Can a camera still work after falling in water?

Question

I still had Polaroid digital in my pocket..oops! took it apart to see if I could air dry it...now I am hoping it just needs a new battery.Any ideas

Answer 1

If a camera falls into the water the best thing (albeit not a sure thing) to do is to immediately take the battery and memory card out and dry everything to the best of your ability. You should leave all of the doors open and let the camera sit for 3 or more days to be absolutely sure that it's dry. It's important that everything is dry or you'll ruin the camera if you power it on wet.

The battery should still work after a dip. After the drying period reassemble the components and try turning it on. If it turns on, you got lucky. If it doesn't, a new battery probably wouldn't help.

Answer 2

You're probably out of luck.  Especially if it was salt water.  But wait until it's very, VERY dry, then wait some more, and then turn it on, and you might just get lucky.  Absolutely DO NOT turn it on while it's still wet.  And take the batteries out.  You might want to seal it in a tupperware container with some uncooked rice or anything else that would act as a dessicant (moisture remover).

When it happened to me, though, my camera never worked again :(

Answer 3

The only way it could possibly still work is if the battery was not in while you dropped it in water. And even then it is probably unlikely that you could get all the water out.

I did the same thing, washed my clothes while the camera was still in the pocket. I tried to open it and dry it but eventually had to buy a new camera.