[ASheffield]

My K-30 was accidentally sprayed by a fire hose, the LCD screen has since gone foggy. I don't remember which lens was on at the time. It spent the night in a bag of rice and this morning it wouldn't turn on at all.
Foggy LCD screen on Pentax K-30 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Should I take it to a local shop before sending it off to Pentax?

[manntax]

My K-30 was accidentally sprayed by a fire hose, the LCD screen has since gone foggy. I don't remember which lens was on at the time. It spent the night in a bag of rice and this morning it wouldn't turn on at all.
Foggy LCD screen on Pentax K-30 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Should I take it to a local shop before sending it off to Pentax?

Let me tell you this. Weather sealed cameras are not waterproof. They are secured against some moisture or rain - I doubt the rain hits a camera with the power of fire hose ! Even if it were side splashes - they could have had enough force to squeeze some moisture inside. Not to mention the fact that you aren't sure which lens was mounted - so perhaps the lens wasn't weather sealed ?

Now - try to remove everything and give it some more time in rice or just in warm and dry place. If it won't work - probably only service can say what went wrong.

There is of course a slight chance that your camera had weather sealing faulty - but only you can know that for sure. Was it ever before a subject to any moisture or water ?

Sorry for your trouble...

[ASheffield]

They are secured against some moisture or rain - I doubt the rain hits a camera with the power of fire hose !

It was almost like heavy rain, it was coming from a ladder truck overhead.

[kenafein]

I've seen people submerge their cameras(briefly), but a fire hose is pretty extreme. How did that happen? It would also only be weather resistant if you had a WR lens on at the time. I would call around for estimates. Is it still under warranty?

Edit: I see your explanation now. I think Pentax should cover that, so long as you were using a WR lens. Send it to them, they probably had a faulty seal.

[manntax]

It was almost like heavy rain, it was coming from a ladder truck overhead.

Well - as you say - 'almost' - who knows if there was some coincidence of circumstances - the camera at certain angle, some harder splash, maybe some shock when you tried to protect the camera with sudden movement + perhaps not weather sealed lens - this all could lead in this particular circumstances to some moisture getting inside. Of course then your LCD becomes foggy as the only visible place that could have revealed that water condensation inside.

[JinDesu]

Yeah... I'll assume you had a WR lens on the camera at the time, but it would be very helpful if you did remember which lens was on the camera if you plan to send it back to Pentax.

[Adam]

Pentax probably won't cover the repair if the damage was caused by water under high pressure, though I'd still recommend sending it in to them to see what they say. Hopefully it's not a big repair!

Adam
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[kenafein]

You should be able to tell which lens was on the camera, if the SDCard survived, and assuming it was a modern lens. Check the EXIF data for the last picture.

[Docrwm]

I too recommend you send it to CRIS for repair. No local shop is likely to have the parts on hand, or the manuals, to do the job properly.

[RobA_Oz]

Let's get the terminology straight, here, for the sake of your potential claim. Heavy rain is not like water under pressure. Rain falls under gravity. Really heavy rain might feel different to a light spray, but if you've ever been directly hit with a water jet, you'd know the difference. If the camera wasn't significantly moved by the water deluge, then it could not reasonably be described as "water under pressure" and I'd stay way from using that description. Obviously, I'd also take the others' advice here, too, and be certain about whether or not you had a WR lens on the body, at the time.

[hcc]

When I have wet electronics incl. camera, there is a last chance solution:

-Remove all batteries
-Remove SD card
-Remove lens
-Open all access points (incl.Mic, SD card, USB, battery...) and leave them wide open
-Place the camera in the direct sunlight for a couple of hours - Make sure that the sensor does not face the sun and preferably same for back LCD
In Australia, we have a strong sun even in winter and it does help....

Do the same with the lens.

Place the battery & card a dry room for a day, before recharging the battery.

Afterwards, place the camera (and lens) in a dry room (eg overnight) - make sure that all access points are still fully open

Next day, charge fully the battery and try in the camera


I was able to save several equipments incl. cameras using the above. In the worst case, I had to repeat the above 3 times and I was able to get a camera working again.

Hope that the suggestion will help.

[JinDesu]

Also, as an FYI - I had water damage my k-x last year (Hurricane Sandy). After a night in rice, it wouldn't turn on. After 3 days in rice, it turned on, and it's been running pretty damn well since.

[ASheffield]

Once again it felt like a heavy rain, it was coming from a ladder truck overhead. I would know what it felt like since I had the camera at the time it was sprayed.

[ASheffield]

How did that happen?

I was taking pictures at a fire training centre.

[kenafein]

Also, as an FYI - I had water damage my k-x last year (Hurricane Sandy). After a night in rice, it wouldn't turn on. After 3 days in rice, it turned on, and it's been running pretty damn well since.

Agreed, recommendations are usually 3 days to 7 days with no battery, in rice. It sure is hard to wait though.