Does anyone know anything about wet cameras?

[Christina]

Well, I found my camera finally. My partner borrowed it and set it down by the pool about a week ago and it's been pouring ever since. I love him dearly, I know it was an accident, he rarely does dopey things and I know he'll buy me a new one so I'm not going to kill him.

It's a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9, the lens cap was off and the lens was fully extended. I've taken out the battery, which was dry, and the memory card which wasn't, and I've hung it in a warm place to dry out. Am I completely fantasizing that this camera is ever going to work again?

[Pendaric]

Well, if we hear you've perished in a freak electrical accident we'll know that it hasn't gone well.

[Ray Moscow]

Sounds grim to me, but I suppose you'll have to let it dry out and then try it.

[Christina]

I'll probably let it dry for at least a week to make sure that it's as dry as it can get before putting the battery back in and trying it. I don't know - the lens is fogged on the inside and it doesn't look good to me. The only bright spot is that the battery was dry and so were the pins at the bottom of the memory card. I have it in a warm dry place but not with hot air blowing directly on it. I doubt that too much heat is any better for it than too much water.

[Goldie]

My husband dropped ours into the river above the falls near McCloud, CA.

We managed to retrieve it and I used a blow-dryer on it for quite a while. It was working before day's end.
I'm still using it.
Use a blow dryer on it for a while... then let it sit for some time.
It can't hurt to try. :)

[Christina]

Hmm. I don't have a blow dryer but he might have something that blows hot air.

C'mon - that was too easy a shot for whatever hot air joke you're thinking of making.

[nygreenguy]

I think there is totally a shot of it working again. I have seen tons of electronics that get totally submerged and still work fine after they dry out.

[David B]

My experience of wet electronics (one dead tv after a slightly open window and a storm got it wet) tells me that it is crucial to be really sure that it is dry throughout before switching it on.

When you are sure that it is dry, give it a bit longer is my advice.

David

[Christina]

I will. Joe said 2 or 3 days and he's always right about these things, but I'm waiting a week just in case.

[BioBeing]

I dropped my cell phone in a bucket of water recently. It stopped working, but I dried it out overnight, and now its fine. My previous phone got dunked in the lake (in my shorts pocket) and never recovered. So, based on that anecdotal evidence, I'd say you have a 50:50 chance of it working again.

[Christina]

It works!

:joy:

There's a bit of a water mark on the view screen but other than that it seems to be fine. All of my pictures are still on the card. I'll unload them later to see if there is any difference between the pre-soaking and post-soaking ones.

[David B]

Excellent!

[Christina]

I'm really happy about it. I've reached for it several times in the last few days and it made me realize how much I use it. He would have replaced it but I'm glad that he didn't have to because we're trying to spend less money these days on luxuries.

[Loren Pechtel]

1) Make sure it's absolutely dry before you apply power again.

2) If the water wasn't nice pure water you want to rinse it out with pure water before drying. This is especially vital if it was salt water.