View Full Version : Keep snow out of cameras
Richard L
7th January 2011, 09:18 AM
Just thought I'd relate this little incident. Out with an RB67 fitted with a waist level finder taking pics after heavy snow, in woodland, crouching under a snow heavy branch. Got the shot set up with the camera on a tripod about 4ft off the ground, then after peering in the finder I stood up rather too quickly, banged my head on the above branch, and what seemed like tons of snow came down, quickly, on me and the camera.
Upshot was, the waist level finder filled with snow and I couldnt get it out quick enough. In the end the camera is OK, but I had to dry out the focus screen, and that meant seperating the fresnel and the glass, and I found out the lines printed on the screen can slide around when wet. Total fiddly pain.
So thats my top tip for 2011. Keep snow out of cameras.
Richard.
Paulographic
7th January 2011, 09:34 AM
Snow is just a variety of frozen water and I was always told to keep water away from cameras.:)
Neil Smith
7th January 2011, 12:41 PM
There is always something to catch you out, haven't had that one yet but amongst others, when I was a student I stopped on the pavement as I spotted a good shot, took my camera out of the aluminium case spent 10 mins shooting, decided to leave and keep the camera out of the case, picked up the case which I had shut the lid on and deposited the whole contents of the case on the pavement, lenses rolling into the gutter, as I hadn't done the catches up. I have snagged my clothing on my tripod walked away from the camera tipping the tripod on a rocky tor, luckily in the latter case I caught it just before the Chamonix went a cropper. Wind blowing the tripod over is another to watch out for.
It is good practice to be careful and meticulous about checking for potential banana skins when out with the camera.
Neil
DaveP
7th January 2011, 03:45 PM
I did a similar thing Neil, had bought a new lowepro rucksac, first time I took it out i'd unzipped it stood on a large boulder to get something out, then forgot it was unzipped and quickly flipped it over when I decided I needed something out of the front pocket. This fired the camera out (luckily it was only a digital slr....) and it spun around in the air and hit a rock about 8ft below me. I got away lightly though as I'd left a cokin p adapter ring on the lens which took the impact, so the lens and camera were untouched.
Very careful about that kind of thing now.
Paulographic
7th January 2011, 03:56 PM
Many moons ago I put my Weston V meter in my shirt breast pocket whilst snapping outdoors without putting the lanyard around my neck.
A trip on a raised paving stone and I saw it sailing into space to land on another flag, in several pieces.
Later went to buy another, nothing to be had S/H so bit the bullet and bought a new Euromaster. VAT had recently gone up to 25% for "luxury" goods, 1975/6, and I was on a student grant, but had just cashed that terms cheque.
Lanyard goes round neck always when outdoors. I dislike camera straps but see the value of them.
Nabhar
7th January 2011, 05:31 PM
''In the end the camera is OK''
The RB67......almost bullet-proof !
The best camera I have ever owned. :cool:
JP
Richard Gould
7th January 2011, 06:04 PM
Back towards the end of the last centuary,( not so long ago) I had just got a bronica Etrsi,brand spanking new, and set it up on a tripod to take a picture of St Ouens pond, up on the old German bunker, I had also got hold of a 50MM lens, so changed the lens,bent over to put the 75mm in the case, and somehow knocked the camera and tripod over the top,scrambled down heart in my mouth to retrieve the camera, only to find a dent to the filter ring on the lens,slight and easily sorted, but my pride and joy working perfectly and unharmed,Whew,Richard
Alan Sleator
5th February 2012, 07:11 PM
Standing in the middle of a mountain stream, using a 5 x 4 camera, peering through the dark cloth and wracking the lens back and forth when suddenly, I head an ominous " plop" and the screen went blank. The clip on the lens board hadn't fastened properly, depositing £1,000 worth of Rodenstock lens into the depths. Luckily it wasn't too deep - just a couple of feet, so I rolled up my sleeve and hauled it out. Stripping the lens down to it components plus mechanical shutter, I carefully let it dry out slowly in a warm cupboard. It has worked perfectly ever since - over three years ago. No slow shutter, no fungus etc. Still looks like new. My saving grace was that mountain stream. It was close to the summit and contained only the purest rain water. Further down, the stream would have contained endless lens-killing gunk. Also, the simple design of the large format lens - two pieces of compound glass, with a shutter in the middle , enabled me to strip ti down quickly. A modern electronic lens would have died straight away.
Martin Aislabie
16th February 2012, 07:34 PM
Standing in the middle of a mountain stream, using a 5 x 4 camera, peering through the dark cloth and wracking the lens back and forth when suddenly, I head an ominous " plop" and the screen went blank. The clip on the lens board hadn't fastened properly, depositing £1,000 worth of Rodenstock lens into the depths.
Just before I bought my LF kit, I was at the Focus exhibition in B'ham.
I noticed a couple of guys playing confidently with a Linhof.
When one of them plopped the Lens back into the front standard, I noticed he gave the lens a gentle shake before letting go of it.
I realise he was checking he had then lens securely in place before he let go.
I have done the same each time I change a lens.
Its a worthwhile habit to get into.
Martin :)
mpirie
18th February 2012, 06:05 PM
I did a very similar thing to Alan.
All of my lenses have cable releases permanently attached so that I can setup quickly and not have to worry about finding one when I need it.
I was working with the Ebony at the foot of a dam in Norway and decided i wanted to try a different lens. So I slid the lens panel retaining clip over to pull the lens away while turning to reach for the bag. The cable release had caught in the focus mechanism of the camera jerking the lens out of my hand and straight the the granite rocks below the tripod before bouncing into the running water. Needless to say I watched in horror as my prime lens submerged into the finest Norwegian peat stained water, followed seconds later by me in a desperate effort to recover my prized possession!
I sat on the rocks in disbelief as i dismantled it emptying our as much water as I could, and like Alan let the lens dry out in as many pieces as I could before putting it back together.
I still use that lens but am VERY careful how I attach and remove lenses nowadays.
Mike
Phil
20th February 2012, 08:13 AM
Fortunately, I haven't (yet!) dropped a lens into water though I have been knee deep in a few mountain burns and have had to dry out tripod legs.
However I thought I would pass on an interesting snippet from a friend of mine who dropped his iPhone down a toilet (I know . . .)
He wrapped it in a microfibre cloth, then immersed the phone (in the cloth) in an open lunch box filled with uncooked rice and placed it on top of a radiator which was on a very low heat. Left it for a day or so, and the said phone works fine apparently. The logic I think is that the rice will draw out the moisture! It could well be a way of dealing with soggy lenses :D
Phil
Martin Aislabie
20th February 2012, 10:07 PM
If you ever are unfortunate enough to drop anything into sea water rinse it thoroughly in plenty of fresh cold running water ASAP - just to get the salt out of it.
Uncooked rice is an excellent desiccant
Martin
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