Camera cleaning....HELP!!!

[Insel]

I have a Vivitar Vivicam 6200w which we used last year. The camera was great, took some nice photos. I cleaned it thoroughly after we finished snorkeling....or so I thought. We did use it afterward, it was fine.

 

I'm getting things ready again and when I went to add batteries and a card, the buttons are stuck on the camera. Of course Vivitar has nothing on there site and the manuel is of no help.

 

So, I'm asking all of the divers and photo people here, the best source.

 

Should I just soak it in water or is there a sloution that would help?

 

Thanks.

[rsldonk]

depends on what's stuck and why. If it's just salt buildup, a soak in clean, fresh water should do the trick. If the salt has corroded the metal springs, you're out of luck, sorry.

[Insel]

I did a regular water soak and it's fine. Odd that it became an issue after it was cleaned and worked after being in salt water, but I'm happy.

Thanks.

[w&k]

Should I just soak it in water

 

I'm going to ass/u/me that you mean tap water for that soak.

 

If you know someone that works in a laboratory (chemistry, environmental, medical), ask them to get you some Deionized water (DI) for your camera. If not, the distilled water you can buy by the gallon at the store is the next best thing.

 

Deionized/distilled water contains very, very little mineral or salt content, and it may dislodge your buttons if they are held down by a water-soluble deposit of some type. It will take awhile. It's also a good trick for booties and wetsuits with salty zippers.

 

I always soak my camera case at least three separate times in DI water after a trip, and if we are not flying, I bring a bottle of it to fill my lens.

 

Good luck!

 

Wendy