Monday, October 7, 2013

Equipment Loss

A few days ago, when I was shooting in Closed Canyon, I lost the batteries from my camera.

The battery grip on my camera holds two Li-Ion battery packs on a removable tray. The tray is captured and held in place by a latch mechanism. It is a single point of connection, ie there is no secondary latch or catch to hold the tray in place.




The camera had been functioning fine. I had not dropped it or jarred it. I had been gently working my way down the canyon with the camera and tripod.

Without warning, the tray and both batteries slid out. They clattered down the slickrock and into a deep pool of stagnant water. It was too far down and too deep for me to attempt to recover. It just wasn't safe.




I cannot figure out how it happened. Fortunately I had the alternate battery tray (holds 6 AA's) back at the hotel. It uses the same latch mechanism. I played around with it and could not recreate the accident.

I've contacted Canon. Their response is for me to simply buy a new one. Since the battery grip is out of warranty and the tray that failed is gone (ie cannot be inspected), they won't take any responsibility.

I can see their side. But I think they should have at least offered to check out their design and look for latch failures in other circumstances.

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