camera buttons dont work and my camera wont take pictures when i click the buttons

[izzy11]

i own a canon eos rebel xti and i just came back from the beach and my bag with the camera in it got wet. the camera turns on but none of the buttons except the display button work, when i click the button, it doesn't take pictures, and when i try connecting it to my computer my camera doesnt show up. is this happening because of water damage? how can i fix it? I have tried taking the memory card and battery out, switching it and what not.

[RobertTheFat]

If it was a fresh-water beach, open the camera up, stow it in a warm, dry place for a few months, and hope for the best. If it was a salt-water beach, the camera is probably dead. Salt water is very corrosive to electronics, and its effect can persist even after the camera is dry. In either case, you might as well forget about having the camera repaired. If repairs can be done at all, they will almost certainly cost more than the camera is worth.

On the good side, that's why you took an old camera to the beach. Beaches are dangerous to cameras, and you don't want to expose expensive equipment to unnecessary risk. If it were a modern, expensive camera, you'd feel a lot worse.

[StanNH]

I've done underwater photography for many years, and the rule of thumb is a wet camera is a dead camera.  One old remedy is to put the camera in a bag of rice, the theory being that the rice will draw the moisture out of the camera.  In your case, it sounds like some of the electronics were damaged, so don't expect much.

As Robert mentioned, salt water is highly corrosive so, if that's what it saw, you're likely ready to go camera shopping.

[jrhoffman75]

Do you have a dehumidifier in your home? If so, place camera in front of the outlet flow; it will speed up drying.

But, as Bob says, it may well be dead.