Boating with the X100

[davhill]

I've very cleverly dropped my X100 in the lake. Its very _clean_ water, but its also very _wet_. I immediately pulled the battery, but this is NOT a water-resistant camera, and water is dribbling out of everywhere.

I've left it to dry out, but .. is there any hope at all? I mean, I dropped my iPhone in the lake another time, and _that_ recovered after a couple days in a rice-bag.. Does anyone have any experience with this?

G#$%&rrrr

 

[davhill]

Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid man.
Ok, I've said it. Nobody else has to point this out.

 

[BillBingham2]

Happy to share a few new words to describe the feeling you might not have used recently.

Bag-O-Rice sounds like the best approach.

Very sorry to hear.

B2 (;-<

 

[retinax]

Don't rely on just a little rice, if you don't have other desiccants available to you, I think you should least dry the rice periodically, like every few hours, in the oven if there's a fair amount of water to get out. Hope you succeed!

 

[ForestCap]

Was about to write the rice bag method.

I had my Rollei 35 SE slightly dipped in lake once. Should have not trusted old waders. The camera has recovered though.

 

[BillBingham2]

Don't rely on just a little rice, if you don't have other desiccants available to you, I think you should least dry the rice periodically, like every few hours, in the oven if there's a fair amount of water to get out. Hope you succeed!

I agree, start swapping them every two hours for say eight or twelve, then go to every four for 18 hours, then every eight hours for two days.

No easy way to tell when the rice is full, but this approach should avoid it.

Great point retinax!

B2 (;->

 

[Richard G]

On The Online Photographer site Mike Johnston has had two posts on an Olympus left out in the snow, I think by the same photographer each time, and then once in a creek. In the latter case it was thought lost, but in the Spring thaw it was found. It was dried out and continued to work. There is hope.

The X100F seems to be worth a look....

 

[Phil_F_NM]

I would throw a cup of coarse salt in that bag of rice to really get the drying effect going.

Phil Forrest

 

[retinax]

I would throw a cup of coarse salt in that bag of rice to really get the drying effect going.

Phil Forrest

Yes, I'd expect salt to be more effective than rice altogether, but I'm worried about its corrosive properties, dust might get into the camera.

 

[Takkun]

I too think there's hope, you'd be surprised what survives after a dip in the drink.

To add to the mix of desiccants: why not try Dri-Z-Air or DampRid if it's available to you?

And if it makes you feel better: I'm fairly certain I saw some 'field test' article of a Leica (S2, I think, maybe the M10?) in Iceland, including a shot of the photographer shooting while bathing in the geothermal spring...imagine dropping that one into the water.

 

[bmattock]

I don't have any experience with a digital camera or helpful suggestions, but I did want to say I am sorry to hear it happened. I did have a basement flooding situation that got some of my vintage film cameras wet, and I used a dehumidifier in a closed room until they were dry, but I can't claim that's what saved them, or that it would work for you. I hope you have a positive outcome.

Don't forget your homeowners/renters insurance may be of some assistance here as well.

 

[davhill]

Happy to share a few new words to describe the feeling you might not have used recently.
Bag-O-Rice sounds like the best approach.
Very sorry to hear.
B2 (;-<

Yeah, bag-o-rice is underway. Thanks for your condolences and the offer of some colorfully descriptive language. Frankly, my feelings sort of went beyond words, save one brief and expressive one. I could say I had a "sinking" feeling, but that probably came from watching it sink to the bottom, trailing tiny bubbles. At least it wasn't deep water.

 

[davhill]

I don't have any experience with a digital camera or helpful suggestions, but I did want to say I am sorry to hear it happened. I did have a basement flooding situation that got some of my vintage film cameras wet, and I used a dehumidifier in a closed room until they were dry, but I can't claim that's what saved them, or that it would work for you. I hope you have a positive outcome.

Don't forget your homeowners/renters insurance may be of some assistance here as well.

Thank you all for all the expressions of hope and sorrow 🙂 Homeowners insurance? I hadn't thought of that: Value of an 8-year old X100 may not be enough to make that worthwhile, but still, it bears consideration. Yes, I'm quite glad it wasn't the Leica Monochrom (but wait, I don't have one of those, do I?)

Its ok, really. I've still got film in my bag.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

Yes, I'd expect salt to be more effective than rice altogether, but I'm worried about its corrosive properties, dust might get into the camera.

The salt can be placed in a teabag, the kind you load yourself with looseleaf. That keeps dust down but is perfectly permeable to moisture.
Other dessicants are a good bet as well but they can be far more expensive than good old fashioned sodium chloride, one of the most hygroscopic molecules readily available to mere mortals.

Phil Forrest

 

[davhill]

"No Parts: No Service" This is interesting .. I spoke to Fuji-USA's repair center. They have no parts for the X100, so they won't even open it up for a Disassemble & Clean service. No Parts=No Service. All they will do is offer me a X100S for $890.

 

[lynnb]

Thank you all for all the expressions of hope and sorrow 🙂 Homeowners insurance? I hadn't thought of that: Value of an 8-year old X100 may not be enough to make that worthwhile, but still, it bears consideration. Yes, I'm quite glad it wasn't the Leica Monochrom (but wait, I don't have one of those, do I?)

Its ok, really. I've still got film in my bag.

My commiserations. About homeowners insurance: mine paid for replacement with *new* equivalent model. Might be worth checking your policy.

 

[BillBingham2]

"No Parts: No Service" This is interesting .. I spoke to Fuji-USA's repair center. They have no parts for the X100, so they won't even open it up for a Disassemble & Clean service. No Parts=No Service. All they will do is offer me a X100S for $890.

Better than a sharp stick in the eye......

Warranty? Like new or As-Is? What's the price here or on KEH?

B2 (;->

 

[davhill]

Better than a sharp stick in the eye......

Warranty? Like new or As-Is? What's the price here or on KEH?

B2 (;->

At $890 it damned well ought to have a warranty, but I dont know — it’s way past my range.
X100S at KEH, used, $550. That’s a big step.

 

[davhill]

Monday update—the prognosis is improving ...

Friday: the lens had lost internal condensation, so I plugged a battery in... and it popped to life. Time & date, and probably all my presets, are cleared, but it takes pictures. Downside: it mis-focuses. EVF looks sharp, but images aren’t.
Sunday: Focusing has sharpened up. White balance is definitely rather bluish.

Evaluating ..

 

[BillBingham2]

Factory Reset &/or Firmware Upgrade?

Might have scrambled different bits.

Can your EVF Focus peak? Test with a tape measure and pencil like you were adjusting a rangefinder......

Fingers crossed, candles lit, rocking back and forth.....

B2 (;->