Gear broken in Thailand - please help!

Will James

Will James

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Will
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Hi everyone,

I'm currently one week into a 6 week trip in Thailand and 2 of my three lenses have broken already :'(

The first was my fault...my black rapid strap was not screwed into the camera very well (I should've checked) and my 500D with 50 1.8 fell onto the pavement. The camera is ok, the lens is in three pieces. However, I've accepted that.

I purchased a new Sigma 17-50 2.8 OS HSM last month (and had to get a replacement for the first one as the autofocus system was faulty), and two days ago my new one just stopped working - no autofocus, no OS (I don't think anyway) and the aperture blades seem to be stuck on f/2.8 even if I adjust the settings on the camera. For example, if I shoot at f/2.8 with manual focus the exposure comes out fine. If I close down the aperture, the photos become majorly overexposed. If I manually increase the shutter speed, it is apparent in the photos that although the camera says it's shooting at f/16, the DoF shows it is still f/2.8. This has really annoyed me as now I can't even shoot with manual focus for anything narrower than 2.8, meaning no wide-angle shots of beaches or temples :'(

It's as if there has been water damage but I have not been in any rain or anywhere where water has even touched my camera or equipment.

My Tamron 70-300 USD is fine and works absolutely perfectly with the camera.

I now only have the Tamron to shoot with and I'm quite upset as I won't be able to get any wider angled shots than 70mm for temples and things.

Might be a silly question but is there anything I can do to improve this situation so that I can still get some shots that I want? I have contacted Amazon and they have said a refund is fine when I return to the UK in mid-September.

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Will.
 
Hi

It could be the lens mount has been damaged when you dropped the camera but as the Tamron works thats unlikely but not out of the question.

Only thing I can suggest is maybe look to buy a replacement lens (check it works on the camera first though in case it is the lens mount0. A new 18-55 while not the best lens in the world isnt too expensive and 6 weeks on holiday is a long time to have to rely sole;y on the 70-300. I guess a lot depends on how happy you are with 70mm at the short end plus the 1.6 multiplier.

Hope you find a solution
Andrew
 
Had a similar thing happen in Vietnam - ended up hunting down a Canon store and bought a new lens although in this case was only a 50mm F1.8 so wasn't too expensive to replace.
 
It's a long shot but try getting a bag of uncooked rice and pop the lens in there for about 24 hours. It may have succumbed to the humidity or suffered from going into/out of air conditioning. Ensure the lens contacts are clear of corrosion, maybe try a calibrated 'tap' to see if the blades have jammed. (Wrap it in a cloth to avoid marking the outside of the lens). If you have the cash a plastic fantastic 50mm is a cheap alternative you'll never regret having.
 
If you are able to get to Bangkok then there are some good stores there with great prices. Search google. MBK has some good ones on 5th floor (I think)
 
Al Brum said:
It's a long shot but try getting a bag of uncooked rice and pop the lens in there for about 24 hours. It may have succumbed to the humidity or suffered from going into/out of air conditioning. Ensure the lens contacts are clear of corrosion, maybe try a calibrated 'tap' to see if the blades have jammed. (Wrap it in a cloth to avoid marking the outside of the lens). If you have the cash a plastic fantastic 50mm is a cheap alternative you'll never regret having.
Click to expand...

:plusone::agree: You have to be careful with equipment in extreme's of temperature, good idea
 
So, to all intents and purposes, the camera isn't 'seeing' the lens, right?

I've had success, in a similar situation, using the ol' pencil eraser trick. In your situation, I certainly be giving it a try.

In case you're unfamiliar with it, Will, .... take one household pencil eraser, aka 'a rubber', and gently rub the electrical contact pins on the mating surface of the lens. I personally decided not to do the same to the oposing contacts on the camera body (Canon advise against it, but I don't know why), just the lens. Watch that bits don't fall into any camera gear, but you shouldn't be rubbing hard enough, or long enough, to produce any.

Ironically, it was a second-hand Tamron 70-300 that needed this! A cleaning cloth had no effect but, for me, the rubber worked a treat.

I hope that helps.
 
jojo90 said:
If you are able to get to Bangkok then there are some good stores there with great prices. Search google. MBK has some good ones on 5th floor (I think)
Click to expand...

Again, to echo this, MBK has some stores which at least when i was there last offered pretty competitive prices, and it was quite easy to knock substantial amounts off the prices with a spot of haggling.
Also, major centres such as Chiang Mai, Krabi, Phuket will all have stores where you will be able to source something wider than what you are left with.

Very strange if it is humidity that has had the effect on your Tamron, I have spent quite a lot of time in the tropics but never had this problem or indeed come across anyone else who has!

Good luck
 
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