Can this camera be saved? Oly C-8080 exposed to saltwater during dive

Seamaiden

Hello everyone, very long time no see. (Life and all, you know how it goes..)

My husband, son and I recently went to Puerto Rico, and decided to do some diving there (gotta give mad props to Parguera Divers, VERY professional outfit!). During our second dive the U/W housing for the flash unit failed, as I recollect my husband said it appeared to be slightly cracked. The entire housing unit for the camera and flash didn't completely flood, but it flooded enough to allow saltwater in.

We were told by one of the master divers about an outfit that might be able to save our Oly C-8080 for a very reasonable price. This won't address the issue with the flash unit case, but my question is: Can this camera be saved? What about the SD card? I don't think my husband has taken anything out since his return more than a month ago (I was on the island for a month and have only been back for a couple of weeks).

I'm a bit chagrined that he's done nothing, because I know how saltwater works, and time really is of the essence, but at this point it is what it is. We bought the camera and rig specifically to do U/W photography (something I am NO good at.. photography in general is not a skill I possess, but y'all should see what my father can do!) and I'd hate to have to scrap the whole thing without at least giving her a go at saving.

ziggy53

Seamaiden wrote:

... I don't think my husband has taken anything out since his return more than a month ago (I was on the island for a month and have only been back for a couple of weeks).

I'm a bit chagrined that he's done nothing, because I know how saltwater works, and time really is of the essence, but at this point it is what it is. ...

I guess I don't know what to say?

Yes, the camera should have been attended to immediately, because, as you intimate, saltwater is he!! on electronics and optics.

At least, the SD card should have been unloaded from the camera and tested for salt to determine if it had been exposed to saltwater, and if it had, remedial action like flushing with distilled water and very gentle drying should have been done to try to rescue the card and its contents.

The camera may well be a total loss because a month is plenty of time for massive corrosion to occur. If any saltwater got into the lens, it may be very difficult to extricate and may have already etched the coating.

I guess at this point you have little to lose by trying to clean the SD card exterior (damp cloth and then dry) and then check for contents with an external reader.

Then I would just buy a cheap SD card and put it into the camera and see if it comes to life. If it still seems to function, try some critical tests in harsh lighting (high contrast lighting Shay would say) to see if the lens is damaged. Also try to duplicate shots you might have preserved from before to see if the after images show any change in sharpness or contrast. Take a small LED flashlight and shine it into the lens at different angles to see if you can see any coating or internal contamination.

If all goes well you can try the original card back in the camera, but at least isolate the components first for testing.

You might get lucky?

Good luck with the camera, and good luck with the husband.

ziggy53

Stan

A complete answer to a very sore question.

It reminds me of the only time I have ever had my car broken into... I lost my camera with my sister's wedding photos, (my snap shots not the proper ones) but I had left the film in the oly OM2N in the car for longer than I should.

The only thing I can say over Ziggy's brilliant reply is that the contacts on a SD card are robust so if the contacts are corroded, you can possibly clean the contacts abrasively if you can get at the contacts, (some you can, some are recessed) or maybe wipe them with vinegar.

Good luck
Stan

Seamaiden

Thanks!

I asked my hubby about the camera, he says that he did rinse it off, but obviously you can't get to the 'innards' of the thing. It never did fire back up as far as I know. He says that he washed off the SD card, but feels that there are so few photos on it that it's not worth messing around with.

ziggy53

KEH has an Olympus C-8080 in EX condition for $465USD.

ziggy53

Seamaiden

(I'm assuming EX condition = excellent condition) WOW! That's a fraction of what we paid for the camera two years ago. I'd still like to get whatever we can off the card, and I just got a Lexmark x8350 that's got card readers (I had no idea, our fax machine died so I needed a new one, Staples had a great deal) so, I'm going to find that little SD and slap her in there!