my hasselblad went swimming

[Nijo]

My 500CM, 150mm CF, and A24 back spent almost a minute submerged in fresh water. anything worth saving here or should I just trash it? I have a 501cm that I had plans to sell but I guess the plans have changed. Everything still works but I would think life expectancy just went down significantly. Stupid mistake on my part, just got too wrapped up in the scenery and didn't double check the stability of the tripod on the river bank. Setup is pretty top heavy sitting on a light weight carbon fiber Gitzo. Not that I will carry a heavier tripod, I'll just try to be more careful. I was thinking the back would at least be salvageable? The body looks great. The lens though I am positive will never be trustworthy. Hell, I guess I know the answer.

[Sirius Glass]

Air it out and then put in a plastic bag or container with the dehydrating packets. Or run the air conditioner so that the water evaporated faster. I am sure others will jump in with more suggestion. All is not lost. At worst you will have to have a CLA, but if you can dry it out quickly you can avoid that as a necessity.

By the way there are under water cases for scuba diving with a Hasselblad. I thought you would like to know for the future.

Steve

[Darkroom317]

It should be fine. I had the exact same thing happen with my Mamiya RB67. I had a CLA done and it operates just fine.

[wclark5179]

Oops!

Take the lens off the body, the film back and the viewing finder. Let it dry out.

Otherwise send it to:

http://www.david-odess.com/

[Toffle]

Wow, this seems to be an almost daily occurance here. For the advice I received yesterday, check here. Fortunately, my story had a happy ending, and judging from the comments in that thread, all may not be lost in your case either.

By the way, welcome to APUG. Sorry your first post is born out of the desperation of possibly ruined gear. Use the search function and you will find a wealth of information from photographers who are knowledgeable in many fields. Let us know something about yourself and the nature of your work.

Cheers,

[dehk]

You should trash it. I got a trash can right here for you, mail it to me and I will help you put it in there!

Well i hope everything dry up and works for you.

[Sirius Glass]

Nijo,

A belated welcome to APUG.

Steve

[guitstik]

Welcome to APUG, sorry about the circumstances but I hope that won't preclude you from posting here with better news.

The best thing to do would be to disassemble the camera to it's component pieces and try to get as much water off of it with a lint free towel. Make sure to take the batteries out. Some may say to put it in the microwave on low for a few seconds at a time but I would not recommend that course of action. After you get all the water you can out of all the little cracks and crevices stuff the body with lint free paper towels and place it, the lens and the back in an air tight box with a de-humidifier and let it run for a day or two checking it every once in a while and changing out the towels.

Let us know how things work out for you and remember to post some of your work.

[Nijo]

Thanks gentlemen and Steve (hah!). Do you think it would be okay to take a hair dryer to the lens? The moisture in there is a horrible sight.

[Toffle]

Thanks gentlemen and Steve (hah!). Do you think it would be okay to take a hair dryer to the lens? The moisture in there is a horrible sight.

I don't know about a hair dryer, but your lens could definitely use a good day or two in full sun. A lot of folks use this as a prevention/cure for fungus in older lenses.

In any case, a good CLA is in order. The consensus seems to be that you and your Hassy will have a long future together.