G12 has come back to life, now what?

[decidedlyodd]

On Tuesday, I went for a night dive with my G12 in Canon housing to celebrate some brand new tanks that came in that day. The tanks worked out great, but unfortunately I had some camera issues. At around the deepest part of the dive (~45ft), the battery indicator flashed and the camera powered down, which lead me to believe the battery had just died. When I got home to remove the camera from the housing after rinsing, I noticed that there was a little bit of water in the bottom (maybe just 1 or 2 millimeters--more than just the usual fogging).

I powered the camera on. The LCD would flicker on and off and the zoom control wouldn't work but it was able to take pictures It definitely wasn't submerged but the water in the bottom almost certainly splashed around before I opened up the housing. The o-ring on the Canon housing appeared to have some sand and maybe even a hair on it. I'm thinking one of those was the source of the problem but I guess I'll never really know.

A few days later though, things seem to have dried out and the camera seems to be working normally again!

Even before this happened, I'd been looking into getting a new housing that's more durable, with better controls, more neutrally buoyant and more amenable to adding a strobe and tray. Can anybody comment on the following housings that I've found in my price range? I.e., what might be the advantages/disadvantages of them?

Ikelite (local dealer sells this for $650 or $1115 w/ a strobe and tray kit)
10Bar ($709)
Fix ($1099)

I mostly do macro because of the local conditions, but would like wide angle lenses as an option when traveling to clearer locales.

 

[Gilligan]

I suggest you hold off on buying another housing for a couple of weeks. The camera may or may not continue to work. With such a small amount of water the odds may be in your favor but then again if it was sea water maybe not?

I got an old Olympus camera "slightly wet" and it worked for a few weeks then died.

 

[Doubler]

Saltwater and electronics don't mix well. Look for any verdigris or corrosion and clean it well with alcohol. If you are lucky it will take about a week for the corrosion to get to a point where it has destroyed the circuitry.

 

[Wantonmien]

Luckier than I was with my G11 http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/canon-corner/376588-soggy-g11-mutter-mutter.html - but would think your G12 coming back to life is a temporary thing, can just imagine the corrosion has started inside.

No one came back with words on the Patima G12 housing FUN-IN Underwater Photo Equipment that I mentioned in last thread of that post - but on paper the Patima looks more robust than the Canon housing I was using, so if anyone's got any feedback on the Patima, I'd be interested to know ?

Having followed advise, I risked my new G12 in same Canon housing that flooded my G11, and no problem, no leaks, it's taught me about maintenance !! Posted my first G12 pics in here - http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/taiwan/377529-orchid-island-trip-report-april-2-5-2011-a.html

cheers

 

[decidedlyodd]

I'm definitely keeping an eye on the camera for now. If it dies, I'll probably end up buying the same model again because I've been pretty happy with it otherwise.

 

[slowhands]

On Tuesday, I went for a night dive with my G12 in Canon housing to celebrate some brand new tanks that came in that day. The tanks worked out great, but unfortunately I had some camera issues. At around the deepest part of the dive (~45ft), the battery indicator flashed and the camera powered down, which lead me to believe the battery had just died. When I got home to remove the camera from the housing after rinsing, I noticed that there was a little bit of water in the bottom (maybe just 1 or 2 millimeters--more than just the usual fogging).

I powered the camera on. The LCD would flicker on and off and the zoom control wouldn't work but it was able to take pictures It definitely wasn't submerged but the water in the bottom almost certainly splashed around before I opened up the housing. The o-ring on the Canon housing appeared to have some sand and maybe even a hair on it. I'm thinking one of those was the source of the problem but I guess I'll never really know.

A few days later though, things seem to have dried out and the camera seems to be working normally again!

Even before this happened, I'd been looking into getting a new housing that's more durable, with better controls, more neutrally buoyant and more amenable to adding a strobe and tray. Can anybody comment on the following housings that I've found in my price range? I.e., what might be the advantages/disadvantages of them?

Ikelite (local dealer sells this for $650 or $1115 w/ a strobe and tray kit)
10Bar ($709)
Fix ($1099)

I mostly do macro because of the local conditions, but would like wide angle lenses as an option when traveling to clearer locales.

It sure could have been the hair. The few housings that I have done post mortems on had fibers under the O-ring. Someone applied the silicone grease with a Q-tip, which left little bits of cotton in hard to see locations. Enough to cause problems. You'll probably never know for sure, but this seems the likely culprit and it could happen with any housing.

Your camera probably has salt deposits inside, if it acted up at all. If I were you, I'd send it to Steve Sweringen for a cleaning. He can get slight salt and corrosion off if it can be done, or tell you honestly it's beyond help. He's a true craftsman at his work and has been at it for many years.

Here is Steve's website:
CAMERA CLINIC

Here is what Ken Rockwell says about Steve:
Camera Repairs
"Camera Clinic
1220 E Greg Street #15
Sparks, NV 89431
steven40@aol.com
(775) 829-2244
(877) 511-4811

A reader sent me a Canon T90 that had the usual EEE shutter error. I looked for a T90 repairman, and it turns out that Steven is a T90 specialist.

Since I had him on the phone, I also sent him a New F-1 and a Canon A-1, as well as a T90, for overhaul.

Everything came back working perfectly, and looking far better and cleaner than when I sent it in. "


Here is a time-lapse video of Steve repairing a broken memory card pin on a Nikon D300s:
YouTube - D300s Bent Pin Replacement Timelapse

 

[Gilligan]

Having one of these rubber air blowers comes in handy for blowing out the housing and the O-ring groove.
A small travel type hair dryer with the heat element disconnected also works well.

 

[joel231]

No one came back with words on the Patima G12 housing FUN-IN Underwater Photo Equipment that I mentioned in last thread of that post - but on paper the Patima looks more robust than the Canon housing I was using, so if anyone's got any feedback on the Patima, I'd be interested to know ?

I have the patima housing for my G11, i think, but dont quote me on it but it is the same housing. I am very happy with it and hasnt given me any problems in the 20 or so dives i have done with it. Only downside that i can think of, with out the stobes arms etc, its quite negatively boyant.

Cheers Joel

 

[decidedlyodd]

Well, you all were right. The camera only lasted a few days before conking out completely. When I'd power it on, the lens would only partially extend without the camera actually starting.

I sent it off to Canon a couple weeks ago. They officially pronounced it dead and unrepairable but they're going to replace it with a refurb for a lot less than the fully new price ($150 + tax + s&h).

I'm probably going to buy the Fix housing once I have the camera back in hand.

 

[franktai]

I've also had a leaky OEM Canon housing for the G12 - it leaked around the port oddly enough, and would result in some moisture in the housing despite packing new moisture munchers in there.

Sent the housing back to Canon for warranty but am now using FIX housings which offer superior reliability in my opinion - given you clean/grease correctly as per everyone else's comments!!