Camera cleaning

[Gstitt]

Does anyone know the best way to get yoghurt out of a camera?

[chris-p]

A spoon?

Seriously though, where abouts in the camera?

[redondan]

Give it to my dog to lick off!!!

[plasticmorph]

install some ants

[shelfside]

Some kind of absorbant paper would be your best bet as anything else would cause it to smear

I would also love to know how it got there in the first place

[stevieh59]

Call IT, although they'll just say give it a restart

[fogpuddle]

Use a Shammy (or another very absorbent towel)

[donoreo]

Depends if you want to use the camera again or not

[SammyC]

A few years ago I took a trip to Mont St Michel in France for a day out (yes just a day.) I took my camera of course, which at the time was a simple 350D. I was just a budding photography enthusiast at the time and couldn't justify the money it would cost to buy a 5D.

Against all safety notices and regulations I thought it would be a good idea to venture out onto the mud flats and take a picture of the beautiful island from the East. I should have listened! What started out as a beautiful summer's day, turned into a nightmare.

From the distance I saw a dark black cloud approaching which didn't really bother me, but as it got closer it brought an incredible flash flood with it. Please bare in mind that I was stood in the middle of streams of mud, with a tripod wearing just a pair of shorts and a tshirt with no knowledge tidal times which apparently bring in water as fast as 'galloping horses'. When the first bolt of lightning struck the tower I knew I was in a bit of trouble.

Within 5 minutes I was knee deep in water. My photography head was having a massive argument with my normal brain which was trying to tell me that a tripod in the middle of no where during a thunderstorm is going to get hit first. What made the decision to stop and head back an easy one was the fact the wind had blown my camera into the mud and it was completely filled up with water.

The camera wasn't working anymore and I decided that dreams of getting an award winning photo of lightning piercing the roof of Mont St Michel were over. I headed back in land like a drowned rat clutching a dead waterlogged camera and chunky metallic tripod.

So the day ended abruptly there. I wasn't too pleased about my camera. It wasn't working and it looked as if I needed to go and get a new one.

During the drive home, I thought I'd try something to get it going again. I removed my 10-20mm Sigma lens and held it out the car window along one of the Southern French motorways. We picked up some speed and by now the sun was back out so the camera got a good dry. I flicked the mirror up for good measure :-)

When we got home I left the camera by the window so it could carry on drying it out. I tried it every hour and after two days... bing... it switched on! Everything was working as normal. What'll make you even more sick is that there was no sensor dust in it! Christ Almighty, either I was touched by some higher power or those digital SLRs are pretty damn tough! Even the old 350D.

So my advice to you... which you may take seriously or not... is put it in the washing machine, make sure it's on 30 degree wash followed by a full spin to dry it out at 70mph, then hang it on the washing line for a couple of days.

Hope that helps.

Sam.

[Gstitt]

Oh good grief – I left my E-3 in a carrier bag with some shopping that I got from Morrisson's, including the aforemention yoghurt. Somehow it's gotten all over the back, but the weather ceiling should keep most of it out. I've been at it all afternoon with a cotton bud, and my neighbour told me that you can clean yoghurt with a mixture of lemon juice and soda water.
The trouble is it's still in the cracks between the buttons and seems to be hardening by the second. I may have to go out and buy an airduster.