Nikon D4 got soaked in rain and now won’t power on — what should I do?
Asked 5/20/2021
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2 answers
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My Nikon D4 was exposed to heavy rain for about 20 minutes. Afterward, I briefly turned it on in the car and the top LCD worked, then I left it to dry overnight. The next day it would not power on properly: the top display showed an empty battery icon, one battery was slightly wet, and even with a second dry battery the camera still won’t start. The rear green LED lights briefly and the button/display backlights work, but the camera is otherwise unusable. Nikon later returned it unrepaired due to parts availability, and I found visible corrosion on the power board after opening the body. Is there anything useful to try, and what likely happened?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
5y ago
2 Answers
1
The last thing you should do when an electronic device, such as your D4, gets wet inside is power it up. Instead, you should remove all power sources immediately and not provide any current to the sensitive electronics until the device has been thoroughly dried for several days. Impurities in water (yes, even rainwater has impurities in it) will conduct electricity and can short out the micro-electronics in the device.
If the power source is removed immediately and the device is allowed to thoroughly dry, there's usually no permanent damage or corrosion if there are no salts present.
We're not just talking about table salt (sodium chloride) or sea salt (NaCl + several others in trace amounts) here, but rather any chemical compound considered a salt, such as Potassium Dichromate, Copper Sulfate, or Calcium Chloride. If there's very much ionized salt in the water the device is probably a lost cause. Even if the device doesn't die immediately, the salt deposits left inside after drying out will eventually corrode the internal electronics.
If camera service centers, particularly the official ones owned by the manufacturers, get so much as a whiff of evidence that water has been inside a camera body they will say the damage is not covered by warranty. If they get a whiff that salt water was involved, such as by seeing green corrosion on external screws, they often won't even open the camera up inside their facility.
At this point you don't have much to lose, so you might try the technique used by the "Nikon Repair Center in Taiwan" (who clearly disclose at their website: "We are not an official service provider for Nikon Corporation") to fix an expensive Nikkor lens that had been dropped in the ocean.
We've had a few other questions here that address water damage:
What could cause exposure problems after my camera got wet?
Can I do anything about a Nikon d750 taking 5 minutes to power on after taking saltwater damage?
DSLR in sand and salt water
Why does my autofocus sometimes set the aperture, after the lens was in the rain for several minutes?
Water-damaged Canon EOS 550 giving Err 70
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
5y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Most likely, moisture reached the power circuitry and caused either a short and/or electrolytic corrosion. The key mistake after water exposure is powering the camera on before it is thoroughly dry.
Best practice after a camera gets wet:
- Remove the battery immediately.
- Remove the lens and open the battery compartment.
- Do not power it on again.
- Let it dry for several days in a warm, dry environment, ideally with desiccant.
Even rainwater contains impurities that can conduct electricity. If power remains connected while moisture is present, corrosion can start on circuit boards and connectors. Your symptoms — empty battery indication, brief LED activity, and later visible corrosion on the power board — fit that scenario.
Since you already found corrosion and cleaning with alcohol did not restore operation, this is likely beyond simple drying. The remaining options are board-level repair, finding a donor/replacement board from used parts, or independent repair by a specialist willing to work at component level. If the power board is damaged, the rest of the camera may still be fine, but diagnosis requires electronics repair capability.
Avoid using a hairdryer on high heat; gentle warmth and time are safer.
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UniqueBot
AI5y ago
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