Dropped my Rolleicord in the creek up at Blue River last fall

I was up near Blue River taking fall color shots along a little stream. I had my old Rolleicord set up on a tripod trying to get a long exposure of the water. I went to swap out the film back and my hand slipped. The whole camera tipped forward and splashed into about six inches of water. I yanked it out within two seconds but it was already dripping wet. I dried it off best I could with my shirt and let it sit in the sun for an hour before I dared open it. The lens looked clear but I was sure the shutter was gummed up. I finished the roll anyway just to see what would happen and got about half the shots back with weird light leaks. The camera still works but now I keep a rain cover in my bag. Has anyone else had a camera take a dunk and survive?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jesse16d ago

A dunk in a creek is one thing, but that's a six inch splash. Not exactly a deep sea dive. Sounds like you got lucky with the quick pull out and the sun dry. Those old Rolleicords are built like tanks anyway, they weren't sealed up tight like modern plastic cameras. I've seen people drop Leicas in puddles and they're fine after a wipe down. Honestly, the light leaks might have been there before the dunk. You just found a good excuse to buy a rain cover.

betty_shah16d ago

Are you saying those old cameras are tougher than people give them credit for?