Is it worth repairing a water damaged camera?

[lauraea]

I recently had an accident that resulted in my 5D mkiii experiencing water damage. I sent the camera into Canon for a repair assessment and they quoted me $700 to repair. They will need to put in a new circuit board and clean the insides. They claim it will be restored to "good working order". This is the first time I've had to deal with this situation so I'm wondering if the $700 fix has a good chance at being successful for a couple more years. I know Canon cannot guarantee anything but if repairing the camera has a good chance at restoring it to a similar quality as before the accident, I would rather spend $700 than $2,000, or whatever a new mkiii is going for. If anyone has any experience with this I would greatly appreciate any useful information! Thank you.

[Waddizzle]

Fix it, and get a shutter count.  Sell it.  Buy a new body.  

Or, fix it, and keep using it.

Either ey fix it, because if you don't you're going to plunk down cash for a new one.

[lauraea]

That was my thinking as well, thanks for your input!

[Ray-uk]

the water damage is obviously minimal otherwise Canon would not attempt a repair. I would say get it repaired.

[kvbarkley]

Fresh water: Repair it

Salt Water: Junk it

[ebiggs1]

"Fresh water: Repair it

Salt Water: Junk it"

This is good advice some of the other isn't so good.

First, how wet?  Water and cameras usually do not do well together.

From my experience with Canon CPS, if Canon says they can fix it for $700 you can't buy another one for that, can you?  You will get a warranty from Canon.  You are probably just getting the old body back with new guts.  New camera for $700 !?!?

[lauraea · Accepted solution]

Thank you very much for your input. It was minimal water damage so hopefully the repair will be successful. My thinking was yes, going ahead with the repair is the way to go. But I've also read that sometimes the repair isn't worth it depending on the amount of water damage so I was just looking for some more advice. But in the case of my camera, I think repairing it now is the best option. I appreciate your input!

[RobertTheFat]

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@lauraea wrote:
Thank you very much for your input. It was minimal water damage so hopefully the repair will be successful. My thinking was yes, going ahead with the repair is the way to go. But I've also read that sometimes the repair isn't worth it depending on the amount of water damage so I was just looking for some more advice. But in the case of my camera, I think repairing it now is the best option. I appreciate your input!

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The point is that Canon won't lie to you about what they can do. If they think they can fix the camera to your satisfaction, they're probably right.