D800 and Saltwater??!

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Hi,

I have just been down the beach and got caught by a freak wave that covered me and my Nikon D800 and 24-70 f2.8 in saltwater and seaweed!
My question is, apart from sponging it off with warm fresh water when I got home, what else could I do to help prevent permanent damage? I know both are "weather sealed" but not sure how well sealed they really are.

Hs anyone else been caught like this? I was kicking myself as I normally spend 10 min watching the tide/waves to make sure I don't get caught out...

Would be good to hear any help, thanks...
 
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I would honestly take the D800 so called weather sealing with a (excuse the expression) with a huge pinch of salt. I had a D800 that not only leaked but also let an insect into the top LCD. I was disgusted with Nikon's so called weather sealing. I would get it checked PDQ.
 
If you have exposed your camera to water, you should first remove the battery, memory card and lens and dry it as much as possible with a soft towel or cloth.
A hair dryer is not recommended as it may cause extra damage to plastic or rubber parts externally or superheat internal components causing additional damage.
If you have access to "silica gel packets" like those commonly shipped with electronic products, you can add them to a sealable plastic bag (as much as will fit) with your camera/ product to help absorb the moisture.
Another option is to close any opening on the camera, (battery door, apply the lens cap), and put the camera in a sealed container filled with uncooked rice to help absorb moisture. Uncooked dry rice works well as a desiccant. You should then send it to our service department as soon as possible so we can have a look, but again, in most cases the damage is done at the time of exposure and service is cost prohibitive.
Click to expand...

Nikon Service Advisory
 
As salt water is pretty corrosive I'd be getting it checked out as soon as possible and not worry too much about trying to dry it yourself other then wiping the outside down. I hate to be the voice of gloom but I would ready yourself for a big bill
 
Salt water is corrosive when it is in aqueous form, ie the Na(sodium) and Cl(Chlorides) are free ions +ve and -ve charges, with other ions such as iodides, etc. Once they dry, they do b****r all, but the atmosphere is full of moisture so there will always be a very limited amount of free ions once your gear is "infected" with the sea.

Weather that will be significant enough, I cannon say. But an inspection if your shutter camber or rear element of your lens on crytalised salt once the gear gas thoroughly dried should give u an indication on if u need an service. If u see salt deposits on lens elements or camera sensor then that would be a good call for a thorough cleaning by the Nikon geeks
 
My D7000 had a similar incident and Nikons verdict was "Seawater Ingress - Uneconomical to repair", hopefully you'll have faired better than I did!
 
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