Ugly Hedgehog - Photography Forum
Home Active Topics Newest Pictures Search Login Register
Main Photography Discussion
More Dropped Or Almost Dropped Camera And Lens Stories
Page 1 of 3 next> last>>
Sep 11, 2019 06:46:49   #
lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA
 
I tripped and fell a couple yeas ago while carrying two cameras around my neck by straps, one digital, one film. As I felt myself going over, from tripping from a side step, I wrapped my arms around that straps holding the cameras close to my body as I went down. I broke my fall slightly with my (left) shoulder. Nothing happened to the cameras but my knees took a beating. I was a bloody mess as I fell on not grass, dirt, or concrete, but heavy gravel. Essentially small broken rocks. Being obese I could not get back on my feet and since I had parked only a short distance away I had stupidly left my Cell phone (hidden) in the car. So I just sat on the ground bleeding until I got help. Luckily this happened in a small city park so eventually a elderly couple came by who were pushing their grandchild in a stroller. They had a hard time getting me to a seated position on a bench. The poor lady fell over on to her butt herself trying to help me. Just as they were getting me seated a third person showed up. Good thing I was NOT TAKING a "Blood Thinner" like my doctor would like me too. I keep telling them I am too clumsy and might bleed to death. As it is I don't clot well. But that is another story or two. After the fall accident I drove myself to my Primary Physician to get treated. That was a hassle as well. I virtually never hold a camera totally free hand. And to date I have not gone back to complete the photos I had planned to take that day. Ouch!

Anyone else have an interesting story about an (dropping or not) accident or near accident with a camera and lens? Please reply away!

Reply
Sep 11, 2019 07:07:35   #
Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI
 
Near accident while carrying my 'heavy' camera (full frame, 100-400mm lens) on a side holster. This is one where you have a round metal slug attached to the base of the camera, and this inserts into a plastic slot in the holster. In this position the camera does rock back and forth while walking around. What was happening without my knowing it was that these slight movements were unscrewing the metal slug on the camera. This despite the fact that I tightened that thing as hard as I could. The camera suddenly went into free-fall. No doubt the lens would have taken damage, but fortunately I keep a good tether on the camera and it merely yanked me into full awareness that I needed to modify my carrying system. Pronto.

Reply
Sep 11, 2019 07:16:23   #
jccash Loc: Longwood, Florida
 
My Nikon D500 blew off a rail in the Merritt Island wetlands. It had a long lens. Lens snapped off. Camera got damaged. Local guy fixed lens. Fixed camera but decided to send it to Nikon only to find out the used camera I bought at the local camera shop was grey market. I took it to the shop and talked to the manager. Told him how Nikon would not work on the camera do to Grey market. Camera was one year old for me. Local shop manager said for $300 I’ll take your camera and sell you a new one. In the end I was happy. It’s a great camera.

Reply
 
 
Sep 11, 2019 07:43:10   #
Bunko.T Loc: Western Australia.
 
Yes, I hurried to a site near the end of our local international airport, to record the approach of the Antonov A224? Planes well publicised arrival.
Got there with minutes to spare, having tracked it on FlightRadar24 programme.
In my rush to get a good position, I opted for the direct approach, over a partly downed barbwired rence, in preference to going through the gate.
With my new A77/2 in hand, in negotiating said fence, one foot got hooked on the wire & head over heals I went. In establishing my goal of best position, I realised the damage was not to camera but to my jeans & leg inside. Blood running down leg & ripped jeans, I carried on trying to get my few seconds of video.

When I thought about the episode, it was quite expensive in personal pain & stress, & all for those few seconds of a monster flying overhead.
There was so much better visual record via the media & internet. Thankfully, equipment surviveduntouched.

Reply
Sep 11, 2019 07:43:12   #
Bunko.T Loc: Western Australia.
 
Yes, I hurried to a site near the end of our local international airport, to record the approach of the Antonov A224? Planes well publicised arrival.
Got there with minutes to spare, having tracked it on FlightRadar24 programme.
In my rush to get a good position, I opted for the direct approach, over a partly downed barbwired rence, in preference to going through the gate.
With my new A77/2 in hand, in negotiating said fence, one foot got hooked on the wire & head over heals I went. In establishing my goal of best position, I realised the damage was not to camera but to my jeans & leg inside. Blood running down leg & ripped jeans, I carried on trying to get my few seconds of video.

When I thought about the episode, it was quite expensive in personal pain & stress, & all for those few seconds of a monster flying overhead.
There was so much better visual record via the media & internet. Thankfully, equipment surviveduntouched.

Reply
Sep 11, 2019 07:48:05   #
Bill_de Loc: US
 
lamiaceae wrote:
I tripped and fell a couple yeas ago while carrying two cameras around my neck by straps, one digital, one film.


And you're just telling us about it now!





Reply
Sep 11, 2019 07:50:07   #
Fotomacher Loc: Toronto
 
I reported this mishap on UHH before so I’ll make this short. Dropped my D810 with Nikkor 300mm f/4 attached onto a terracotta floor. Lens survived but the metal bayonet mount broke off the body. I was in Botswana. In the Okavango Delta. Was able to buy a very used D7000 and SD cards from a photographer/guide who was at the lodge Good news was that the D7000 and D810 use the same batteries so I could finish my imaging excursion. Back in Toronto, the body was restored to factory spec for $500.

Reply
 
 
Sep 11, 2019 08:15:18   #
mas24 Loc: Southern CA
 
I was not aware that quite a few photographers have accidents with their cameras, until I became a uhh member. It seems that the most accidents occur with the most expensive of camera equipment. I once witnessed a photographer accidentally drop his Nikon D810 in a deep end pool, at a pool party. He was in street clothes. But, a male swimmer in swimming trunks dove in the pool and retrieved his camera. He didn't have his strap around his neck. This was a while before the D850 was released. He immediately left the pool party after thanking the guy who retrieved the camera. I don't know if it continued to work as usual or not? Rarely, on this forum, do you hear of accidents of mid priced to intermediate priced camera gear. It seems to be the expensive full frame cameras and lenses. Where repairs can be expensive. Cameras on a falling forward tripod, landing on hard concrete, can result in an agonizing feeling. Camera gear equipment, as we all know, can add up to several hundreds, and even thousands of hard earned dollars. And repairs ain't cheap either.

Reply
Sep 11, 2019 08:20:16   #
mas24 Loc: Southern CA
 
lamiaceae wrote:
I tripped and fell a couple yeas ago while carrying two cameras around my neck by straps, one digital, one film. As I felt myself going over, from tripping from a side step, I wrapped my arms around that straps holding the cameras close to my body as I went down. I broke my fall slightly with my (left) shoulder. Nothing happened to the cameras but my knees took a beating. I was a bloody mess as I fell on not grass, dirt, or concrete, but heavy gravel. Essentially small broken rocks. Being obese I could not get back on my feet and since I had parked only a short distance away I had stupidly left my Cell phone (hidden) in the car. So I just sat on the ground bleeding until I got help. Luckily this happened in a small city park so eventually a elderly couple came by who were pushing their grandchild in a stroller. They had a hard time getting me to a seated position on a bench. The poor lady fell over on to her butt herself trying to help me. Just as they were getting me seated a third person showed up. Good thing I was NOT TAKING a "Blood Thinner" like my doctor would like me too. I keep telling them I am too clumsy and might bleed to death. As it is I don't clot well. But that is another story or two. After the fall accident I drove myself to my Primary Physician to get treated. That was a hassle as well. I virtually never hold a camera totally free hand. And to date I have not gone back to complete the photos I had planned to take that day. Ouch!

Anyone else have an interesting story about an (dropping or not) accident or near accident with a camera and lens? Please reply away!
I tripped and fell a couple yeas ago while carryin... (show quote)


I'm glad you finally got help to go see your doctor..Bleeding is not good for anyone.

Reply
Sep 11, 2019 09:56:21   #
lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA
 
Bill_de wrote:
And you're just telling us about it now!






Partly prompted by another's story yesterday. But I had written about it before long ago where only a few UHHers would have seen it. I still do shoot film from time to time and it was a used film camera I had just gotten and was testing it out.

Reply
Sep 11, 2019 09:57:52   #
lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA
 
Fotomacher wrote:
I reported this mishap on UHH before so I’ll make this short. Dropped my D810 with Nikkor 300mm f/4 attached onto a terracotta floor. Lens survived but the metal bayonet mount broke off the body. I was in Botswana. In the Okavango Delta. Was able to buy a very used D7000 and SD cards from a photographer/guide who was at the lodge Good news was that the D7000 and D810 use the same batteries so I could finish my imaging excursion. Back in Toronto, the body was restored to factory spec for $500.
I reported this mishap on UHH before so I’ll make ... (show quote)


Actually, I think I remember reading that. Fine, others probably have not.

Reply
 
 
Sep 11, 2019 10:19:49   #
lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA
 
mas24 wrote:
I'm glad you finally got help to go see your doctor..Bleeding is not good for anyone.


Thanks. I would have called the Paramedics but as I said I had left my phone in the car. In fact I think the Fire Dept. there in San Dimas, CA is only a few blocks away. Actually my Primary Physician was not happy to see me with out an appointment that day. So I had to say "Do you want me to just stand here and bleed on your floor". The Emergency Hospital Visit is $100 with insurance above that. The paramedics would have taken me to the same Hospital Emergency Ward. The Doctor Co-pay is $20. Anyway his wife who is also a Physician with the firm and a nurse took care of me and clean out the wounds and bandaged me up. So with my B****ing I got two caretakers. My other choice could have been drive myself to an Urgent Care Center with our HMO. Fine, but the ones I know of were way far from where I was. Health care in America!

Reply
Sep 11, 2019 11:44:42   #
lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA
 
lamiaceae wrote:
I tripped and fell a couple yeas ago while carrying two cameras around my neck by straps, one digital, one film. As I felt myself going over, from tripping from a side step, I wrapped my arms around that straps holding the cameras close to my body as I went down. I broke my fall slightly with my (left) shoulder. Nothing happened to the cameras but my knees took a beating. I was a bloody mess as I fell on not grass, dirt, or concrete, but heavy gravel. Essentially small broken rocks. Being obese I could not get back on my feet and since I had parked only a short distance away I had stupidly left my Cell phone (hidden) in the car. So I just sat on the ground bleeding until I got help. Luckily this happened in a small city park so eventually a elderly couple came by who were pushing their grandchild in a stroller. They had a hard time getting me to a seated position on a bench. The poor lady fell over on to her butt herself trying to help me. Just as they were getting me seated a third person showed up. Good thing I was NOT TAKING a "Blood Thinner" like my doctor would like me too. I keep telling them I am too clumsy and might bleed to death. As it is I don't clot well. But that is another story or two. After the fall accident I drove myself to my Primary Physician to get treated. That was a hassle as well. I virtually never hold a camera totally free hand. And to date I have not gone back to complete the photos I had planned to take that day. Ouch!
I tripped and fell a couple yeas ago while carryin... (show quote)


Thanks for the replies so far. Anyone else have an interesting story about an accident or near accident with a camera and lens?

I do have another story where I did actually drop a lens. Back when I first seriously started doing photography I used to do most of my indoor photography at my parents home, even after I moved out. They had a large living room that with moving a few pieces of furniture gave good room for shooting. This was probably around 1980 while I still lived there. I was setting up to shoot something and had put my camera on a tripod. A Velbon I recall. I was switching lenses and dropped one. It bounced off the carpeted floor. It only dropped about 30 inches so nothing happened to the lens. But it did give me a scare. Even back then I used Pentax cameras. It was a KM my first ever SLR. The lens dropped was a slower cheaper Asahi smc-Pentax-M 135mm 1:3.5 lens. I still have it but rarely use it. Not much fun on a DSLR. I later "upgraded" to a used Pentax-A 135mm 1:2.8 lens. The -A series lens works nicer with a DLSR but 135mm is a bit weird for a APS-C camera.

I do have yet another story. When I was taking a Photo Class a few years ago we met on the steps of the L.A. County Natural History Museum. This was really stupid but I did not want to get too far behind the rest of the class when we went in. This was because we were a bit late arriving because my wife and I had visited another museum first on our own. So I decided to change lenses while standing on the steps at the entrance to the museum. Luckily I had the camera strap around my neck. Yes, the strap again. Some how the lens slipped out of my hand but I was able to trap it against my body with my other arm and keep it from falling. Since the camera was supported by the strap I had a free and to grasp the lens again and carefully hand it to my wife who was holding the other lens. Had the lens hit the concrete steps it would have broken for sure I think. Even my older metal construction lenses would have do done well with bounce down the steps.

Reply
Sep 11, 2019 14:00:56   #
robertjerl Loc: Corona, California
 
Bill_de wrote:
And you're just telling us about it now!






Just got out of the doctor's waiting room.

Reply
Sep 11, 2019 15:54:20   #
jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA
 
I was at an event once and was in the process of changing lens. The 16-35 2.8LII slipped from my hand and I volleyballed it up in the air with the one hand about 4 times until I could grasp it again. The people around me were wide eyed and stunned watching it fly up and down.
A great lesson to have multiple bodies and not be switching lenses, beside the fact possibly missing a shot. Even though I had 2 bodies with a 24-105 and a 70-200, I wanted the width of the 16-35 for a particular shot. Now I bring 2 FF and 2 crop bodies and don't change lenses until down time if needed.

Reply
Page 1 of 3 next> last>>
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.
Main Photography Discussion
UglyHedgehog.com - Forum
Copyright 2011-2024 Ugly Hedgehog, Inc.