Your Sony camera got wet and won’t turn on? There may be some good news for you, after all.

Water damage is a common problem that many photographers have to go through.

You might be out shooting and get caught in torrential rain. Or even doing a seascape and the camera lands in the ocean waters.

You possibly will be worried if your DSLR is not either waterproof or water-resistant.

However, the fact that you are here, reading this article means the worst has happened-your Sony DSLR failed to turn on after you dropped it in water.

Don’t worry, there are many approaches in this mini write-up that will help you remedy the situation.

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What To Do When Your Sony Camera Falls Into the Water

How do you fix your camera if it has water in it?

Even if you don’t intend to fix the water-damaged camera on your own, there are a couple of things you need to do to increase the recovery chances of your gear.

First, pick up the camera as fast as possible once it falls down. The longer it stays in the water, the more extensive the damage will be.

Next, take out all detachable components. This includes the battery, SD, and lens.

Dry them up with a towel or piece of cloth and keep them somewhere warm.

Assuming this happened in the field where there is no towel, then be inventive. Use your sock or shirt…anything that is dry and fairly clean.

Now, take the camera and turn it around to let all open slots let out water that’s inside them. You can even shake the camera gently so all droplets come out.

What if the Camera Fell Into Salt Water?

Now that’s a totally different ball game. In such a case, before detaching any component, you need to dunk the camera in fresh water to wash off the salt water.

Saltwater is extremely corrosive.

If allowed to linger for longer, parts of your camera will begin to rust and that would make for costly repair or damage the equipment completely.

Recovery Strategies To Bring Your Water-Damaged Sony Camera Back to Life

1. Dry It Up With a Towel

Use a dry towel or piece of cloth to wipe off water on the exterior of the camera, the battery compartment, and around the lens area.

2. Dunk It in Rice

Buy some rice and put it in a container or a bag that can seal super tight. It can be hard to make the camera sink inside the rice.

So, maybe put the rig first then pour rice over it to ensure it is completely covered.

You see, rice is composed of extra tiny particles that could easily find their way into the camera.

For this reason, some people opt to wrap a piece of cloth around it or kitchen wipes.

Rice is a good absorbent and it will draw moisture out of the camera. Get your gear out in about 2-3 days.

Slide in the battery, SD, and lens, then power it on to see if the magic rice trick worked.

Worth mentioning; don’t take a camera that was dropped into salt water straight into a rice container.

Always remember to rinse it in fresh water first.

Note: any rice will do the job just fine. It doesn’t have to be an expensive one.

3. Use a Hairdryer

A hairdryer streams out gushes of warm air which can suck the moisture out of the camera. As was said earlier, perhaps you are not at home where you can access drying items.

In this scenario, you can turn your car on and get the camera near the air circulation vents.

As the car revs on, hot air from the fan will help dry up your gear.

Another option would be to visit any nearby establishment with toilets that are equipped with a hand dryer.

See? There are many ways to get your camera dry ASAP.

4. Reach Out to the Manufacturer

Obviously, if your camera’s warranty is still running, you may want to check in with your manufacturer to see if they can help.

In all honesty, do not expect free help as warranties are designed to cover defects that the camera came with from the shop-not personal accidents like dropping your gear into the water.

Even if the warranty proves useless, you could still talk to the manufacturing company so they can advise you on the best approach to take.

Some can agree to repair your camera but at a cost.

5. Get the Help of a Camera Repair Expert

At this point, all DIY methods have possibly failed and the manufacturer cannot help as well.

It would be advisable to scout for a reputable camera repair expert and seek their help.

6. Use Your Insurance Cover

If you are someone who travels a lot, there is a possibility the insurance plan you took also covers personal effects.

If this applies, then contact the provider so they can either cater for the repair costs or even get you new gear.

If none of the above methods work, then it looks like your Sony camera is done for.

At this point, you might as well strip it for parts or let it be and hope Mother Nature will fix it for you with time.

7. Open It Up and Try Drying the Interior Parts

At this point, all hope is lost, right? Now, the best part about being at the bottom is that there is nothing more to lose.

So at this point, head over to YouTube and search how to disassemble a Sony DSLR. So many useful guides will pop up.

Try watching a couple of videos to find out the instructor that offers the best and simplest explanations in a stepwise manner.

You might not even need to take apart the interior components. Just remove the bottom panel, tripod mounting bracket,

Have alcohol and microfiber cloth nearby and rub out any water molecules you come across.

If you succeed at taking apart a majority of the camera parts, then congratulations. You might just have been able to target and dry all wet spots.

Carefully put the camera back together, slide the battery, SD, and lens back on and try to power it on.

If the gear powers on, you deserve to give yourself a pat on the back and grab a bottle of beer, a frappuccino, or any of your favorite drinks.

If the camera doesn’t come back to life, don’t beat yourself up. You already tried your best.

Next time you shop for a camera, try going for waterproof DSLRs and other mirrorless systems. This way, you can continue working even when the weather gets gnarly.