Ari Posted October 12, 2006 Report Share Posted October 12, 2006 Went out to get some final video of my pride and joy last night with MMJ. All going splendidly, got about 15 mins of filming done, when MMJ decides to get some shots down the side of the boat looking forward. Just after this it stopped working and came up with "recording heads dirty". When I tried to download the recording at home later it was making some odd noises and didn't want to run properly (it was playing, but there were lines across the picture). After a couple of attempts it finally began downloading ok, but right at the point where MMJ pointed the camera down the side of the boat you can see a big chunk of (salt water ) spray shoot up and visibly hit the camera, and then the picture goes (which was the point it stopped recording and came up with "dirty recording heads"). It doesn't sound good for it does it? A mate who works for Panasonic is going to have a look at it this morning for me, but he's a sales guy (runs the shop) rather than a technician. Reckon it's worth sending it away to see if it can be fixed, or do you think we've killed it? I can't imagine salt water and delicate Japenese electronics are the best of mixes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted October 12, 2006 Report Share Posted October 12, 2006 That's fecked Ari. Water is bad in devices like that. Salt water is a lot worse. They might have a good chance of recovering it, but it doesn't look good for the camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Posted October 12, 2006 Report Share Posted October 12, 2006 Doh Next time get a marine video housing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted October 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2006 Ironically, yesterday lunchtime I was flicking through Motorboats Monthly and they were featuring a waterproof housing specifically for my camera. It was £179. No chance I thought. Seems like a bargain now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted October 12, 2006 Report Share Posted October 12, 2006 There is every chance Panasonic could clean the heads etc, but salt water isn't nice to electronics. My dad had one of the original Panasonic M1 camcorders (over-the-shoulder cameras!) and that got gallons of salt water poured over it by mistake. 3 days of it left to dry (after it had been rinsed in fresh water) and it was good to go again. Camcorders today are far more delicate. I'd send it off to be seen to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted October 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2006 Well I've just nipped up to see him, and he says it's absolutely fine!! He's run a tape head cleaner through it a couple of times, and he's cleaned the casing with some special cleaner (it was a bit sticky where the salt water had dried on it) and it seems to be working fine. He reckons there's no trace of salt inside it anywhere. He did say that they can be very humidity sensitive (he's had people go to hot countries and had camcorders not work because the humidity causes the tape to stick to the recording head) and that maybe, as it was a damp evening last night, that extra burst of water on the outside was enough just to cause that to happen breifly. Anyhoo, I think I'll swap the tape for another one and see how it goes, keep my fingers crossed. And I think I'll take another look at that waterproof housing as Daz suggests too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drpellypo Posted October 12, 2006 Report Share Posted October 12, 2006 Ari, it should still be under warranty, no? I'm sure it was only a few weeks old when I sold it to you. Was it more than a year ago? I can't remember! A quick call to Sony with the serial number will reveal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOSE Posted October 12, 2006 Report Share Posted October 12, 2006 Had a very similar problem with My Sharp mini-DV recorder Ari, and funnily enough it all started going wrong after a boat trip while we were out in Mauritius. About 2nd day into the holiday we decided to get away from all the Germans and head off to a secluded beach by speedboat. I had the cam corder out, but funny thing is no water got to it. For the remainder of the holiday, the lens was cloudy/blurred and had a large black mark across it. So I thought it was fecked. Cam was still under warranty when we returned so I took it back to the shop and left it there. Had a phone call telling me that these devices are prone to errors and technical problems particularly in places where the humidity is high. So hust as your mate confirmed. They basically opened the unit up and cleaned the inside of the lens which had basically clouded over with moisture. God knows how it got in there!!! But it works right as rain now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted October 12, 2006 Report Share Posted October 12, 2006 Warranty won't cover water ingress, and they will be able to tell in most cases. We also had problems with a camcorder in Florida during a heat wave - camera was fine indoors in the rooms, but as soon we went outside, it suffered caused by the suddeny change. Glad to hear it's been cleaned up and is working, Ari. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted October 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2006 Indeed, if it is damaged by water the warranty won't cover it (and it'd be obvious, particularly as it was salt water). Fingers crossed it's all sorted anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calm Chris Posted October 12, 2006 Report Share Posted October 12, 2006 All digital cameras I've owned have a little warning (within the instructions) about humidity. Ever seen someones glasses steam up, walking in to a hotel air con reception when somewhere hot? That gives you an idea of the issue. All you can do is try to keep the camera in case and allow it to adjust to the temp before getting it out. If you do get moisture through condensation, then open up the camera (take out battery and open all other access points) and leave it to dry in the warm. Light moisture will evaporate, a dunk in the sea won't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted October 13, 2006 Report Share Posted October 13, 2006 I hate camcorders. I've owned 3 and all of them have been fecked within a year. The worst was a JVC DV model that shot 10 hours over 6 months and then fecked up completey. Then I forgot to claim on the warranty until 14 months had passed. I've been thinking of buying a new one but each time I look at them I can't help but think of the hassle. That said, I'll open up a new thread now to find out the best for under £500 cos' I can't be arsed to research it myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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