Canon 75-300mm USM doesn't float

Bachs

Bachs

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Yep, you guessed it :bonk:

I wear a kind of camera jacket...it's actually a fishermans' jacket with loads of pockets and usually carry everything I need in it so I don't have to carry the camera rucksack.

I was shooting in Glen Esk on Sunday and stepped out onto a couple of stones into the River Esk to get a more central position then crouched down to get a lower angle of view.

As I crouched, the 75-300mm dropped out of my pocket into the river.
I managed to scoop it out pretty quickly but not before it took in quite a lot of water.

It's currently drying out but I suspect the glass elements will end up stained.

Is it worth taking it apart or am I going to really cock things up if I do?

I can't see it being financially viable to send it away for repair as it isn't the most expensive of lenses to start with.

Advice please!
 
check it for salmon :(
 
Badluck, just dry it out and hope for the best, make sure you place it somewhere with dry heat if possible.
 
Home contents insurance - probably covered under the all risk bit....
 
Groan! I'd be suicidal. :(

I wouldn't risk taking the thing apart yourself Bachsy. I remember doing that when I was a kid and it never did go back together. I'm not saying you can't do it, but your best bet is to try and find a camera repair geezer who'll have the right tools and be able to do the job standing on his head.
 
CT said:
Groan! I'd be suicidal. :(

I wouldn't risk taking the thing apart yourself Bachsy. I remember doing that when I was a kid and it never did go back together. I'm not saying you can't do it, but your best bet is to try and find a camera repair geezer who'll have the right tools and be able to do the job standing on his head.
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You sure standing on his head will eb a good idea ? Bachs only leant over and it fell out his pocket ;)
 
CT said:
I wouldn't risk taking the thing apart yourself Bachsy.
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Well if someone tells me not to do something, I go ahead and do it :nuts:

The worst of the staining/tide marks were behind the front element and on the surface of the second element.

I managed to remove the collar for the front element and cleaned the offending surface with IPA and a lint free cloth.

THat still left heavy condensation on the inner elements so I got 'er indoors' hairdryer and blasted it for a few minutes from the outside.

Low and behold the heat build up cleared all the moisture and it's now taking great pics again!

There's just one goldfish left to remove and it's as good as new.

Just got to get the Mrs to ring the insurance company back in the morning to tell them the Canon 1ds MKII that the baby dropped in the bath is now dried out :D
 
Kudos for tackling the job! The fact that that you've got everything dry should eliminate the long term danger of fungus forming. :thumbs:
 
whoah, nice one on fixing it yourself bachs, well impressed.
 
Fair play.....I also take eveything apart....new dishwasher this week delivered with something wrong with main hinge......side off within 5 mins & fixed it ;) . Saying that the carpet cleaner isn't quite right since I fixed it....nor the Dyson :suspect: :thinking: :lol:
 
now... i used to be a cycle mechaninc playing with normal things as well and fancy hydraulic discs and forks and reeming tools and i'm pretty handy fixing desktops pcs so im quite good with my hands. but i once tried to fix a laptop...

04-04-05_2337.jpg


didnt really get any better than this either :p

ah well i've now got a 20gig portable drive which is useful i suppose!
 
noah said:
ah well i've now got a 20gig portable drive which is useful i suppose!
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Thats right - always think positive :lol:
 
Bachs, does this mean we can all sent you our broken gear to and you'll fix it for us. :D
 
I can pull a sophisticated laser colour printer down to it's component level on a Friday afternoon and put it back together with no parts left over or missing on a Monday afternoon so a lens is a doddle.

I wouldn't have tackled it on an L glass...I had nothing to lose and would have just bought a replacement if it didn't work.

One thing had me going though...once you take the end outer ring off, there's another 3 philips screws that hold the first glass element in place...only theyr'e not screws...they're studs.
Turning with a screwdriver had no effect, you have to pull them out with thin nosed pliers.

If anyone wants to send their lenses to me for repair, feel free.
You'll need a roll of black insulation tape when you get it back to cover the gouge marks from the huge screwdriver or you can leave the tape off as the holes make excellent drainage holes :D
 
Bachs said:
I can pull a sophisticated laser colour printer down to it's component level on a Friday afternoon and put it back together with no parts left over or missing on a Monday afternoon.
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Well there's your first mistake, you should always have bits left over!
 
Bachs said:
Yep, you guessed it :bonk:
As I crouched, the 75-300mm dropped out of my pocket into the river.
I managed to scoop it out pretty quickly but not before it took in quite a lot of water.
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Sorry to hear of your accident Bachs ... but impressed you could sort it ! Hope it goes long term and doesn't grow anything inside ! ;)

Danger with reading stuff like this late at night ... dreamt my lens went for a quick dip too ... camera and all attached ! :eek: nightmare ... but its all tucked up safe and dry ! :p
 
I had a Canon A1 many moons ago that took a dive into the sea off Barbados. Took me 20 minutes of diving to get it back aboard as I was mightily drunk - had I been sober it would have stayed down there!
10 minutes under the tap in the boat and then it spent the rest of the day on the top deck drying off. When I sold it 5 years later it was still working perfectly. I doubt any of my modern cameras would fare as well...
 
Here's the shot I was taking when it fell out of my pocket.

Now how many of you could take a hand held slow exposure shot whilst one of your lenses floats off in the distance? :D

Actually it was taken about a minute after the accident.

IMG_0136.jpg
 
Bachs said:
Ermmm...that kinda puts things into perspective doesn't it? :eek:
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Yeah, I mean you can't even compare. A rocket exploding is hardly going to get your lens wet is it.


but yes....... :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :clap:
 
Sorry - I usually hate this one-upmanship. But I couldn't resist.

I'd rather get rocketed than drop a lens in the drink tho'. Glad it survived the experience.
The QM is now moaning that someone's broke one of the NERA M4 staellite dishes - some of the little clips that hold the leaves of the dish open have come off one of them. One of them? All of them - I've never signed one out yet that wasn't trashed in some way. We go to wars FFS and he's moaning about plastic clips....Grrr

The Nera M4 World Communicator:

nwc1.gif
 
Well it's a few days on and there's still no Bonsai trees growing inside the lens.

It hasn't quite settled down yet though...

wetlens.jpg
 
Bachs said:
Well it's a few days on and there's still no Bonsai trees growing inside the lens.

It hasn't quite settled down yet though...

wetlens.jpg
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ROFL!
 
Looks fine to me :lol:
 
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