Dropped my Camera

mdebets

I managed to drop my camera (Canon 40D) today while changing a lense (note to self: it's not a good idea to change a lense when you have just run away from the police fireing tear gas granades at you and you can't fully concentrate on the lense change).

The camera fell down on marble stairs (luckily only the camera without any lense) and then dropped down 2 more stairs.
I tired to switch it on imieaditly afterwards and it wouldn't switch on. I then walked away and tried in a quiet place again. I removed the batteries, tried the camera without the grip and nothing would work.
When I came home an hour later, I tried it a last time with new batteries and the camera started working again (also with the old batteries) and everything seems fine I Could focus, the caomera would take picture and all switches and dials wold work
Does anyone know what the problem could have been and if there is a way to check, that nothing is broken.

PCPhoto

mdebets wrote: »

I managed to drop my camera (Canon 40D) today while changing a lense (note to self: it's not a good idea to change a lense when you have just run away from the police fireing tear gas granades at you and you can't fully concentrate on the lense change).

The camera fell down on marble stairs (luckily only the camera without any lense) and then dropped down 2 more stairs.
I tired to switch it on imieaditly afterwards and it wouldn't switch on. I then walked away and tried in a quiet place again. I removed the batteries, tried the camera without the grip and nothing would work.
When I came home an hour later, I tried it a last time with new batteries and the camera started working again (also with the old batteries) and everything seems fine I Could focus, the caomera would take picture and all switches and dials wold work
Does anyone know what the problem could have been and if there is a way to check, that nothing is broken.

where are you that the "Police" are firing tear gas ???

you could have the camera suffering shock damage - are there any loose bits (shake the camera a bit) ..... could be FUBAR !!!

hbr

Ouch! It looks like you may have escaped without any damage. Use it for a while
to see if any problems develop.

It isn't easy to tell why it took some time to come back to life. Leaving the battery
out for a while may have fully reset it in a way that is different to just operating
the power switch. I bet you are glad you paid the extra few quid for a camera
with an alloy body.

mdebets

PCPhoto wrote: »

where are you that the "Police" are firing tear gas ???

I'm in Athens at the moment and was caught up in today's demonstration near were the main action happened, but was lucky to get out, before the real riots started.

PCPhoto wrote: »

you could have the camera suffering shock damage - are there any loose bits (shake the camera a bit) ..... could be FUBAR !!!

No loose bits I can hear when shaking the camere.

Another question in regards to the tear gas. How bad is it for the camera and lenses (24-70L and 100-400L).

Trev M

Care to share some of the images you took?

Trev M

Whhooop never mind clicked your flickr :eek:

mdebets

hbr wrote: »

Ouch! It looks like you may have escaped without any damage. Use it for a while
to see if any problems develop.

It isn't easy to tell why it took some time to come back to life. Leaving the battery
out for a while may have fully reset it in a way that is different to just operating
the power switch. I bet you are glad you paid the extra few quid for a camera
with an alloy body.

Hope it was really nothing (don't fancy sitting in Athens for a while with no camera or trying to find a Canon repair shop).
The body was realy worth it. The only mark is on the side of the pop-up flash where a tiny little bit of the black colour is missing

Heebie

Golden rules:

1.> Never ever ever ever EVER fail to have your camera strap around your neck or wrapped around your arm.

2.> see rule #1

Roy Rogers

mdebets wrote: »

Another question in regards to the tear gas. How bad is it for the camera and lenses (24-70L and 100-400L).

I'm glad you managed to dodge the violence and I'm sorry you busted your camera, but that line made me laugh a bit.

I never thought I'd see a question like that asked in complete seriousness on an Irish forum

Nice pics btw, I'd say it was scary enough. A friend of mine got tear-gassed while in Greece a few years back.

mdebets

Heebie wrote: »

Golden rules:

1.> Never ever ever ever EVER fail to have your camera strap around your neck or wrapped around your arm.

2.> see rule #1

I know, I know, I normally do it always if I change a lense standing, and this was the first time I didn't do it (and I thought I had it around the neck).
The problem in hindsight was that I was too preoccupied to check that I was not in the way of any police advancement or teargas granates, so that I didn't take proper care.

Slidinginfinity

mdebets wrote: »

Another question in regards to the tear gas. How bad is it for the camera and lenses (24-70L and 100-400L).

I don't think tear gas will cause any real damage to a camera. I have known plenty of people who have shot during tear gas and none of their gear was damaged. During the Seattle WTO riots.
You might get temporary fogging on the lens and surfaces but nothing permanent.
Best to get some protection for eyes and mouth if you are going to be shooting near tear gas, that stuff burns like hell. If nothing else get a scarf/bandanna/cloth over your face. Cheap Science goggles do a wonder for the eyes.

Thecageyone

Yup, in a heated crowd like that you really should take a few seconds on the side to secure your equipment to your person. Bad luck, hope it's fixable for ya.

Corkfeen

That was the greatest opening for a topic ever..... Hope that the cameras okay and sure now you have he story to tell people in pubs. "Well, I nearly broke my camera the other day while fleeing from teargas......" Say that you were doing some work for reuters at the time. :rolleyes:

SinisterDexter

Nice that you avoided being attacked/crushed/burned alive(see bank employees).
I had issues with my Olympus when I turned it on without Lense - I know you didn't say you did, but - then when I put back on my lense it didn't seem to work right. It did in the end when I worked out what the catch was, too long to go in to - it was due to turning on with out lense.

In short, might it just have been the setup of the camera not liking the situation, the battery being eff'd.

mdebets

Corkfeen wrote: »

That was the greatest opening for a topic ever..... Hope that the cameras okay and sure now you have he story to tell people in pubs. "Well, I nearly broke my camera the other day while fleeing from teargas......" Say that you were doing some work for reuters at the time. :rolleyes:

That's true and I can tell them that I nearly made it into every paper and TV Channel, if the photographers and cameramen would have shot a little bit to the right or to the left :mad:, as I can see everywhere pictures I remember having been there, just a little bit on the side of the picture

Blazer

3 ppl died today in the riots in Athens. Fire in a bank or something like that.

http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/cowen-greek-bailout-has-strict-guarantees-456503.html

Corkfeen

mdebets wrote: »

That's true and I can tell them that I nearly made it into every paper and TV Channel, if the photographers and cameramen would have shot a little bit to the right or to the left :mad:, as I can see everywhere pictures I remember having been there, just a little bit on the side of the picture

Apologies for possibly sounding a bit insensitive but its a fairly significant event to have witnessed...... Loving the shots in the topic also.