EM1 and Pany 7-14mm in NAEM-1 flooding

[Wisnu]

As the title [emoji20] . here is the chronology :
1. On my last diving day we planned to dive blue hole. Normally I activate the vacuum system 30 minute before dive, this time I set up camera and activate vacuum at the hotel (more than 1 hour before diving)
2. Walked to dive centre approx. 5 minute. Ambient temp. 36 c and set up the gear. The vacuum detector status light was green.
3. Drived to blue hole, in the car the light still green.
4. Arrive at blue hole, I didn't check. During the entry at al-bell (small crack opening just enough for 1 person down to 27m), I folded the strobe arms and put my camera on my chest. My wife followed behind me.
5. I didn't check the camera during descending. In 28 m, when I prepare to shoot my wife, I realized the light was blinking red. No way, to surface using the same entry.
6. I wait my wife and told her and dive guide that I would surface. I could see few water droplets inside the housing.
7. Slowly ascending and during safety stop I could see the dome port almost full with water and there were two points leakage (tinny bubbling) from the housing lid, ie, at 11 and 1 o'clock.
8. Once on land, immediately removed the camera from housing, rinsed with lot of fresh water and dried it with compressed air.

After math :
No problem with camera. Battery compartment and sensor chamber are dry. I can immediately use the camera with my other lens.
The pany lens is not working until now. I notice visible water vapour inside the lens. I have not dismantled the lens body yet.
No problem with the housing. Once completely dry, I can use the housing with same o-ring. The vacuum system is also working well. Battery need to be replaced though.

Still no idea how could this happened.

And one question, is there I can do with my pany lens? Any hope or just use it as a paper weight

Any suggestion ?


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[Interceptor121]

Water inside doesn't help. The lens zoom is manual but the autofocus is motorised. Did you switch the camera off as soon as you detected the leak? What you can do is to rest the lens in a ventilated environment then put in a bag with desiccant or rise and wait. If after a few days it's still dead it's possible that the motor is gone. You also need to check if there is any watermark inside the lens as the elements are not sealed. Try all of that and then check again. Do not for any reason try and use the lens of wet inside

 

[Wisnu]

Thanks,
I did not switch on the camera while under water. I used other lens for second dive.
Later in the afternoon, I put the lens back to check, but not working, black screen, the camera can't detect the lens.
Seem there's water vapour / droplets on the lens.
I'm flying back home now. I have one box of desicant and heated dry box. Let see.





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[Wisnu]

Update:
After 3 days dipped in desiccant, I tried the lens. It work for a second before the monitor went black again - no communication between camera and lens. Even worse, couldn't switch-off the camera. I hv to remove the battery to switch off.

 

[girellator]

What is very disturbing in this sad story is although you have probably loose an expensive lense is that the light stay green for a long time ...before blinking red only underwater ... Can we trust the vacuum anymore ???

 

[Interceptor121]

A vacuum system needs you to look at it. Probably an audible alarm would be a good addition but this seems very unfortunate

Connecting the lens to the system before it got completely dry most likely fried it the first thing to do if a flood is detected is to switch the camera off

 

[markmga]

What sort of vacuum system was installed?

 

[Wisnu]

Built-in Naiticam integrated electronic vacuum and leak detection system. Standard feature of Nauticam housing for EM-1

Indeed, it is very unfortunate even. The system had served me for more than 100 dives without any problem. Normally I always keep looking the status light while descending.
But not that time. The entry point is small crack (just enough for one diver) down to 27 m. I hold the camera and keep close to my chest to protect it.
The status light was green in the car but it's not impossible the leak happened before entering the water, may be I just didn't notice. Hot and sunny day.
Still trying to figure the root cause

---------- Post added July 31st, 2015 at 09:41 PM ----------

Try again today. Good thing. It works! but on MF. Seem the AF motor is dead.

 

[Interceptor121]

Wisnu I was just reading my gx7 manual and it looks like the moisture alarm is also active together with the vacuum so there should have been a sound together with the blinking red light???

 

[Wisnu]

Wisnu I was just reading my gx7 manual and it looks like the moisture alarm is also active together with the vacuum so there should have been a sound together with the blinking red light???

Probably, but I'm not sure. I can't recall if there was sound when the camera flooded. I have difficulty to hear sound at certain frequency. At example, I can't hear the alarm from my Citizen aqualand watch.