karen6977

My basement flooded and one of my really good lenses (70-300mm) was damaged in the flood. Water got inside it and now there's a bit blotch in the middle of the lens.

My question is, can a lens be repaired/cleaned/dried after getting wet like that? If so, where is the best type of place to send it?

Thanks,
Karen

snowbear

You can either send it back to the manufacturer or take it to a good camera shop.

The manufacturer will probably charge a flat fee, unless it is under warranty; you should be able to contact them directly. If it's Nikon, they may take a while to fix it - there was a spare parts shortage (at least for cameras) this summer due to the Japan tsunami and the flooding in Indonesia.

I live in the Washington DC area, and there is only one major repair shop. All of the other camera shops send the major stuff to them.

edit: There are also factory authorized repair facilities throughout the country. If you still have the little warranty post cords that came with the lens, they should be listed, otherwise, check the manufacturer's web site.

Good luck.

karen6977

Thank you, Charlie! I will ask around to see what is the best in my area. I live in northern Utah so it may have to be sent out.

Have a good day,
Karen

coondog Loc: Lost in Vermont

I once got mold inside two of my zoom lenses from storing them in a damp cellar. I took them to a camera shop and they fixed them..good as new.

rjriggins11 Loc: Colorado Springs, CO

Hi Karen.

My name is Rick and I'm a photographic squipment repair technician. I'll be more than happy to repair your lens for you and make sure it is in excellent condition.

I work from home with little overhead so I can keep th repair costs low.

Please give me a call or email me. You can also visit my website at http://www.discountcamerarepair.com.

RonaldLewis Loc: Chicago, Illinois

I would send the lens to the manufacturer and have it cleaned. Be sure to get an estimate first and then make a decision whether to repair or replace the lens.

drbarrymary Loc: No. Carolina, Florida

Rick, I have put your site in "My Favorite" location for use when the time comes. Thanks!

JerrysPhotos Loc: Arkansas

I have heard of people using a hair drier to dry a lens after droping it in water. Thankfully, I have not had to try it personally but it might be worth a try before sending it off for repair........

rjriggins11 Loc: Colorado Springs, CO

The best way to take care of this is to completely disassemble the lens and treating all of the areas affected. Otherwise, rust, corrosion and fungus will develop. Sometimes renderring the lens beyond economical repair.

Sunrisepano Loc: West Sub of Chicago

I worked at a studio 25 years ago that suffered a flood. One lens, a Nikor macro (great piece of glass) had what looked like rust on the glass (sediment from the dirty flood water). One of the other photographers figured that it was no good any way, so what could it hurt if he took it apart. He carefully saved all the tiny screws together and managed to completely disassemble it only to discover that the dirty part of the glass was not internal, but could have been cleaned with a soft swab without taking it apart.
Without knowing/having seen him disassemble the lens, I manged to put it back together over a period of 3 days. It worked great.
Having done that once, I highly recommend giving it to the pros and paying them what they ask. Easily worth $100 to $200 if the lens itself is worth it.