Uh-oh, lens got wet...now what?

[retnull]

Seeking advice!! I had a freak boating accident this afternoon, and now the Elmar 90/4 (1st vesrsion) is soaked. Dripping. There are water drops on each of the three elements.

I'm on vacation, with no easy access to tools. What do you recommend? --

1) Send to Sherry (or whoever) IMMEDIATELY !
OR
2) Send to Sherry (or whoever) when I return home in two weeks.
OR
3) Try to buy tools to open lens to dry it.

(For what it's worth, the lens was a Craigslist bargain at $50 two years ago....but I am fond of it.)

Thanks in advance!
Kurt

 

[batterytypehah!]

I doubt you'll find a lens spanner on vacation. Dry as best you can and send out immediately would be my choice.

While Henry Scherer won't work on Leicas, he has an emergency guide for this situation at http://www.zeisscamera.com/services_overhaul-cIIa-body.shtml#Water

If it makes you feel any better, it's likely worth more by now, so having it fixed may even make sense economically.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Dunno, really, but I think I'd go along with batterytypehah! It ain't likely to get a lot better in two weeks, and it might get a lot worse. Or it might not.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Landshark]

ship it while it's still wet, don't wait 'til it's dry.

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

Was it fresh or salt water?
Might sound like strange advice, but if it was salt, and the lens is saturated, I would soak it in some fresh water ASAP, and change this several times.

Of course, you don't want water on your lenses, ever. But after a strip down a lens might well be revived after a fresh water dunking. Salt water, forget it. The glass may not be harmed, but everything else will be scrap, because of corrosion.

Regards,
Brett

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

It's probably worth elaborating on my previous post. Naturally you don't want any moisture inside a lens. Ideally, the best approach would be to strip the lens and clean it in warm running fresh water ASAP, to prevent corrosion, and then dry the components thoroughly.

However, if this is not feasible for whatever reasons, given a choice between a lens full of salt water, or one full of fresh water, you would take fresh water any day. It is the salt that will do most of the damage. Hence, if the lens is really wet inside and you can't strip it, the next best thing is to flush out as much salt water as possible, hence my previous suggestion. It's a case of minimising the damage. And get it stripped and cleaned ASAP, naturally.

 

[retnull]

Thanks for all suggestions so far. Luckily it was fresh water, not salt. I will ship the lens out for cleaning ASAP.