Travel and data

[hispid]

Thanks to everyone for all of the excellent advice. I have purchased four more data cards so I now have one per day. I'm not going to stress about backing them up in the field. I have bought a wallet to keep them in and have a system for telling empty from used. The silica gel idea is great. I bought a bag of unscented silica gel kitty litter and some stockings to make as many sachets as I need. And I've decided to take along my half dead old camera body just in case there's a tragedy with my new camera. Thanks again all. I hope to come back with some great images and memories.

[hispid]

Soooo....the cards were fine but the camera died in the humidity. That's it I'm buying a Nikon

[Geoff79]

Soooo....the cards were fine but the camera died in the humidity. That's it I'm buying a Nikon

Oh dear. How far into the trip? Did you have any back up camera? Availability to buy one there?

[Bianca]

Soooo....the cards were fine but the camera died in the humidity. That's it I'm buying a Nikon

Oh no! Were you still able to take pictures?

[gcflora]

Soooo....the cards were fine but the camera died in the humidity. That's it I'm buying a Nikon

Ugh. At least when my camera died in the humidity it didn't completely die; for some reason it still worked on Auto but no manual modes worked. So I could still take photos but not how I wanted to take them.

[Bianca]

Ugh. At least when my camera died in the humidity it didn't completely die; for some reason it still worked on Auto but no manual modes worked. So I could still take photos but not how I wanted to take them.

What type of camera was it - so I know to steer clear...

[Geoff79]

Ugh. At least when my camera died in the humidity it didn't completely die; for some reason it still worked on Auto but no manual modes worked. So I could still take photos but not how I wanted to take them.

I didn’t even think of the humidity, but I had a few issues with my camera and wide angle lens in the Philippines. Now that I think of it, it could also have been the cause of the issue for me. Like you, it didn’t stop completely but a few sessions were really hard work due to everyday functions not working for no reason I could think of at the time...

[Mary Anne]

Soooo....the cards were fine but the camera died in the humidity. That's it I'm buying a Nikon

Sorry to read that, what a disappointment for you.
Would it make any difference if it was a Nikon, my Canons have survived in the humidity, if you were in and out of A/C that would not help.
Have you tried to dry it in the Sun, have you rang canon, can it be fixed at all.
Ring Peter http://www.camerarepairs.com.au/ I found him a great Guy to talk too he has been in the business for many years he may be able to Help.

[ameerat42]

Soooo....the cards were fine but the camera died in the humidity. That's it I'm buying a Nikon

-- And a dehumidifier

[Glenda]

Oh dear, that's not good and I do hope it didn't happen until later in the trip. Luckily I've never had a problem anywhere in SE Asia and can only imagine how frustrating it would be.

[gcflora]

What type of camera was it - so I know to steer clear...

I don't think it matters what type of camera: anything that's not completely weatherproofed will probably have the same problem.

My Canon 5D2 has survived many trips to the tropics and being drenched in rain without a single problem though. I've also had Canon 40D and 50D soaking wet from rain with no problems. Humidity is a different beast...

[Geoff79]

I don't think it matters what type of camera: anything that's not completely weatherproofed will probably have the same problem.

My Canon 5D2 has survived many trips to the tropics and being drenched in rain without a single problem though. I've also had Canon 40D and 50D soaking wet from rain with no problems. Humidity is a different beast...

My Canon 40D actually swam in salt water about 8 years ago, plus the rest of it, and although it’s not the camera I use every day it’s still at home as a fully operational back up should I ever need it. Amazing. I still remember posting the thread here when it happened back in 2010 or so.

[hispid]

Thanks everyone. So I'll try and answer all the questions. It is a Canon EOS 800D and unfortunately it died at the end of the first day. I took all the batteries and sd card out and lenses off and put it in a ziplock bag with silica gel packs and after about a day or so it sort of came back to life but would just shoot continuously when turned on and none of the buttons would respond. By the last couple of days I worked out how to get it to take shots by using the touch screen but the shooting trigger simply no longer works (or just works continuously). I had my old nearly dead, only works on auto Canon EOS 450D as a backup which worked for a little while but then just gave up the ghost. And of course I had my trusty iPhone.
One of the guys there had an old Canon from 2005 which he bought for 100 Euros and it worked like a trooper in all weather. Everyone else had Nikons and nodded knowingly when I said my Canon had died.
In all I go from saying, "Oh well the trip was amazing no matter what" to just sobbing about all the shots I couldn't take.

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks for the tip MA. I do want to get it repaired. It's been a good camera to me up until this incident.

- - - Updated - - -

Gflora I had that happen to my older 450D

[Geoff79]

Wow. What a sad story. So in the end did you still get a few decent shots? Any winners on that first day?

Sounds heartbreaking for your macro plans, but could you still get some okay general shots with the phone?

[hispid]

I mean yeah I got some nice shots on the first day but I was just mucking around close to the accommodation. They were just bugs and spiders that if you didn't know they were from Borneo would have just been like ones I could get here. The camera was basically inoperable when we started to get into the forest and see all the amazing stuff. I till I got some cool stuff which I'll get around to posting soon but I missed so much.