That professional photo camera so precious to you fell into the water ?, Do not worry! In this article, learn how to fix a wet camera.
No matter how much appreciation we have for our photographic work teams, it has all happened to us; Whether you are a professional or a photography student, or simply a photography enthusiast, we have dropped our photographic equipment into the water due to carelessness. And, many times, we have thought that the 'life cycle' of it, ended.
However, that is not entirely true. There are several ways to fix a photographic equipment in this state. From moisture extractors to raw rice, below we will show you some tips with which you can learn to fix your wet camera.
Learn how to fix a wet camera
If it fell in fresh water - Extracts the most water
The first thing you should do is turn off the wet camera and remove the batteries. For nothing in the world try to open the space of memory, since that is one of the most hermetic areas of the device. Try to remove all the water from your equipment without having to open it. Make slight agitations of it; in case of being drained, until this stops. You can do it by rocking; gently, backwards and forwards.
Remove internal and external elements
The area of the lens is the best seal; therefore, it is likely that no water has entered. But, to prevent, remove the lens pointing down with it, this will prevent moisture from entering it. Remove the memory card, if it is dry, set it aside.
Otherwise, you should dry it with the rest of your photographic device. To do this, you must wrap your photographic device and the objective; with all open compartments, on absorbent paper. You can also use any other material that you can use to dry, such as a towel or a dry cloth.
If it fell in salt water
This case is the most serious, since, this is very harmful for these devices. The same drying process can be performed as fresh water, however, success is not assured. One of the tricks you can perform is to rinse it so that the largest amount of salt is diluted. But, if it gives you some fear to try that risky trick, you can try the following:
Extract the water as quickly as possible with the following elements
There are some elements; Usually used for cooking, such as rice or wheat germ, on the other hand the hygienic cat litter or the oven at a low temperature, can also be very helpful in extracting moisture from your photo device. But, although many of these can be very helpful, other of these elements could worsen the situation, everything will depend on the severity of the dive and how sealed it is. The tips that work are:
1. Damp - Rid
The Damp - Rid is a drying product, which consists of extracting moisture from the air and can be found in supermarkets. It is composed of calcium chloride, is non-toxic and effective.
The biggest disadvantage is that if you use the more powerful Damp - Rid, moving it could spill the container and throw drops of absorbed water into your photo device.
2. Humidity hanging absorbers
The best thing will be to look for hanging moisture absorbers that contain the same formula as the previous product; that is, sodium chloride. These products usually have the drying agent in smaller doses, therefore, it is possible that the process is much slower.
3. Dry uncooked rice
Uncooked rice; Unlike the previous products, it is the easiest and most economical to get. However, it may take longer to solve the problem.
Configuration and drying process
To perform the drying process, you must place a container or airtight bag; Large enough, place the drying agent, your photo device with the open compartments and its external and internal elements. If you use one of the commercial products, prepare the drying agent according to the manufacturer's instructions. In the case of using rice, wheat germ or others, you must previously pour it in a container so that it does not leak or spill.
Place it next to its elements inside the container with the drying agent inside. You should seal the container and let it rest in a warm area for 5 whole days. After 5 days, open the container, remove it, insert a new battery and turn it on. Once all this process is done, there is a 98% chance that it will start and work normally. But, if you do not, you should go to the insurance company or the repair center.
What you must not do
- Do not apply heat directly.
- Do not use dusty substances such as cat litter with clay base.
- You do not have to immerse it inside the drying agent since, since the compartments are open, it could enter said product and damage them.
- Do not light it before the end of the 5-day rest period, since this could only cause more damage.
- Turn on the camera or not, after this process, it is also necessary to take a repair center to verify if your equipment is really good or if it should be replaced.
These were some tips to learn how to fix a wet camera. One recommendation is to have insurance for it. This is something that many photographers go through unnoticed, depending, just on an owner's policy. As we know, this means a great risk for those who are dedicated to photography, since; Usually, we are exposed to various situations in which our camera could fall on water surfaces; and although, these tips can save our team; In most cases, this does not mean that it always is.