Drowned my D300

[mike w]

OK so I fell in a creek with my D300 also a couple of other lenses with us *&%$#@. The D300 still works, sort

of. That is if you turn the lens (a dry one) all the way on you get the "Fee" error code like the aperture ring

isn't set even though it is. So to use it manually till I can send it in for repairs (out of town for a couple

more weeks) I put some tape over the AI contacts and told the camera it had a non AI 20mm F2.8 lens attached. I

can use it like that but it always says it's at f32. Is there a way to tell it what f stop I am using or is this

determined only by the leaver that's moved when the aperture is turned?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

MikeW

[lex_jenkins]

The best advice I can offer is to send it to Nikon for servicing immediately. Any delay is likely to result in corrosion or damage that will not be cost effective to repair.

 

The only reason to delay servicing and continue with makeshift use of the camera is if you can make enough money from the photos you take during the delay to buy a new camera. Because there's a very real risk your D300 will be disposable in a couple more weeks.

 

My D2H needed servicing after a few hours of use in heavy fog that occasionally turned into a barely perceptible mist, not even rain. Problems didn't appear for a couple of days. The first sign of trouble was the "Fee" error code with AF Nikkors. Manual and AF-S Nikkors continued to work properly, but it wasn't worth delaying repairs.

[mike w]

Thanks Lex But the Nikon Rep I talked to on the phone was pretty instant that I send the receipt along with it, go figure. I told him it had been wet that didn't seem to matter? I told him I wouldn't be able to get one for a couple of weeks that didn't matter either.

 

I don't make money with it,it's still just a hobby. It is insured so if it is not repairable so be it I would rather have a new one anyway.

 

Any help with the original question would be helpful.

 

Thanks,

Mike

[rayanthony1]

I feel your pain man! I recently sent in my D300 due to misaligned holes in my newly purchased Lexar CF card which

resulted in bent pins. Just got the service agreement email and drum roll please....$200.00! So I can't even imagine

what your bill would be like. Ouch! I once heard that if a camera becomes submerged you should bag-it in water and

leave it as such to avoid it from eroding. I know it workied well for a kat I know who dunked his F5 and did as advised,

big bill but leaving it in water was his best bet and turned out so. No erosion.

[lex_jenkins]

Mike, I was unable to fool my D2H using any of my AF Nikkors with aperture rings. It was no-go. Oddly, my AI and AI-S Nikkors worked fine, as did my AF-S "G" type Nikkors. There may be some way to fool the circuits but I'd only be guessing since we have different models.

[blumesan]

"I once heard that if a camera becomes submerged you should bag-it in water and leave it as such to avoid it from eroding. I know it workied well for a kat I know "

 

Wow! I really did a double take, until I read the next line. :>)

[leicaglow]

Also, don't turn it on if you can help it. Leave it off so you don't fry more than might already be damaged. In fact, I'd take the batteries out to be safe.

[lex_jenkins]

The camera can be air dried under a fan fairly effectively. I would remove the battery and media card, open every compartment, slot, input (including USB, A/V, etc.), and the lens. Place a sheet of tissue or thin cloth over the lens mount opening to minimize dust entry while allowing air flow.

[mike w]

Thanks guys.

I should have went into more detail about my treatment, so far I have removed every cover possible

and the battery and mem card,, popped up the flash, then let it set on the dash of my RV with the defrost blowing

while traveling down the road. Later I let it lay on the floor between the seats where it gets warm. All this to

dry it out. I didn't have the forethought or patience to cover the lens mount opening so I had a mess to clean

out later.

 

 

The camera is working fine other than the aperture problem. It was fresh water in a creek and not all that much

of that, IE: the film/sensor chamber wasn't flooded.

 

The lenses (Tokina 12-24,Tamron 28-70mm 2.8, Sigma 70-210mm 2.8) are a different story though. it appears every

element in each has water on them.

Right now they are in ziplocks to keep the water from drying on the elements while I figure out what to do with

them. I'm thinking I may send them to KEH but probably to their respective manufacturers would be better. But

there again the question is "Will they give trouble later?" is it worth the hassle. I'm dealing with a %&&$#@^

insurance company at the time.

 

Anyway thanks for the help,

 

Mikew

[elliot1]

If you are insured, replace everything.

[mike w]

Those are my thoughts exactly !

[ken_kartes]

I dropped my F3HP in water this past summer. I dried it immediately with a hair dryer to the point it was hot to touch. It did not survive. The lens, a 24mm AF, hair dryer it and it works fine. The F3 is a paperweight. I would do the insurance thing, send it into Nikon and hopefully they say, "not economical to repair" The reason why my F3 took a bath was because it was too risky to use my D300 at that location, I gladly sacrificed the F3 for the D300.

[tom_barrance]

A good reason to keep a film camera. My little GR1s - 35mm but all electronic - fell in a river with me in Honduras. I

wrapped it in a towel in the sun to get it to dry out. Three days later it was working fine.

[wpahnelas]

i fell in a creek last year with my D80. i was sitting creekside on a dead tree that suddenly snapped. luckily for the camera, i slid head first, on my back, into the water. somehow i mananged to push myself back up the bank before my camera drowned.

 

needless to say, i'm now a little more wary around creeks.

 

sorry about your gear, mike. insurance won't bring back the pictures you might've taken, but at least your camera went down for a noble cause.

[joemikel1]

My experience.Last year I was shoting sea waves, and one of them splashed into my Nikon D40. After drying, for a week, the camera could only work in manual mode.

 

After that for 2 months, it worked, but sometimes I had a camera error. No problems after that, so I could avoid sending it to service.

 

I thought this was usual, but I can see now I was very lucky.

[liljuddakalilknyttphotogra]

Mike,

 

I am so sorry for this to have happened. From what I'm reading I think your best bet is to just do a claim & replace it all.

 

Good luck..

 

Lil :)

[liljuddakalilknyttphotogra]

OH I want to add, my husband a professional cameraman in the Film & TV industry tells me to tell us all this....

 

If you drop your camera or lenses in water. Keep them in water until you get them in for service. By doing that you'll have a professional dry it out as he repairs it. It will actually protect it until the service professional can work it.

 

As for my husband's knowledge on this issue. My husband started as a camera assistant probably about 35 years ago. He has since worked on numerous commercials, TV-Series, Movies of the week, & Motion Pictures. He's worked his way up & knows a lot of camera repair places. He knows how to deal with technicians for repairs of water drenched equipment to dropped equipment.

 

You can see his resume as a Camera Operator here http://members.dslextreme.com/users/rossteadijudd/

 

There's no resume for his work as an assistant cameraman any more. There's simply no way I could list all the commercials he's worked on.

 

But he knows cameras & lenses.

 

Good luck

 

Lil :-)