"scar tissue"

[jan normandale]

Hi everyone,

this post flows from Joe's (our ever pleasant moderator) recent "sickening thud" post.

I have inserted a picture of my Olympus 35RC , a nice little brick of a camera. As substantial and tough as you would want to see in camera-dom. It's so robust I think you could drive a nail into a 2x4 with it. You get the picture.

So about a week ago I was driving westbound too fast , I wanted to make a green before it turned red. It was 12.00 midnight and as I came to the intersection (light still very green for me) a southbound tow truck decided to just go through his red light ( I think he decided he had waited long enough) I braked very hard and slid around the driver and his helper who both looked surprised to be the only vehicles in the intersection heading north south. Fortunately we missed eachother but doing 70 km in a 60km zone did something else. My camera the one in the picture flew off my truck seat and hit a steel rail I had on the floor of the truck I was driving. Hmmmmmm.....

So my poor camera is definitely carrying "scar tissue" , but the key thing is it is still working. Anyone else besides Joe and I with stories about tough cameras that just won't stop? I'm interested.

Jan

 

[tajart]

okay, here's one. my son's wife shoots a lot of digital pics, family, kids, trips, etc. she always has it going. i can't remember if it is the G1 or G2, but she has had it a while. things are getting loose, a screw or two have come out, and it wasn't working like it should, in short it was getting time to replace it. she got the nikon 5400 and is enjoying that. but in the meantime, she came home to find the first one in the dog dish, 1/2 submerged in the water dish. after she dried it off, let it dry, she found it is working again, good as new. she's thrilled.

 

[Roman]

When hiking through a narrow canyon of lava rocks on the island of Teneriffa last year, I slipped and fell on top of my Horizon 202, and skidded for about half a meter on it; camera has some ugly scratches, but is still working flawlessly...

Roman

 

[Iskra 2]

Looks a little like my recent Yashica GT purchase on ebay that was supposed to have just a stuck shutter. Could my dent and shutter be related? Hmmm... and the rangefinder doesn't work well..... clean battery compartment though.

 

[BJ Bignell]

Not quite as dramatic, but I did post my "road rash" story last weekend... http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5432

Camera's fine. My hand still hurts some.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Fell off a motorcycle on the Great West Road (London), skidded quite a way on a Nikonos II. Ground through the metal lens cap and started on the lens filter thread. Very sore thigh -- camera still working (and still in use by a diver friend, 20 years later).

And the other guy's insurer didn't argue, despite a $2000+ bill. My witness (the fellow behind me) said, "It was a dull rainy day, and I particularly noticed that Mr. Hicks (as I now know him to be) was driving well inside the speed limit with his lights on. When Mr. ____ turned in front of him, I could not believe it. He did not have a chance..."

Cheers,

Roger (www.rogerandfrances.com -- and www.motorcycletouringineurope.com or www.mctie.com)

 

[jan normandale]

I think we should have a "survivors gallery" for some of these cameras. I think they have some kind of character because of drownings, dings, grinding, and road rash. It's like premature brassing. I'm looking forward to more stories. I like the fact that everyone remembers exactly what happened. I'm not surprised though.

Jan

 

[Doug]

My Olympus 35RC came back from CLA with a new top cover, less dented than the old one, so I was pleased. I set it aside temporarily, before running a roll of film through it, and when I next got it out it had a nice big new dent in the filter ring. Obviously it had dropped, but it didn't happen with me around and my wife denies knowledge, so I guess it must have been one or more naughty felines... 🙁

 

[back alley]

drats!

it was the cats!

joe