Salt water question

50split

50split

New member
Hi, first posting from me...

Yesterday I was driving along coast, had my new camera with me (FS100) and couldn't help myself to grab a shot. I didn't have any rain covers etc but there wasn't much wind so I went down onto beach. I noticed a constant fine salt mist hovered in the air... My background is with older 16mm film cameras, and I've always been able to wipe down all metal parts and glass. Now that I'm video camera owner I realized I'm clueless about how well-sealed the electronics of these cameras are (FS100 in particular).

I did read as many posts on salt-water care on this site as I could find and this sentence made me bit nervous: "Once Salt water vapor gets on and into your electronics the clock is ticking on the lifespan."

I've wiped down all surfaces & glass but wondered if I may have already tempted fate in regards to electronics? Any thoughts suggestions or knowledge on how exposed the electronics of these camera's really are?

Thx!
 
I think you'll be OK. I've done lots of beach and dive video and salt vapor has never been a problem. I once left a video camera under an open porthole and it copped a load of rainwater mixed with salt off the deck, enough to stop the camera working, but it ran reliably for years after it dried out. Of course, your mileage may vary.

(edit - also of course, drop it into salt water, your camera is history)
 
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Dear 50Split,

It's going to depend a lot on amount of exposure. If it's a lot of water vapor one time or a build up of a smaller amount over several exposures, salt water and electronics are as you know not a good combination.

It is possible to have any salt water cleaned off the sensatitive boards, and that will arrest the corrosion process, but it would need to be done by Sony, or someone who knows what they are doing. I think you should not start voiding any warranty you have in place, if your camera is operating fine and the weather seals seem to be holding.

There are several shops that will inspect the inside of your camera and look for signs of corrosion, for free- or a nominal hourly charge. In the interest of full disclosure, it's something my company does as well. This could give you some peace of mind, but I'm not going to recommend it unless your camera is already out of warranty.
 
I used to shoot video from a small boat on salt water. I had a Sony Hi8 camcorder then. After about three years it stopped working. The repair shop showed me the corroded board. They told me the other board would go pretty soon as well. I was surprised when he offered me a good price for what I thought was a throw away. I moved on to a GL1. That experience and owning a business on salt water for more than a decade has led me to the belief that short of taking a piece of equipment down to parts and cleaning it, whatever salt has gotten into it will work its magic slowly over time. Not the most cheery news but I would say get lots of use from your camera so that it owes you nothing. As mentioned above salt, sealing, time, pro cleaning, and maybe luck all enter into the equation for your piece of equipment.

In that business we almost never wore out anything, the salt always got it first. Some things like outboards that we ran 5 hours per day we could wear out ahead of the salt. The video camera did not get that many hours of use, maybe 6 per month. So, yes, maybe, someday that salt will get you. But short of pro cleaning there's not much to do except avoid repeats unless you must. worrying won't help at all.

But, I do wish you the good luck part of the equation. Hopefully millions of wonderful frames to be shot before you need to think about the salt again.
 
Thanks all! I am considering this thread officially answered as far as I go :) I thought the statement "we never wore anything out, the salt got it first" was worth taking notice of.
-Matt
 
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