, yet my double-bagged 580ex can't survive a 2-foot drop. I guess I'm not surprised the lamps are fragile, but I thought they were braced well inside the flash heads.

What a great idea with the packs... must do that myself

I once had my 350D sitting on a worktop in the kitchen, and caught the strap which had fell over the edge. Camera took a 3 foot plunge and bounced off the tiiled floor. Only damage was a little dent on the lower edge and the backlight bulb stopped working. Otherwise, fine, but it was a horrible feeling!

Woohh, that's pretty lucky. I've never really broken anything yet, I'm pretty happy about it. I've just ruined it for myself though, I bet you next shoot I trip. Break my camera.

sitting on a rock ledge 5m (17') above some rocks where some waves were breaking. Was there for near half an hour and got caught by a freak wave. A bunch of droplets on the lens (Sigma 18-50 2.8-4.5) and a few on the 40D. Had my scurrying away from the rocks to dry it out as quick as I could with what I had.

Then, feeling dejected I headed back to the car only to realise halfway back that I didn't have my car key on me - turned out I'd taken it out of my back pocket when sitting on the rock ledge. Plenty of heart palpitations

During my gold Duke of Edinburgh expedition in north wales i had my gear in a thin canvas bag around my waist.
We got a little lost due to the map being wrong in a quarry and came to a cliff edge.


We took off our bags and checked the map, i took my camera bag off and it rolled. It fell over 350ft off the cliff, boucncing off rocks and there was nothing i could do but watch.

It took 2 hours to climb down to retrieve it, fearing the worst i finally found it and to my suprise it had stayed closed.
I had my 400D, grip, 55-200, 50mm, 18-55 and other bits inside.

I only broke a UV filter and lost my leatherman.

All these stories remind me why I purchase insurance for ALL my gear.

just in case...........

Took my open bag of the bed and it spilled out lenses!

My 70-200 and 17-40 both flew up in the air and luckily landed on my bed. Thank god for extra soft beds.
If they would have hit the floor it would have been game over.

djoli101 wrote in post #11730518
During my gold Duke of Edinburgh expedition in north wales i had my gear in a thin canvas bag around my waist.
We got a little lost due to the map being wrong in a quarry and came to a cliff edge.


We took off our bags and checked the map, i took my camera bag off and it rolled. It fell over 350ft off the cliff, boucncing off rocks and there was nothing i could do but watch.

It took 2 hours to climb down to retrieve it, fearing the worst i finally found it and to my suprise it had stayed closed.
I had my 400D, grip, 55-200, 50mm, 18-55 and other bits inside.

I only broke a UV filter and lost my leatherman.

You have got to be kidding me. You were overloaded with plastic lenses there. I don't see how everything could have survived a fall like that. The lens attached to the body (with the plastic mounts) should have definitely snapped off.

That's like a ferrari surviving a head-on collision with a monster truck.

I had a good one this past summer.

I was walking along the rocks on the shore of the Juan de Fuca trail looking for stuff to photograph. Basically 2-3 foot tall boulders in the intertidal zone. Camera with macro lens on the neck strap, 300 4.0L in my hand. Of course, I slipped on the kelp/algae and did a fine three point landing (on my knees and my left arm). I figure about 50% of the impact was absorbed by my 300 L. Once the blinding (literally) pain subsided I could see my left hand still clutching the lens, bearing most of my weight, up to my elbow in (salt) water.

I was surprised the lens didn't explode on impact (I hit hard). Then I freaked out as it is not designed to be waterproof. Figured I had wrecked it. Got it wiped off within a few seconds (ignore the bleeding, dry the lens off) and almost cried.

Lens works fine. Not a mark on it. I don't expect that any lesser lens would have made it. Money well invested.

I had a scary moment in Taiwan earlier this month. I changed lenses and somehow had released the clip that holds up the focusing screen. I started taking photos (I was in a hurry to capture a specific moment) and noticed the viewfinder looked strange and my photos were coming out mostly black. I really thought the shutter died. Hopefully I didn't screw anything up by taking photos with that screen flopping around. I put the screen back with my fingers (didn't have the tool with me) and everything seems OK. But I did touch the mirror and have a little smudge there. I am also seeing a diagonal line in one corner through the viewfinder but have no idea what it is. I took the screen back out when we got back home but I see no line on it.

what about this guy

http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=gbxtfeaEthw