Hi!

I am on a feature, and on the last day of shooting here in the British Virgin Islands, the camera got wet from some really rough waves that came over the railing of the ship. The camera was covered, but unforunately it was not in a water tight enclosure. After several splashes of salt water... the canon xl-2 won't cut on.

I am facing the fact, that this camera, which my personal camera, is cooked and done. Has anyone been in a similiar situation and have any suggestions for bring it back alive?

What should be my first steps toward getting it repaired with Canon? Is it possible that I may have to get a whole new unit? The body won't power up so I have no idea if the 16x manual lens is shot as well.

Thanks in advance

Bad news about your camera.

I dunked a video camera for less than a second in africa, It was ruined and cost more to repair than to buy a new one, the repair guys in Johanasburg said they don't try to do repairs on water damaged cameras.

an xl2 cost quite a bit, so reapir may be cheaper than repalacement, definitely will have to go back to canon!!

Salt water is a killer for electronics. There's no way of knowing the cost without sending it to canon. IF it 'died' almost immediately, my guess would be that you had a short, blowing the main fuse. The cost of changing the main fuse is not high... but I'm guessing that salt water has been sitting on the circuit boards ever since it got wet... days? A week? So the main circuit board is probably going to need replacing as well.

This is where insurance pays off. Got any?

Otherwise, anyone here is only going to guess at what it will cost. Send it ALL in. Everything that got dunked. Body, viewfinder and lens.

Then bend over and grab your wallet.

The best thing for any camera or electronic device that has been submerged in saltwater is to immediately submerge it in a container of freshwater for several hours and then completely dry it out over several days – with a hairdryer at first, then by hours of warm sunshine. The camera should never be turned on or any switches moved until the camera has been completely dried out.

If you end up attempting to sell it in broken condition, I'd be interested. I'm looking for a broken XL2 body/lens to use as a prop. However, it's going to be used in a lot of close-up shots so it has to have started life as a real camera, not a true prop.

Thanks for the quick response!

Unforuantely I had it sitting for the last two days. It didnt not go out on the first splash, it took about 10 to 15 minutes after quite a few splashes before it was stowed away and then it fizzled out. I am kind of scared to wash it out with fresh water - I'm also scared of salt scratching the lens.

I don't have that kind of insurance, but it looks like the production will pay for the cost of the camera - of course, we don't know what that cost is yet, and I may wind up with the short end of the stick of my 16x or fu-1000 is damaged but it doesn't show up until a month later.

I have a FU-1000 vewifinder and 16x manual lens to go along with the XL-2 that I purchased all through ZGC in New Jersey. Hopefully I can get it resolved. I have to shoot again with a XL-2 again in the BVI in about a month. We already discussed them buying or renting the proper equipment to protect from water damage.

On this same feature, we rented a underwater housing and I've shot underwater - believe me - I wish I had that housing this past weekend.

Dude, I am so, so, sorry. I work on a sportfishing boat daily, and keep my XL2 in a KATA raincover come rain or shine... just the salty air, I feel is bad... and actually, my old panasonic has a lot of rust on it because it didn't have a rain jacket, and never got wet... PVG-S250... Still works!! Rust and all!

Anyway, man, I think the best thing for you to do is let it sit for a week or two, I've had cellphones and computers that after a week or two just decide to come alive again... but the problem with saltwater isn't the immediate effects... even if you get it working again, I don't think it will work properly or for very long because salt and air create a vicious corrosive mix that destroy things over time. So... I don't know... that's a tough one.

This is hitting close to home, as I think about the "what if's" daily...and I'm sorry. I would still be curled up in a ball on the floor crying.


PS - TO TONY - - - Can you really dunk electronics in freshwater post saltwater or is that just a really cruel bit of sarcasm?? I can't tell... but I guess it wouldn't matter right?? Have you tried that?

PS - TO TONY - - - Can you really dunk electronics in freshwater post saltwater or is that just a really cruel bit of sarcasm?? I can't tell... but I guess it wouldn't matter right?? Have you tried that?

Extreme times call for extreme measures...or something like that. No, its no joke - while it sounds pretty crazy it is theoretically something you would probably need to do if (a) its already soaking wet and (b) you were able to respond to the crisis right away.

The important thing in this case (since its already been soaked) is to eliminate the salt. As a corrosive it will do more damage to the unit than the water alone. (assuming the circuitry is not already completely fried).

Also, it is absolutely imperitive that there be absolutely NO source of electrical current going through the camera at this time - and that includes the little round battery that retains the date and settings info. In this case, the damage may have already been done in terms of blowing out the circuitry, but if the salt is appropriately washed out and the remaning water is allowed to be entirely evaporated (over days or weeks) to the point of no more condensation, the circuitry may actually still be intact (short of a simple blown fuse - which is less costly than the replacement of circuit boards.)

While this is not to be construed as a 'go-ahead' to use this method, it is certainly preferable to trashing the unit. I haven't experienced it myself with a digital camera, but I have resurrected flood damaged computer CPUs and high end audio decks with this method.

-Jon

To do that as safely as possible, use distilled water, which contains no minerals.. Otherwise when the water evaporates, there may be mineral deposits leftover, which can cause shorts or other various problems you're trying to avoid. :)

I'll take that one step further. Try to get distilled water as was mentioned. To salvage beyond that, buy isopropyl alcohol and immerse the camera in that. Isopropyl alcohol is rubbing alcohol without the small amount of lanolin added.

Isopropyl Alcohol is not electrically conductive, removes rust deposits, and displaces water. As a solvent, it will completely evaporate after a period of time. It is used extensively for cleaning and degreasing silicon wafers in the semiconductor industry. Obviously, you need to make sure there are no sources of open flame nearby.

As was mentioned, remove the watch battery. Is the tape stuck inside?

My concern though, after sitting for two days, that this camera is not going to be salvageable.

-gb-

Really guys, I think the best bet is to send it ALL to canon, fu1000, lens and all and have them check it out.

While fresh water will displace salt, and solvents will displace water, and that is the USUAL way for 'cleansing' electronics, it's not the best way for cleansing electro MECHANICS. Remember there are lubricants and rubber seals that are removed from the transport in that process.

Seriously, sooner sent, sooner done.

Good point, send it back in.. It also reminds me of what to do when you can't get rid of a dog.

Say you have a mouse in your house, so you bring in a cat to get rid of the mouse, then you bring in a dog to get rid of the cat.. Now you're stuck with a dog you don't want, and no natural predators to safely bring in..

Yes, this is somehow like displacing salt, then water, then fluids and lubricants in my mind. ;)

-Eric

This should be renamed the most irresponsible advice thread ever. I've seen some bad advice in my day but this has got to be among the worst. Hey bro once you're done soaking it in water put it in the oven on warm for a couple of hours until it's dry?????(SARCASM) Seriously. SEND IT TO CANON. A question for all you super soakers. How do you even get the salt out? Just dunking it once isn't going to work, and how do you clean the water spots off of the prisms and ccds, relubricate the tape mechanisms? FLAG.

This should be renamed the most irresponsible advice thread ever. I've seen some bad advice in my day but this has got to be among the worst. Hey bro once you're done soaking it in water put it in the oven on warm for a couple of hours until it's dry?????(SARCASM) Seriously. SEND IT TO CANON. A question for all you super soakers. How do you even get the salt out? Just dunking it once isn't going to work, and how do you clean the water spots off of the prisms and ccds, relubricate the tape mechanisms? FLAG.

I think some of that was already covered pre-rant. As noted, the mechanims, etc are a different matter, but in many cases can be less costly to repair than dead electrical circutiry. Let me RE-qualify my methodology as a preference to just ditching the unit, and only in the course of no other immediately suitable methods.

Dunking it once? Who said that? Ease up.

Having Canon giving it a thorough going-over would certainly be advisable, however it is reasonable to expect that killing the unit in a submerged environment won't be covered under warranty, the repair (if possible) could be comparable to a new unit depending upon the degree of damage. Who knows, maybe the first thing they'll do will be to dunk it in a tank of water...twice.

But seriously, I would get Canon's word on the matter first. If it is a goner, see what the other methods will yield.
-Jon

If it floats it's a witch burn it at the stake. If it drowns, it died a Christian. I am genuinely curious has anyone ever heard of anyone ever bringing a camera back to life by dunking it? Are we to assume that cameras can be baptized and reborn? Even more unlikely but even more fascinating is the question "Has anyone ever submerged a fully functional camera for fear of salt contamination?" I should've baptized my last car when the check engine light came on. Sonoma in the house. Word.

Hahaha.. but it's not a witch!

Seriously, I have a computer motherboard that had a battery leak onto it. It didn't run right cause of the acid that had leaked out, so I poured distilled water over it in the bathroom sink and voila', problem solved. :)

Granted that's more 2 dimensional, and i wasn't really picturing dunking the entire camera as a whole. Odds are that there's one thing not working right, and that's causing everything else to not work on this camera.. Perhaps just opening it up will reveal that. It should run without the lens or viewfinder attached, right? So that removes a lot of calibrated type of stuff..

On a related note, I got my XL2 used 3 weeks ago. Condition was basically new, but there was a little brown dust around the eye cup. Upon further inspection, I believe the viewfinder was dropped in mud, and the dust is what was left after the previous owner tried to clean it. I took the viewfinder's lens assembly apart as much as possible and cleaned it with q-tips, compressed air, and microcloth and cleaning solution.. There was grass and grit stuck in the focusing mechanism and stuff.. Sure it's not seasalt, and sure there wasn't much in there, but obviously it hadn't been taken apart to clean it it.. If Canon won't take it, open it up, it might be an obvious problem :)

After having one unprotected camera submerged in saltwater many years ago, that worked for a short time following thorough air-drying but then became unusable due to fast salt corrosion, I have followed the procedure that I mentioned on a number of occasions with cameras and radio mic units – and this has worked on all but one unit.

I am not saying - if you still have the XL2 under warranty, and that if it has just been externally splashed in salt-spray - that it shouldn’t be sent back to Canon for possible free repair.

My XL2 bodies are not under warranty or saltwater insurance policy (although I do often use them in underwater housings). If I stumble and accidentally drop an un-protected XL2 body in the sea (so that it was completely submerged and flooded), then I would remove the batteries and immediately submerge it in freshwater. I would later dismantle some of the main accessible parts and then dry them as much as possible prior to replacing the battery and turning it back on.

If my XL2 didn’t work after that, then I’d simply buy another and keep the old one for spare parts. Sending a saltwater flooded XL2 back to Canon for repair would probably cost me far more in parts and labour than buying a replacement.

As for sending it back to Canon, most warranties would not cover a DV camera that has been completely submerged in the sea or hit by a number of saltwater waves that flood the compartments; but if it was covered under warranty then of course send it back (it wouldn't make much difference if you'd sent it back after being cleaned in freshwater anyway...).

I agree, though I think I'd pull the lens off first. Lenses are super expensive and possibly better sealed than the body is? Or at least bathe them separately, so they can each drain more quickly.

Yes, Eric, the lens can be difficult to rinse out and dry properly as the elements have seals. If you are lucky, the saltwater may have not got into the deep inner sections of the lens. Removing the bayonet fitting is not too difficult to do, and this helps you to clean any saltwater that may have entered that section first; but I would advise you not to try and dismantle the lens unless it is a last resort.

If the XL2 body itself is totally kaput, it might be worth sending the lens alone to Canon as this might be repairable if the saltwater hasn’t seeped too deep. If water has gotten deep inside between each working element, or damaged the electronics, then I’d advice looking for a 20X or 16X from Ebay rather than fork out the hefty repair bill.

I think it all boils down to how much a professional repair job weighs up against you trying to do a salvage job yourself. For minor surface salt-spray it might be worth sending to Canon, but for a serious saltwater flooding of the equipment, then it is always worth trying the self-salvage option...because in reality you've then got nothing to lose and a lot to gain.

I think if I go anywhere near a boat, I'm going to make sure I have an underwater box for it, just in case someone sneaks up behind me and goes 'Boo!' and I let go of the camera or something.

It's never fun losing gear, but it's always good to keep spare parts on hand, so I guess there is one positive side to it.

I am leaving the British Virgin Islands today finally (the incident happened 2 days ago). I wiped the surface of the camera down and the lens with a slighty moist towel. The unit still does not come on as of yet.

As soon as I hit stateside I am going to send it to Canon for servicing.

I understand that a new Canon xl-2 body only is about $2000 - $3000 now a days - so hopefully the viewfinder and lens still work and the lens isnt not scratched from microscopic salt deposits because that would be an additional $2k.

By the way my IKAN v7000 monitor survived the splashing so far. I might take it apart and clean the motherboards when I get back by hand.

I thank everyone for taking their time to respond with advice and any additional guidance is of course deeply appretiated.

Hey John,

If it's any consolation, I got my XL2 on eBay 3 weeks ago for $2800 with 4 filters, a hardshell case with a luggage pullout handle, sony headphones, LED hotshoe light, remove LANC zoom controller and some other things. All in very nice condition.. There are no lens scratches or anything wrong with it and so far the images have been great..

Just a thought, have a good trip back. :)
-Eric

What are you waiting for? Send it to Canon RIGHT NOW! Call them and get a repair number and let them know it's coming. Send everything, body, lens, finder. If you back here in NYC, drive the 2 hours to Jamesburg and drop it off, or ship it, or whatever, just get it to a repair facility as quickly as possible.

I think the fresh water dunking is more for mechanical cameras, like a Nikon F. These days, where cameras are more electronic, I don't think that a camera,especially a video camera, should be dunked. Ask Canon.

And yes, sorry to hear of you loss. That really sucks.