Now there’s something I never thought I would say.
Of course I kind of backed into this purchase in a very unfortunate fashion…I dropped my Canon 5DII and it took an unexpected bath in salt water. The salt water probably wasn’t what killed it though, it might have been the bounce off the rocks before it landed in the water.
The three second rule does not apply here. The camera is toast, but I had to leave my bike in Mangalore and detour to Bangalore–India’s tech capital and in many ways it’s second city–and see if it could be serviced. It could not.
Did I mention that my 70-200 was attached at the time of impact? Also ruined. “Beyond Economic Repair” is the phrase they used at the Canon Service Center in Bangalore. They were very kind to me, but the patient was beyond saving.
Cameras and other imported electronics are extremely expensive in India. To replace the 5DII and 70-200 with like items would have cost me nearly $2000 more than getting them from B&H in NYC. Sadly, even if I had a ton of dough to drop on gear, the India-purchased items would not come with a warranty that would be valid in the States.
As a result, I decided to buy a Canon Rebel 550D, a cute little 18 megapixel SLR that looks like the nephew of a real camera. Actually, after an hour of use, I’m quite impressed by the thing and I think I’m going happy with the purchase, given the circumstances.
Photos from the new camera are forthcoming, just as soon as I get back to my bike and we get rolling again to a destination that is photo-worthy!
