UKC

Hi all,

Just come back from a holiday where a Canon G9 camera went for a brief swim (not by my hand!). It's been drying out in a bag of rice, which seems to have done a pretty good job, but it seems there's still some water in the lens. Can these things be mended, and if so, can it be done at home or is it a send-away job? If the latter, does anyone have any recommendations for reputable repair places? If the former, any links to tutorials would be gratefully received.

Ta!

In reply to Tall Clare:
Hope it was fresh water not salt water. If it was salt water the internal electronics will be slowly destroyed by the salt. I've used A J Dufton of Shaw, Oldham to repair a couple of cameras, but it might end up costing you as much as buying a new one. He used to run a camera shop and repair service in Oldham, but closed due to lack of business, and now runs a repair service from his house.

In reply to Denzil:

It was indeed fresh water, so that at least is something. Thanks for the suggestion - I've just found his details. It makes sense for us to price up fixing it before deciding what to do with it.

In reply to Tall Clare:
If it was salt water, it's likely to be a write off - I can't imagine a G9 will be economic to repair.

If you haven't already, remove the battery until all traces of internal moisture are gone.

I had an unfortunate experience with an slr many years ago in a stream. The camera was damaged but the lens only had a drop of water inside, which turned into internal condensation. A camera repairer suggested that I put the lens above a radiator (not mega hot, obviously) to get rid of comndensation inside a lens. This worked fine for my fairly simple (pre - autofocus) lens. So if you leave it out of its case, in a warm dry place, for a few days, you may be OK.

In reply to eduardo:

The battery and SD card were removed immediately. Gentle heat sounds like a good suggestion.

I'd always rather try to fix something than write it off, but I suspect it might not work this time...

In reply to Tall Clare:

Aring cupboard for a week or two worked on mine.

In reply to Tall Clare: Having taken a G9 apart to remove a hair from the sensor I think it is safe to say that it would not be economic to repair it. As above - leave the battery out for as along as possible - put camera in a dry place and hope for the best.

In reply to Tall Clare:

A "new" G10 off ebay goes for between £50 to £100, you may be better off putting it in electronics recycling if simple measures don't fix it.

In reply to Hannes:

Good call - it would be great to fix it, as Mr TC's daughter's camera was broken (nothing to do with us) and if we can get it working then she can have it, but if not then hey ho.

But hurrah for M&S home insurance - they're paying out for a new equivalent (minus the excess), which is the G16. I don't like claiming on insurance but I guess that's what it's there for.

In reply to Tall Clare:

did you have travel insurance? if so check if that covers it as well/instead, as you won't get a premium hike that way