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Post by Serendipity on Jan 14, 2010 7:56:52 GMT -5
I can't believe this happened , but I dropped my camera into a cup of melted slurpee! The cup was on the floor of course because the coffee table is piled with stuff. It is a lumix panasonic which retails for$400CDN. I didn't pay for it. I saved up airmiles for four yearsfrom my Rx. I can have the lens taken apart and cleaned for $150. It has so many features I don't even understand. I picked it for the10X zoom feature. Can anyone with knowledge of digital cameras offer advice? I wonder if I should have it cleaned or purchase something else. I think it is probably worth the investment but maybe prices have come down and I don't think I need so many bells and whistles. Thanks from Serendipity  |
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Post by Rory on Jan 14, 2010 7:58:41 GMT -5
Any chance it's covered by insurance?
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Post by Serendipity on Jan 14, 2010 8:08:31 GMT -5
Hi rory~ no, it isn't. I need to get tenant's insurance for fire , theft, earthquake and pronto. I guess that it would have been covered,if dropping it into a slurpee cup would be covered!
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Post by DJ on Jan 14, 2010 8:49:31 GMT -5
same type as I have. :> at least same brand and line, dunno what model yours is. I love mine to pieces. I saw the new version at costco the other day though for ~200 USD. Killer price. not sure how the exchange rate is right now or if costco is in canada but you might want to think about it... for an extra 50 dollars you'd have a brand new camera. I'm all about repairing rather than tossing and getting new but with how fast technology improves and the cost of repair rather than replace you might want to consider it. if you do you can always see how well you can clean the old one yourself. I've never done anything that dramatic to mine but I had to get hot cocoa off that had glued the shutter permanently open, thank you small children. and they got gum jammed up into the buttons. and then the general filth of small child hands. (i'd rather they touch things and learn how to use them properly than forbid them to.. but man it is painful in those first learning experiences as I watch things become encrusted in a nonprotective layer of saliva, crackers and whatever their grubby hands pry off a floor and hide from me til they can jam into an electronic device.)
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Post by Chris on Jan 14, 2010 9:30:27 GMT -5
I would recommend replacing it. I would not pay that much to get a camera cleaned unless it was my to die for favorite camera in the whole world. Prices are lower now on digital cameras. It sounds like you would also benefit from a more user friendly/simpler digital camera anyway.
I have always loved my Cannon SD10 it is super simple and I get great pictures. I've had it 5+ years.
I recommend you get a camera that uses a lithium rechargeable battery pack and avoid the ones that use AA. Some people get along fine with the AA type but I myself need a longer lasting charge and I love that the pack lasts so long -- I went 4+ years then had to buy a new rechargeable lithium battery for it.
My husband bought me a new Sony Cybershot and it's great but it's too many bells and whistles and it's bigger. My little PowerShot fits in my jeans pocket literally.
As far as any specific current camera suggestions - it all depends on what you use the camera for primarily. If it's used mainly for online sharing and groups sharing of photos that would be different than if you take a lot of pictures that you actually want to print up or enlarge.
Good luck. I'm sorry about your camera accident.
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Post by 60isolderthanithot on Jan 14, 2010 10:11:31 GMT -5
How old is the Panasonic and what exact model is it? What do you typically do with your camera and what would you LIKE to do? Many people are using short videos online now, places like YouTube. It sounds as if you're interested in a camera that would be easy to use, lots of features on Auto. Are most of your shots indoors or out? Do you have photos enlarged very often or do you print them at all? Many people really don't even use a camera for paper prints any more, they just send email or show them online.
What kind of budget were you thinking about for a new camera?
Think things over, there's no rush, new models will be out around March.
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Post by 60isolderthanithot on Jan 14, 2010 10:20:12 GMT -5
Just as an aside, I think AA batteries are the most economical idea for cameras, just buy batteries that can be recharged. Li-Ion batteries tend to be proprietary and the companies really soak you for replacements. If you're on vacation and something happens to that battery, it's easy to walk into any store in almost any country and get a pack of AA. For $20 USA, I got 8 AA and a charger from a big box store. I'm still using them 1,200+ charges later. (I take around 5,000 photos a year, on average.) Everything in the house uses AA so I probably have 20-30 around at any given time. Remote controls, portable gadgets, cameras, music gear, toys. I often supply batteries with things I sell.
Digital cameras are a great bargain these days. Technology has really paid off. What cost $1,000 five years ago is $200 today.
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Post by Serendipity on Jan 14, 2010 12:12:28 GMT -5
Hi guys! I will first try to clean it myself. It was in and out of the slurpee cup in a flash! they want to take it all apart but the lens comes in and out, it is jsut the little shutter that is stuck. dj, what did you use to clean yours? if yours can survive all that and come out ticking,I will definitely try that. you are very brave! I love your description of life with toddlers! Chris and 60 is older than I thought~I got the most awesome pictures of pumpkins two hallowe'ens ago. I have about forty pictures from the pumpkin yard near our place. this was the last year, 13 years! I wish we had found it sooner but happy we got to experience it twice. I would love to post these and before and after photos of my place. ( please let there be an after!) 60 is older than i thought~I don't have a printer so I think I would take it in to a photoshop and i wouldn't be printing alot of pictures. so I guess I would like it to be computer savvy for sure. I really don't get things the way I used to due to meds so user friendly is a must! 60isolderthanithought, 49 is older than i thought.!I'm pretty lost in tech world right now. I think it is about two or three years old. since it is sitting in the shop til i decide what to do , i don't have the model number handy. first step, clean. I am amazed that it still takes pictures! I have high hopes! Thanks everyone from serendipity |
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Post by DJ on Jan 14, 2010 12:34:52 GMT -5
i cannot vouch that this is a good thing to do at all. if it's going to be ruined anyway and you aren't going to have a pro do it i can't see the harm. but again, really don't have a clue if i did anything horrible to my camera or not in this process. when i'm cleaning a camera i start from the outside and use a brush to get off any dirt/dust/grunge. on the digital camera i used an electronics cleaner and a microfiber cloth. we have alot of electronics and alot of pets and i am messy so i usually keep some around. any electronics store should have some equivalent product for cleaning electronics. they sell sprays and wipes, we keep both around. if you use a spray do not spray it directly on an electronic, that's bad form  spray it on a microfiber cloth or something lint free and non scratching. for my camera i just kept wiping about aimlessly. actually, first i told the kids they had to since they gummed it up. i knew they wouldn't really get it cleaned or fixed but it's the concept behind it. i told them they'd done an awesome dandy great job and said that you muchly for taking responsibility for getting it gunky. then after they were asleep i sat there with a microfiber rag, q-tips and watched a couple of episodes of law and order while i obsessively cleaned, poked, prodded, and cleaned some more. i'm sorry i don't have a better description but i just sat there fiddling, cleaning, if the shutter budge it exposed more area to clean and degunk. mine wasn't as bad off as yours i don't think.. but they really did get it grimy filthy and the lense was hazed with i have no idea what and the shutter stuck in the open position. after cleaning and poking it managed to close and open when i turned the camera on and off. for the most part fiddling, cleaning, using canned air to try and blow out anything sticking it, up, some people have used hair dryers but you really do not want to overheat it. though i was wondering if the problem is sticky slurpee if it might heat the slurpee goo enough to get the shutter to unstick. but that'd be pretty risky. anyway. fiddling, poking, cleaning is about all that's worked for me with jammed shutters :/ |
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Post by shopgirl on Jan 14, 2010 15:27:20 GMT -5
I know a few people that have "repaired" water-damaged iPods by putting them in sunny windows for a week and letting them dry on their own. Seriously, my friend ran her iPod in the washer, put it aside in the window, and a week later it worked fine, ran for another 2 years. You might want to try this before getting inside of the thing yourself, which is likely to ruin it.
If you open it up, don't touch the sensor. I cannot describe what part is the sensor, your manual will show you.
Good luck on your camera rescue project! Lumix is a great camera.
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Post by Chris on Jan 14, 2010 15:58:57 GMT -5
Just as an aside, I think AA batteries are the most economical idea for cameras, just buy batteries that can be recharged. Li-Ion batteries tend to be proprietary and the companies really soak you for replacements. If you're on vacation and something happens to that battery, it's easy to walk into any store in almost any country and get a pack of AA. For $20 USA, I got 8 AA and a charger from a big box store. I'm still using them 1,200+ charges later. (I take around 5,000 photos a year, on average.) Everything in the house uses AA so I probably have 20-30 around at any given time. Remote controls, portable gadgets, cameras, music gear, toys. I often supply batteries with things I sell. Digital cameras are a great bargain these days. Technology has really paid off. What cost $1,000 five years ago is $200 today. 60 this is good that you explained the advantages of the AA. I wasn't too balanced telling about my preference. Just as a side on me - I never go anywhere without 2 cameras -- I've been into to photography since I was 16. You are right the replacements on the lithium bat. are expensive. I still have a strong preference for them I guess because I've had such good luck with them and it gives me the perception that I'm not having to spend as much on batteries, and I never go anywhere without a backup camera.  |
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Post by illuminata on Jan 14, 2010 19:30:21 GMT -5
When I tried to drown my cellphone, I took out the battery (you have to take out the batteries, because even when something is powered off it will still draw a certain amount of power from the battery) and submerged it in a baggie of dry white rice for a day or so. I got the phone to work when for a while it wouldn't even power on. Don't know if this would be helpful with a camera, but it might be worth a shot.
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Post by Serendipity on Jan 18, 2010 4:40:31 GMT -5
i wish it was just water, maybe it would be salvagable . i have gotten other electronics wet and they have worked again once dried out. the sugar makes it sticky.
I still haven't decided what to do but I have my olympus trip 35! I think I will dust it off and give it a whirl! Maybe i can scan photos to put them online
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