Has anyone ever left their camera in the car...

S

semajha

Well-known member
during hot weather? Last night I took my camera along with me but when I came home I forgot to bring it back inside.. So it's been sitting in my car almost all day. :( I can't stop beating myself up over this, i'm such an idiot. Right now, I'm just wondering if there has been any damage and what signs to look for caused by the damage.

If it helps, the camera was inside a camera bag, underneath the back seat. Highs today was 93 here in Houston, so the inside would have been around 115-120 degrees! :crybaby:
 
That makes me a feel a bit better. I just now turned on the camera after letting it cool down a bit.. Seems to be working fine. But my ocd won't let me at ease until i'm convinced everything is working 100%.

Other than not being able to turn on.. Would it show any other signs?
 
Having it turn on is a great start. :)
Like I said, I bet it's fine. Run it through the paces a bit and check it out.

If it was damaged from overheating it probably wouldn't turn on. I can't imagine that there is anything wrong with it.

Best of luck.

MAH
 
Dude, small children and puppies die in hot cars, not modern digital cameras. Now, don't make a habit of it, but your camera should be fine.

The last camera I left in a car was stolen. So, that should be the lesson of the day. DON'T LEAVE YOUR CAMERA IN THE CAR.

I am glade we got that settled.
 
The camera should be just fine. Most of the internal components should be rated at around 50-60C which is around 122-140F. As long as it does not pass those temperatures, damage was not done. I know computer components are rated at 110C which is 230F, so your camera should be fine. While comparing computers to cameras is like apples to oranges, I don't think anything happened to the camera. Just make sure that it won't happen again.
 
I've done this tons of times between my different cameras. The thing is a workhorse, you really don't need to baby it all that much. If it were directly in the sunlight in the car, without any way to cool off, that could probably damage things. Just keep it in the shade, and if you're going to leave it in the car maybe crack a window slightly (your call if it's safe to do).
 
Thanks for the responses everyone.. I know i'm overacting but I couldn't help it.. After posting up my questions, I went and did some research on google and read some scary stories about people leaving their camera equipment in the car...

Been messing with my camera for a few minutes now and it's working fine. I even left my cheap kit lens and an old nikkor 50mm in that bag.. Both lens, especially the kit lens(surprisingly) even seems to be working fine.

But one more question to give me some peace of mind... I understand that modern day lenses are more likely to get damaged because of the electronic components inside but what about old manual focus lenses? I can't see what could go wrong with a manual focus lens but I have read about old lenses and old cameras being damaged under high temperatures.
 
There are a lot of mechanical parts finely tuned. If something melts or is otherwise modified just a tiny bit it will throw the whole lens out of commission. Unlikely, but possible.

I will say that I once had a problem where some plastic melted in an older film SLR, which made the shutter blades stick before I found the issue. So it is possible for things to happen.
 
If you're traveling alone, keep the camera on the seat next to you. You can grab a photo quickly if need be, and you're less likely to forget it. Fasten the seat belt to secure it and avoid the car's unfastened passenger alarm.
 
If its just the one time it should be fine, but don't make a habit of it. Constant exposure to heat could cause the battery to swell making the battery life not as long. I know I did that with my MBP at least and now it won't hold a charge for more than an hour.
 
I routinely left Canon Bodies in the Car under the seat in Phoenix during the summer, 110+. Not one problem ever with at least a half dozen different bodies.

Having said that I absolutely do not recommend anyone doing it if you don't have to.
 
"Dude, small children and puppies die in hot cars, not modern digital cameras. "


ahahahahah lol


You're fine, I live almost at the bottom of hell (Florida) and have left my camera in the sun for a bit. Now if the cam was turned on then you might have a few parts that could have overheated and caused problems, but if it was off and you waited to turn it on after it cooled down, you're in the clear. The camera has a overheating warning built in and I believe it shuts it down once the camera has reached a certain temp, so I'm almost 99% you're good.
 
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