Water Damaged Camera - Any Chance at Reasonable Repair Cost?
November 8, 2010 8:26 AM Subscribe
I broke my underwater camera by not sealing one of the openings properly. Is it worth sending in for repair?
I have a Pentax Optio W90 which worked very well until I failed to properly close the hatch where you connect the data cable and walked into a lake with it. Unfortunately, I only noticed my error after trying to turn it on and take a picture.
I removed the battery and memory card and buried the camera in rice for a few days to suck out the moisture. This got rid of all the moisture fogging the lens and lcd. After a few more days I tried putting in the battery and turning it on. The camera made a few beeps and some things lit up but it didn't really turn on properly. I let it sit in the rice for more time, but on subsequent tries I never got so much as a beep.
There is not a Pentax authorized repair center near me. I can ship it back and they'll give me an estimate. If it is too high they'll ship it back to me for $12.
I'd rather avoid the shipping there+back charges if the repair is not possible or too expensive (or close to the price of a new camera($212 on Amazon)). Does anyone know if this sort of water damage generally trashes the camera or do professionals fix it relatively cheaply?
Alternately I'll try any other suggested home remedies as the budget for replacing things that break due to my own stupidity is rather low yet I am hating not having a camera.
I have a Pentax Optio W90 which worked very well until I failed to properly close the hatch where you connect the data cable and walked into a lake with it. Unfortunately, I only noticed my error after trying to turn it on and take a picture.
I removed the battery and memory card and buried the camera in rice for a few days to suck out the moisture. This got rid of all the moisture fogging the lens and lcd. After a few more days I tried putting in the battery and turning it on. The camera made a few beeps and some things lit up but it didn't really turn on properly. I let it sit in the rice for more time, but on subsequent tries I never got so much as a beep.
There is not a Pentax authorized repair center near me. I can ship it back and they'll give me an estimate. If it is too high they'll ship it back to me for $12.
I'd rather avoid the shipping there+back charges if the repair is not possible or too expensive (or close to the price of a new camera($212 on Amazon)). Does anyone know if this sort of water damage generally trashes the camera or do professionals fix it relatively cheaply?
Alternately I'll try any other suggested home remedies as the budget for replacing things that break due to my own stupidity is rather low yet I am hating not having a camera.
Years ago I had two electronic SLR cameras soaked in a very intense downpour for 45 about minutes. They were soaked to the point where I was pouring water out of the lens mounts when I got back to my office.
I let them dry out for about week, and both worked fine at that point. Almost one year later, both cameras locked up within a day or so of each other. That's how long it took the internal corrosion to take its toll. Repair costs were over $300 each, and this was at least 25 years ago.
I'd suggest you go ahead and send the camera in for an estimate. If you like the camera, twelve bucks isn't much money, especially if Pentax will provide some kind of warranty if they do fix it. Also, my guess (pure speculation) is that their repair may be replacement with a refurbished unit.
posted by imjustsaying at 9:23 AM on November 8, 2010
I let them dry out for about week, and both worked fine at that point. Almost one year later, both cameras locked up within a day or so of each other. That's how long it took the internal corrosion to take its toll. Repair costs were over $300 each, and this was at least 25 years ago.
I'd suggest you go ahead and send the camera in for an estimate. If you like the camera, twelve bucks isn't much money, especially if Pentax will provide some kind of warranty if they do fix it. Also, my guess (pure speculation) is that their repair may be replacement with a refurbished unit.
posted by imjustsaying at 9:23 AM on November 8, 2010
I've had electronics get wet and take several weeks of drying before they would turn back on.
posted by gregr at 9:30 AM on November 8, 2010
posted by gregr at 9:30 AM on November 8, 2010
25 years ago there were camera repairmen in almost every camera store. Today it is all done via component swap. So if you can deal with possible corrosion down the road ( in areas not swapped) I say go for it.
posted by Gungho at 9:38 AM on November 8, 2010
posted by Gungho at 9:38 AM on November 8, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Felex at 9:18 AM on November 8, 2010