bearvy Loc: RV on the Road - La Quinta, Ca.

Help! My tripod tipped over in the wind and my Nikon D5100 and 18-200mm lens fell into the water at Mono Lake which is saltier than the ocean.

I took the battery out, but not after trying to operate it. No image in view finder. No response from menu. I put body of camera in bowl of rice. Is there any hope for recovery?

Might the lens still be OK?

Just sick about it.

Wabbit Loc: Arizona Desert

With salt water it's pretty much a goner. It needs to disassembled. There's salt in there now. I'd send it to Nikon for an estimate

bearvy Loc: RV on the Road - La Quinta, Ca.

Wabbit: thanks for reply. I figured the same.

snowbear

And if there's salt in there, there's corrosion. Years ago I dropped a pager (remember those?) into the Chesapeake Bay. Opened it up when I got home (about 1-1/2 hours) and it had already corroded.

Acountry330 Loc: Dothan,Ala USA

I believe you killed it.

bearvy Loc: RV on the Road - La Quinta, Ca.

Thanks alot. You may be right.

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

In water, it is pull it, remove the battery, memory card, lens, shake it until most water comes out then cover it lens opening down in uncooked rice. After a few days to weeks you can pray while you try it. With the alkaline water of Mono Lake it needs professional help. Mono is bad news, but all is not lost. Get help though or you will loose it. Keep us all posted.

Seanfitz0

It's dead for sure .i did the same with a d700 several years back Nikon sead Unrepairable

bearvy Loc: RV on the Road - La Quinta, Ca.

Thanks for the detailed analysis. It was never fully immersed in water. Fell at shoreline, recovered immediately and wiped off. The camera body is now covered in rice, but I don't know how the lens will recover. Hoping for the best. Very upset because we are on vacation and don't know how quickly I can get it replaced/repaired.

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

With the camera lens face down, remove the lens. If there is water in the camera let it out. With the lens off place it lens face down and bury it in rice. Bury the lens too and say a lot of prayers. Don't - I mean Don't - try your camera until it is fully dry. Either way, I would have Nikon look at it. Hopefully, your photos are amazing!

bearvy Loc: RV on the Road - La Quinta, Ca.

The camera is face down in rice without the lens. I'll put the lens in also as you suggest. My fatal mistake may have been to try to operate it upon drying it off after retrieving it from the water. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed. Else fails, I bought it with American Express card one month ago. Reimbursement is covered, except that I bought it on sale. And that I don't want to be without it for as long as it takes to get a replacement. I guess I have to buck up and get over it.

snowbear

Replacement value insurance?

Seanfitz0

Sorry I belived it was totally immersed you may be lucky I would follow the Advice recived and hopefully when fully dry it will work again for you good luck

bearvy Loc: RV on the Road - La Quinta, Ca.

Thanks. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but a lot distraught right now.

Seanfitz0

Just saw this
Despite your efforts to keep your camera dry, it sometimes seems Mother Nature is against us. Here are some helpful tips and suggestions on what to do if your digital camera gets wet.

Step 1: First thing’s first: Do NOT turn your camera on!

Step 2: Immediately remove the batteries and memory card from the camera.

Step 3: Now it’s entirely up to you which steps you want to take if you get water on or in your camera and I take no responsibility for your actions, but here are some tips and suggestions on what you can try if your camera gets wet:

(Click on any image for a larger view)



Open all the doors to your camera, place it in a dry and well ventilated area of your house and leave it for a week.
Pack your camera in a box filled with rice or silica gel crystals and leave it overnight (or longer, depending on how wet your camera got. I would suggest being patient and letting it sit for a good 3-7 days to be on the safe side).
Use a hair dryer on the lowest/coolest setting to gently dry your camera. I came across a forum where a person suggested using compressed air to dry a wet camera. Though I’ve never, thankfully, needed to consider this approach, I can’t see it as being a good one. The way I see it, using compressed air will only move the water around, possibly causing more damage to your camera by pushing water into areas that may not have been wet to begin with. Using a hair dryer, on the other hand, will use a gently approach and actually dry the water, rather than push it around.