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Aurora by the lake (a.k.a. RIP camera and lens) :-(

MartinFransson

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MartinFransson

MartinFransson

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Things just aren´t going my way right now...

Yesterday night I noticed aurora activity rising quick so I hurried out for a chance to catch some nice images. We rarely get visible aurora this far south.
I got a few really nice photos by a nearby lake (Bortle 3 skies) and then it happened...

Just as the aurora REALLY started to spark, I moved my tripod a few inches to get a better view aaaaaand..... the tripod fell. Into the lake. With camera, lens and all sad02.gifsad02.gifsad02.gif

Not only did I miss some of the best aurora action I´ve seen, it cost me my beloved Canon 6D and Samyang 24/1.4 lens. The camera was still running the exposure while underwater before it died and the lens had water inside it so no chance for recovery.

Still, here is a shot taken about 30 seconds before disaster struck. Hope you enjoy it... I´m not there quite yet.

IMG_9102-Edit.jpg

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Charic

Charic

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Thats a great image, one you should treasure in the memory of your lost equipment!

No really, its a shame you had such a disastrous evening.
As for not seeing in Sweden, Ive had some great views of the Aurora, here in Scotland, but not as bright as your image.

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MartinFransson

MartinFransson

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Just now, Charic said:

Thats a great image, one you should treasure in the memory of your lost equipment!

No really, its a shame you had such a disastrous evening.
As for not seeing in Sweden, Ive had some great views of the Aurora but not as bright as your image.

Thanks. Northern Sweden has some spectacular aurora, but I´m in the southern part (58N).

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Charic

Charic

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2 hours ago, MartinFransson said:

......a shot taken about 30 seconds before disaster struck. Hope you enjoy it.

So much so, I'd like to frame it for my study room, if thats not an issue.
In-fact, now that its public, not sure you can stop anyone, but I thought I'd ask anyway!

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Stub Mandrel

Stub Mandrel

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Sorry to hear that Martin, at least it gave you a marvellous image before it died.

You may well find that both an be restored by careful cleaning, especially if it was fresh water.

For electrics removing the power source (including backup battery) immediately, rinsing in clean water then long, slow drying usually restores life (even to LCD screens).

The main issue will be making sure the optics are clean and the shutter still works. I would avoid any use for a good week, then look at professional cleaning of the sensor and prism.

As for the lens, is it an AF? If so same for the electrics, but it may be possible to clean the optics yourself - if any parts are gas purged they will be unaffected by immersion.

If all else fails, put the bits on the classifieds!

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MartinFransson

MartinFransson

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57 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Sorry to hear that Martin, at least it gave you a marvellous image before it died.

You may well find that both an be restored by careful cleaning, especially if it was fresh water.

For electrics removing the power source (including backup battery) immediately, rinsing in clean water then long, slow drying usually restores life (even to LCD screens).

The main issue will be making sure the optics are clean and the shutter still works. I would avoid any use for a good week, then look at professional cleaning of the sensor and prism.

As for the lens, is it an AF? If so same for the electrics, but it may be possible to clean the optics yourself - if any parts are gas purged they will be unaffected by immersion.

If all else fails, put the bits on the classifieds!

Thanks for the advice but both camera and lens have to be sent in for repair evaluation before I can try to get money from my insurance. 

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Captain Scarlet

Captain Scarlet

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Eeek! 6D + Samyang 24/1.4 is exactly my set-up for wide angle astro-photography, so I can shudder at your pain. But I have had the camera rained on continuously for 3-4 hours with no problems (albeit with a sealed "L" lens attached). And the Samyang is manual-focus, so it may well be recoverable - I hope so.

Lovely, lovely shot though. I'm half Finnish and the country is swarming with cousins of mine, so I get there from time to time, so i hope to "catch some Aurora" at some stage too.

Cheers, Magnus

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davew

davew

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I keep coming back to this thread partly because I really like your photo and partly as a warning to myself to be careful :)

I have a nasty habit of getting too close to water and in fact had a friend ready to let me fall in while he saved the camera ! Sounds good to me eh ?

I hope you get things sorted and keep us informed if you would,

Dave.

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Stargazer33

Stargazer33

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Sorry to hear about the loss of your equipment! When I used to take underwater photos whilst diving there was a saying, 'it's not if, but when your housing leaks and floods your equipment.

Maybe someone will want to buy them off eBay as 'slightly water damaged, for parts/repair'? At least you could recover some of the cost then!

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MartinFransson

MartinFransson

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So, a bit of good news in the end (even though I haven´t actually seen any money yet) smile.png
The lens is possible to repair and the insurance company will pay for the repair as well as the value of a used camera, minus deductible.

I jumped the gun and ordered a new camera today (same model) since a dealer had them on discount today.

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HunterHarling

HunterHarling

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On 22/10/2018 at 13:17, MartinFransson said:

So, a bit of good news in the end (even though I haven´t actually seen any money yet) smile.png
The lens is possible to repair and the insurance company will pay for the repair as well as the value of a used camera, minus deductible.

I jumped the gun and ordered a new camera today (same model) since a dealer had them on discount today.

That's good. 

 

I was wondering, could you see the color of the aurora with your own eyes? Probably not but it would be awesome if you could.

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