left M6 out in the rain.......

dadsm3 · 05-27-2007

Dumb, dumb, dumb.....pretty good downpour last night too.
There's some water in the lower shutter track, I've taken out the film already (my 1st attempt at chrome, too). There was some water on the outer bayonet ring, wiped that. Some on the inner baseplate...the rest seems dry but there's a bit of water on the shutter curtain, seems to be splashing up a bit from the lower track when I fire the shutter. VF is still foggy.....this scares me.
DR Summicron (yes, that too) seems OK, no fogginess but some water in the aperture and focus rings.
Guess I should pull out the batteries.......
So, let her dry for a few days and fire away? Or complete CLA.......
Crap.

ferider · 05-27-2007

Just take the battery out, let her dry and shoot her as soon as possible.
You can always decide to go for the CLA when something doesn't work.

Better than salt water ...

Good luck,

Roland.

rover · 05-27-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by ferider

Just take the battery out, let her dry and shoot her as soon as possible.
You can always decide to go for the CLA when something doesn't work.

Better than salt water ...

Good luck,

Roland.

The voice of reason. I would only hear it though after significantly harming myself if I had done the same.

ferider · 05-27-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by rover

The voice of reason. I would only hear it though after significantly harming myself if I had done the same.

Ja, sorry if I came across wrong - it's an awful thing to happen.

But then very likely it won't harm the camera ... sey arre built forr rrain.

Look at it this way: could have been worse, could have been the M3 !

Roland.

dadsm3 · 05-27-2007

OK, batteries out, they seemed dry. Probably replace them now.
VF seems clear now thank god.
Wouldn't have happened but I had all my spring flowers on the deck, and just had to try out the goggles on the DR and the Fuji chrome.
I feel a bit better now, but it was a black morning when I looked out my patio door when I woke up.
Thanks guys.

ChrisN · 05-27-2007

Remember the "How tough" thread? Who was it referred to Cousteau's Leicas being flushed in the toilets to get the salt water out, after a dousing?

I'd take out the batteries and put it somewhere quite warm. I have used the kitchen oven for this purpose, on its lowest temperature setting, with the door propped open, and checking carefully to make sure the item being dried out did not get too hot. Worked for my daughter's mobile phone! You want it to get quite warm, but you don't want all the oil to run out of the mechanism! I remember Sherry K told me there are twelve different greases, plus oils, in a Leica!

dadsm3 · 05-27-2007

Oh yeah, I'll let you know how a Luigi's brown case looks after a thorough drenching.

ChrisN · 05-27-2007

Nicely "weathered", I expect!

rover · 05-27-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by dadsm3

Oh yeah, I'll let you know how a Luigi's brown case looks after a thorough drenching.

Now that is a crime!!!

FrankS · 05-27-2007

Bummer, Mike!
I was mad at myself this morning for leaving a new motorcycle helmet (yesterdays garage sale purchase - $20) out overnight in the rain upside down.
Your M6 will probably dry out all right, but if it's a camera you plan on keeping, or if you want to do the right thing for a piece of quality machinery, I'd send it for a cla, at least locally - Commercial camera, or to Dave's (dcsang) repair guy. If you don't send it out, you know that in the back of your mind, you'll always be thinking about the possible corrosion happening inside, whether it is really there or not.

dadsm3 · 05-27-2007

Yeah Frank, I think I'll take it in to Camtech here in Hamilton tomorrow. If I see some rust in the future I'll never forgive myself.
Maybe I'll PM Luigi re the case, maybe I should use some baseball glove oil on it or something after it's dry.

PaulGuy · 05-27-2007

FWIW - After a similar but not identical incidient I spoke with Don (DAG) and he said the last thing you want is to let it dry out with the covers still on. You'll get rusting internally in all kinds of places. In my case I sent it to him FedEx and he dried it, CLA'd, and while I was at it had him upgrade the finder which he did at a discount since he had the covers off any way. I still can't tell the whole story behind this, I'm not over it yet.

dadsm3 · 05-27-2007

Yikes; I've got it all opened up and sitting in the window looking for some sun. There's some moisture in the VF; the RF patch is all cloudy and there's no double image in it when I look through.
It's going in tomorrow am for sure....

dnemoc · 05-27-2007

On a slightly different (read heroic?) note, let me tell you that I routinely take my Leica M4-P and Summicron 50 combination out in the rain, and I don't carry an umbrella. The lens barrel got soaked quite a few times. Both work fine; if something happens some day, I'll send it for a CLA, and in any case, nothing is permanent

I wonder how water entered the film compartment of your M6... never happened with me.

DrLeoB · 05-27-2007

My daily work is as an electronics failure analyst and I can tell you that the single worst thing you can do is to put batteries back in this cameral before it is absolutely dry and all of the flex circuits have been inspected for corrosion and dendritic growth.

I feel bad for you.....

vrgard · 05-27-2007

Hey Mike, I don't have any words of wisdom but did want to share my sympathies with you. Good luck getting things squared away.

-Randy

afineman · 05-27-2007

Try a hair dryer.

A few years ago I was photographing in a downpour when my focus viewfinder got so clouded that I could not focus (save for zone focus). When the rain stopped I got a hair dryer and in less than 20 minutes the focus window was clear and I was back in business.

-Aaron Lee Fineman
www.aaronleefineman.com

PaulGuy · 05-27-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by shutterflower

I get an image of bringing the girl in from the cold and she's warming nude by the fire.

But really, naked, the camera loses some of its mystique.

Sorry if I ruined your fantasy.

raid · 05-27-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by afineman

Try a hair dryer.

A few years ago I was photographing in a downpour when my focus viewfinder got so clouded that I could not focus (save for zone focus). When the rain stopped I got a hair dryer and in less than 20 minutes the focus window was clear and I was back in business.

-Aaron Lee Fineman
www.aaronleefineman.com

Just what I was going to suggest to do. I have used this method each time my canoe would topple over and my Retina would be sunk in fresh water. Take the battery out for sure. Open the back. Let the air dry everything moist out of the camera. Hopefully all is fine.

Raid

aad · 05-27-2007

I wouldn't worry about things too much yet-I had a Pentax SLR in the rainforest awhile back, and though some of my shots from late in the day had a definite "Pentax Glow", everything recovered just fine.

szekiat · 05-28-2007

thats why my other camera is a Canon 1D. When i know i'm going to face downpours etc, i will pick up the weather sealed DSLR.

FrankS · 05-28-2007

I'd use my Nikonos III in situations like that.

raid · 05-28-2007

Frank: My old Retina Ib is my "Nikonos" for water adventures.

Raid

icebear · 05-28-2007

I can vouch for freshly heated dry pouches (silica gel), i.e. put them in the oven for 2-3 hs at 200F. Then put them together with your M6 into a zip loc bag (or any other sealable bag) and let it sit overnight. Any moisture will be sucked into the drying material and no higher temperatures are needed for the camera itself. Worked perfectly when my MP got a splashing in a waterfall climb

.

wyk_penguin · 05-29-2007

I would probably kill myself before the camera dried.

p.s. Leica still has 2 flash sync plugs inside the M6, though 1 is not used. They weren't joking when they said they would keep the traditional design.

See PaulGuy's photos.