Friday, June 17, 2011

The Fog Bug

Ever wake up in the morning feeling kind of foggy? Maybe too little sleep or too much to drink - we all know that feeling.

This week, I had serious fog issues with my camera. Several paddlers on our June Tour de Mendo commented about having fog issues with their cameras. I felt for them and took a moment to appreciate the reliability of our waterproof point and shoot camera. Our Olympus Stylus 850SW has been a champ. It has seen A LOT of use since we bought it in the summer of 2008 and been a solid camera for us - taking great photos and video (considering it is pre-HD). Each year, we have sent it in for refurbishing and maintenance and it has come back looking like new and working great.
This week despite all precautions, it caught the "fog bug." The lens and lcd panel started fogging up. I was very disappointed as I missed some great shots but what can one do?


I called Olympus yesterday and it just happens that my baby is still under warranty from last winter's repair and refurbish. They warned me that they are no longer fixing older models like this. I begged and pleaded that they bring it back to life as it is the best camera ever. Hopefully they will. Their warranty and customer service has been outstanding so I am optimistic.

I didn't tell Olympus that perhaps the camera was exposed to the deadly "fog bug." Jeff had borrowed a camera from one of the paddlers in our group and it turned out to have the "fog bug" as well. He made the best out of some of his foggy photos by making them in to black and whites.

Posted by Cate Hawthorne at 8:55 AM
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3 comments:

  1. California Kayaker MagazineJune 17, 2011 at 10:08 AM

    I had the fog bug on a older Pentax (W20) on my trip down the Columbia. Seems leaving it in a wet PFD pocket for 5 or 6 days straight was not good. I left the camera out in the sun with all hatches open, and it dried out pretty quick. never had the issue again (though I now store all my waterproof cameras with hatches open at home).

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  2. Debra KJune 17, 2011 at 3:05 PM

    Peter.That's a great tip..to dry out the camera and a hint to how it happens in the first place. It seemed to be related to the cold temperature, too. When I warmed it the condensation diminished.

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  3. Cate HawthorneJune 17, 2011 at 5:32 PM

    Thanks for the fog bug treatment suggestions.
    Cate

    PS Debra K is the paddler in the foggy photo.

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