woodmanbg

Ok so at the end of a very long and arduous walk on Sunday we had to cross the Elbow River on foot, unfortunately for me I got caught in a strong current and whisked off my feet. I ended up waist deep in water and with my cell phone and camera in my pocket. So 6 p.m. getting dark and very windy and turning cold I was not a happy bunny.

I have managed to dry out my cell phone and it is working, my camera seems to be another thing. I have taken out the memory card and battery which I have recharged. When I put them back into the camera it turns on but the screen doesnt light up and it won't take a picture. I have connected the camera to the computer and have successfully downloaded the photos I took that day.

My camera is a Canon PowerShot SD980 IS 12 mega pixels - any advice anyone as to what I can do? Do I just need to let it dry out some more or is it completely gone and I have to bite the bullet and buy another one!

Any advice would be appreciated, apart from the obvious about not falling in the river again LOL

Aviator

The worse thing to do has already been done - turning it on before it was completely dried out. At room temp this could take a week or more. Leave all the port doors open and let it dry for a week in a warm room. Try again, if it won't work buy a new one.

iaink

Ive taken my (older) powershot 620 totally apart before, its just a few screws really, then it will dry out a lot faster. (in my case I was replacing one of the internal boards that died on me)

Whether its worth the hassle is up to you, Im just saying it can be done and its not entirely rocket surgery. Just watch out for the springs around the shutter/ zoom button, they can be a bit tricky if the assembly comes apart.

woodmanbg

Thanks. That is what I thought!

magnumpi

Battery off

Fill a bowl with dry white rice

Put cam in bowl and leave for a week

Add battery and season to taste,

Ha no not really season, but the rice will draw out the moisture. Aviator is right though you may have killed it already.

arniedog

try putting it in a bag of rice for a few days. The rice will absorb all the water, well its worked twice for my wifes mobile so i Cant see why it wouldnt work for a camara

woodmanbg

I think I will try the rice thingy, my daughter just suggested that. As for taking it apart I will leave that to my OH! Thank you all for your suggestions.

Alan2005

Yes. The rice thing works, no need to take it apart but do take the battery out.

iaink

Should one rinse the rice first? Ive a vague recolection of rice and silicon carbide being related, and that stuff is very abrasive, might not be good for lenses etc?


On edit, the silicon carbide is byproduct of processing the husks, but in general dust and optics are a bad match...

Alan2005

Leave the lens cap on surely

Dave n Ailsa

umm, house insurance?

iaink

Not really a lens cap though, if its like mine its two shutter halves that close together, but dont really seal. Canon has had issues for years with the compact camera zoom lenses jamming, I had to replace one of my elphs for that error under warranty.

woodmanbg

Well I do not have a lens cap to take off, it is only a pocket camera and the lens only pops out when you turn it on and it needs the battery on for that. So I should leave the small battery compartment open and just prop it up so that the rice doesn't fall into the opening and cross fingers and hope for the best?

thanks again for all the advice. It wasn't a cheap camera and it was a Christmas present 2009. I see Costco are selling a Canon with 14 megapixels for under $200 wonder if they are any good. My 12 megapixel has certainly been very good, until now

woodmanbg

The lens hasn't jammed, when I turned it on the lens came out o.k. but the screen is blank.

Siouxie

You could also go to your nearest hearing aid dispensers and ask for "Super Dri-Aid" or similar, put the contents in a plastic bag and put your camera in for 72 hours. As they absorb the moisture the blue pellets will turn white. The pellets can be re-used by drying them out in a microwave and storing them in an airtight jar. An alternative would be to use dry silica gel packs.

By turning it on whilst wet though you may have fried the circuits.