Does my D700 have any hope from water damage?

WesleyWesley Posts: 67Member
edited May 2014 in D6x0/D7x0/D8x0
My D700 got dipped by an ocean wave. It was hanging upside down by a Blackrapid strap. I turned it off & on shortly after and saw the top LCD glitch out (oops). Looks like water got up to where the camera & grip meets. I was using one battery in the grip. Don't see any corrosion inside the grip and camera body battery compartment. The viewfinder is brown tinted.

Did I fry my circuits? Is there any hope or if Nikon can repair if needed?
D700: 24-70 2.8, 85 1.8G
D3100: 18-55
A7II: 16-35 F4, 55 1.8, 70-200 F4

Comments

  • PB_PMPB_PM Posts: 4,494Member
    Salt water and electronics = deader than the door nail. Any circuit boards that have water damage will have to be replaced. Could be a very costly repair, but at least get some estimates.
    If I take a good photo it's not my camera's fault.
  • sevencrossingsevencrossing Posts: 2,800Member
    As PB_PM says, Salt water and electronics don't mix. Don't even think about a repair . Time for a D800
  • TriShooterTriShooter Posts: 219Member
    edited May 2014
    Good repair shop with a flat fee of $250, or less, like KEH will either fix the camera for that price, and advise you the exact cost of repair if there will be additional cost before proceeding farther.

    I have of Fuji cameras surviving an ocean dunk. I have personal knowledge of older communication gear like the old Collins KWM-2 series being under salt water, recovered, hosed down with "distilled" water, and working flawlessly; but, that was back in the days before we started using this far cheaper transistorized equipment.
    Post edited by TriShooter on
  • ptrmckyptrmcky Posts: 44Member
    I would leave it to dry for a few days then see if it turns on. I know you can fix phones with water damage by dunking them into isopropanol and leaving them to dry. It will wash out any moisture and possibly take some of the salt with it.

    I bought a D3100 when it came out and a few weeks later it ended up in a very mineral rich river. Left it to dry and it worked fine, but some of the salts had crystalised on the sensor. I managed to take it apart and clean the sensor. Don't really use it anymore, but it does still work.
  • NSXTypeRNSXTypeR Posts: 2,286Member
    First thing to do after getting gear soaked is not to turn it on. Even if it did survive the soaking by turning it on you short it out anyway. Next time that happens, leave it off and take out the battery.

    You may not want to dip it in alcohol because it may dissolve certain plastics.

    Your best bet is to dump rice on it and dry it a few days with some desiccant.

    If that doesn't work try sending it in for repair.

    Best of luck, I love the D700.
    Nikon D7000/ Nikon D40/ Nikon FM2/ 18-135 AF-S/ 35mm 1.8 AF-S/ 105mm Macro AF-S/ 50mm 1.2 AI-S
  • sevencrossingsevencrossing Posts: 2,800Member
    edited May 2014
    Remember salt is deliquescent. Even if the camera is dried out and starts to work again, Unless every trace of salt is completely removed ( virtually impossible) . There is a very high chance of a future failure and unreliability.
    Post edited by sevencrossing on
  • spraynprayspraynpray Posts: 6,545Moderator
    sevencrossing summed it up in one. I expect you would do less harm by taking the lens off, opening the covers and flushing it under a freshwater tap before helping it to dry with rice in my opinion.
    Always learning.
  • Parke1953Parke1953 Posts: 456Member
    edited May 2014
    @Wesley,The brown tint in the viewfinder suggests smoke. If you want to keep it send it in for repair to Nikon or do as TriShooter suggested. sevencrossing is correct any salt inside the camera will suck in moisture from the air and start to corrode parts inside.
    Post edited by Parke1953 on
  • WesleyWesley Posts: 67Member
    Cleaning it with freshwater sounds so strange but I can try it.

    Should I use Nikon or an independent shop for repair? I'm in Florida.

    Also would a flagship DSLR survive this scenario?
    D700: 24-70 2.8, 85 1.8G
    D3100: 18-55
    A7II: 16-35 F4, 55 1.8, 70-200 F4
  • Parke1953Parke1953 Posts: 456Member
    You could clean it out with clean water and then put it in a vacuum box to remove all the water if you can find someone with one or build your own. The brown tint though i think does suggest something went poof, so cleaning may not help. Take it somewhere or send it in if you want to keep it. You maybe able to part it out. Have no idea what kind of money that might bring. Others may know what you can get parting it out. Good luck. D700 is still a great camera.
  • IronheartIronheart Posts: 3,017Moderator
    Send it into Nikon ASAP. If there is any chance of saving the body it will be by complete disassembly and thourough cleaning before any major corrosion sets in. Time is the enemy. Nikon will give an estimate and let you decide.
  • Golf007sdGolf007sd Posts: 2,840Moderator
    @Wesley: Flagship DSLR's have weather sealing...but they are not water proof.

    I do not recommend doing this to your D-SLR regardless of the results.

    D4 & D7000 | Nikon Holy Trinity Set + 105 2.8 Mico + 200 F2 VR II | 300 2.8G VR II, 10.5 Fish-eye, 24 & 50 1.4G, 35 & 85 1.8G, 18-200 3.5-5.6 VR I SB-400 & 700 | TC 1.4E III, 1.7 & 2.0E III, 1.7 | Sigma 35 & 50 1.4 DG HSM | RRS Ballhead & Tripods Gear | Gitzo Monopod | Lowepro Gear | HDR via Promote Control System |
  • SymphoticSymphotic Posts: 711Member
    edited May 2014
    I have direct experience with camera equipment in salt water. They don't play nicely together.
    Yes, you can send it to repair, but saltwater is conductive and electricity has already crossed circuits where it was not intended. Also, the battery in a D700 has a lot of charge and that has gone through the camera circuitry unimpeded.
    Because my job is electronics around salt water, and this sort of thing does happen, some of the more successful approaches we have tried include soaking the systems in deionized water, changing the water a few times, then drying out and desiccating with silica gel, but that only ever works if you have not put current through the wetted system. Once current has gone through the circuitry, it cannot be repaired. Replacing boards on a D700 will likely be considered beyond economic repair by Nikon. So the chance of repair is rather low. I'm inclined to think Nikon will say it's a goner, but maybe an independent repair shop can do something.
    A better option is to buy a D800 (cheap now). One of my customers, who was the world's number 1 D700 fan-boy, loves the D800 we supplied him, so I don't expect you will regret it.

    As an aside, I see you have a 24 1.4 G. This is a lens that loves to be mounted on a D800.
    Post edited by Symphotic on
    Jack Roberts
    "Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what nobody else has thought"--Albert Szent-Gyorgy
  • PistnbrokePistnbroke Posts: 2,443Member
    Insure it ..wait 6months and claim....EPLS
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