Camera FAILS: Or Tell Us How You Trashed Your Camera.

[enduro]

I recently purchased a new 5DMKIII and 24-105mm and took it out on it's first shoot, a 15 day expedition into the most remote National Park in Australia.

After 10 days of shooting some spectacular landscapes, flora and fauna I was shooting a waterfall in the late afternoon. The light was just sensational with streaky clouds reflecting hues of every shade of red and a rainbow emitting from the 30m cascading falls.

Having spent some time setting up the camera on my new Slik tripod while perched on an extremely polished rock at the rim of a 30m overhang. I leveled the camera (visually and with the internal leveling tool), wiggled it about to test stability on the tripod and feeling it was OK, turned 90' briefly to pick up my filter when I heard a "crack". I turned quickly back and saw the tips two of the trailing tripod legs flick over the edge. Peering over the ledge I was perched on, I watched in disbelief and horror as the camera, lens, 32GB CF card, and tripod became smaller and smaller as they approached the deep plunge pool below and eventually penetrated the waters surface. Needless to say the combination does not float and I imagine sank all the way to the bottom which must have been at least 6m deep.

A rescue attempt to retrieve the setup would have not only been dangerous from the point of view of the difficulty in reaching the location of the submerged camera - the water also potentially contained Salt Water Crocodiles.

Fortunately, I did insure the camera the day I left for the expedition but do have an expensive excess, CF card and tripod to replace. I also have shoot coming up that I was really hoping to use the camera for. Hopefully the insurer is able to come up with the replacement soon.


How did you FAIL?

[Ezookiel]

Oww. Mega Bummer!
I hate using a tripod, I'm always really nervous about it toppling over, but I also know I have to use it. A real love/hate relationship. A loss like that would be devastating. Especially the card. Cameras can be replaced, but not so easily lost photos.

- - - Updated - - -

My fail was lending out my Fuji S5000 to a mate, who lent it to his daughter, and some six months later when I finally got it back, got told "we never used it" but strangely it now didn't work anymore, blank white screen and all photos just a blank grey.
It had one up side though - it made me have to go buy a proper DSLR camera.

[Sifor]

I think I'd jump off the cliff if that happened to my D800, especially since it's only insured for $2k... (180% increase in contents premium ain't forgiving).

I'm always hesitant using a tripod, even using a heavy Manfrotto 055XB to take star shots on my deck makes me shake when the wind blows..

[Mary Anne]

I am so sorry to read this, that's a terrible thing to happen to you.
The loss of the camera and tripod is bad enough, though to loose the Memory Card with all your work on it is even worse.
Hopefully what is getting replaced will be replaced very soon and you get it in time for that shoot that is coming up.

[gbamber]

OH! Cruel!

My (our) fail. A big family holiday; Aus - UK - Chicago - Orlando - Phoenix - LA, back to Aus. Number one son (13 years old) had been looking after the (video) camera every day, doing a terrific job, on the rides at Disney, off the rides. In and out of NBA Basketball games at every city, the works. On the last day we went down to Macca's for bfast & (I hesitate to say he) the camera was left behind! Camera was covered by travel insurance, but the footage of the previous nights LA Lakers game was lost to the thieves.

The rest of the day in Anaheim Police dept, obviously not an important crime to them! He was devastated, I tried to tell him, no biggie, all covered etc, but that 13 YO was not going to be consoled. All in all a great holiday, but the last day was a lesson to all of us in security.

[Bennymiata]

I really feel for you Enduro.
Such a loss.

[Brigitte]

As I read your story I could feel your pain, anger and frustration. I hope you can make it back to that area to get some more photos. Thank goodness you did not go over the edge!!!

[mechawombat]

I had my week old D7000 fall from my hands as I was putting on a BR strap

some dents and had to reseat my cards but not as bad as the OP

[Warus]

I had my old 450D with the heavy Tokina 11-16 on the front on a tripod at the top of a local waterfall. Why on Earth do they feel solidly set when you are paying attention but as soon as you turn they decide to fall? I ended up with a dent on the lens surround and the lens cap which was on at the time slowly floated along and over the ledge to fall about 30 metres onto rocks below. I wasn't going after it. I still use the Tokina as it's luckily just cosmetic damage and the filter holder is a bit painful to screw filters onto.

Also watched the old 18-55 lens roll slowly across the backseat after dropping out of an open zipper and falling out the open door. It landed front element down on gravel but amazingly didn't have a scratch, just a bit of dust. It shows lens are reasonable tough.

[kiwi]

tripped and dropped a d2h and 80-200, bent like a banana at mount, mount stuffed, lens in 20 pieces and written off

insured

[ameerat42]

(I had to wait a while after I read about your episode, Enduro...)

I lent my good camera to my sister...


once, a long time ago...



Ohw, OK: who travelled extensively with it riding in the glovebox of the car over a good few months.

I could not repair the collapsed shutter mechanism. It was a grand old Fujica 35mm rangefinder.
Am.

[MissionMan]

Made the mistake of dropping my point and shoot into the black volcanic beach sand in New Zealand. Needless to say the camera was useless after that. The sand is magnetic and seem to get sucked into every gap meaning the front zoom wouldn't extend. Fortunately it wasn't expensive so I just chucked it in the end.

[ktoopi]

My experince wasn't a trashing but a near miss! It was my old 450D which was left on a plane flying between Maroochydore and Sydney several years ago. The camera was not insured at the time and I was pretty much told by airport staff that pigs woould fly if I ever saw it again but after 3 days of ringing twice a day and asking if it had turned up yet, my camera magically appeared! Needless to say I dropped everything and drove straight to the airport in complete disbelief and relief at the same time! A lesson in insurance I think as the first thing I did when I got it back was insure it and all cameras are now immediately insured!

[ashey]

Not good news Wayne, I lost my 5Dmk11 and 17/40mm lens down at Mandurah a few months back, fell down a hole in some reef. Was insured and back snapping in two weeks, $50 dollar excess which is pretty good I think. Hope you get it sorted quickly.

[Dylan & Marianne]

boy oh boy that sounds painful to watch that go down the gurgler ;(
In a situation where I'm cliffside, I tend to make sure that the camera strap is latched on to something other than my tripod often wound around one arm - not sure how safe that is though - I'm presuming a tip over the edge won't also pull me over!!

I've had a couple of camera and personal fails too
First trip to Iceland after getting the 5dmk2, 4 days into our trip after photographing beautiful waterfalls with plenty of spray around, the 5dmk2 died from moisture penetration and threatened to do so again on a few future trips despite what we thought was appropriate shielding from the conditions.

On a trip to china, we were in Yunnan and setting up a shoot when our guide (who was non photographically oriented) insisted there was a better spot to photograph - he took us there, it was absolute bollocks , in our rush, marianne dropped the 24-70 glass first onto the hard ground .......

Not to mention the numerous filters I've dropped at seaside /riverside because of my fixation with hand holding!

[Wazza999]

Hurrying to get out of the car in the pouring rain in Ireland - my Pentax K10D was in a snoot bag, I was sure I had my hand through the strap but alas it was not so. It bounced on the bitumen and killed the attached (luckily kit) zoom and took a chip out of the body covering. The memory card wouldn't work until it had been read on a computer (??) but the camera was otherwise none the worse for wear and I had an excuse to upgrade from the kit lens. Several notes to self arose from this episode. We did have a talk at our camera club from a landscape photographer whose plate camera was blown off the rocks by a gust of wind, now that's worth crying about!

[flyonthewall]

Some painful sounding stories here. Haven't had a major accident but did have a close call one morning. I was trying to get some sunrise shots at the local jetty, one of the legs on the tripod collapsed and fell towards the railing. It landed on top of the railing, luckily I managed to grab the tripod, the camera itself was hanging over the railing though and I had nasty visions if it just falling in the water. No real damage came from it though and I've definitely learnt to double check the tripod.

[bricat]

When our Canon G2 was new let the better half have a shoot as I wanted her to embrace photography a bit. Dropped said camera when lens was on full zoom and broke. Cost nearly as much as new camera to replace lens etc. It still takes some great shots today providing you don't want to blow them up too big.
As an aside if you go to a fishing shop you can buy wire trace and crimp a loop on each end then hook them around a belt of similiar to yourself/tripod and camera. Can make the length as long/short as you are comfortable with.
I feel your pain at the loss. It's not the money so much is it? cheers Brian

[Shelley]

Jeez Wayne, that is terrible I feel your pain. My tripod went over with my 5dii on it into water for just a split second, too late. $350 later hopefully it will be a backup camera to my 5d3.

[rafikicat]

I knew there was a good reason why I loathe using a tripod.