Self-deprecating Only!

[Ahh!]

Here's a thread open to all who are willing to share their own equipment related "What not to do's." These are usually those events immediately followed by [/Deleted Expletives].

The only rule is, it has to be something YOU did to yourself...

I'll lead off just to get you started, having been recently inspired by the latest Peterism. I'll just stop talking and let the picture say the rest...

[LDB]

OUCH! I guess that's one vote affirming the benefit of a filter on the front for protection.

[CaptainTom]

Originally Posted by LDB

OUCH! I guess that's one vote affirming the benefit of a filter on the front for protection.

Nah !! If the filter weren't there, there wouldn't have been ANY damage.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. ( anti filterite )

[Ahh!]

Well, too soon to tell...I can't yet get the @#$! filter off the lens yet, despite attempts with both a filter wrench (plastic, albeit) nor a rubber jar opener...grrr...[/Deleted Expletives]

[CaptainTom]

pluck out the rest of the broken glass. with needle nose pliers, grab the ring (only the filter ring) and pull it toward the center. It will bend and then come away from the lens threads. Don't try this unless you are confident, and have had a shot of whiskey or two.

alternative. take it to a camera repair shop.

[Ahh!]

Confidence gained, plucked, grabbed, pulled, bent, and away. Not without a fight. Sure couldn't have used it the way it was!

[carrbowl]

Whoops

[swanny338]

Don't let 15 foot light stands at max height fall with a flash on the end. While my canon 580ex is perfectly intact, barely even a scuff. The flash won't fire.

Don't slip and fall with a camera backpack full of all your gear. I slipped and fell right onto the bottom of the bag. My 70-200 2.8 L would only shoot at 2.8. The aperture wouldn't close.

Skateboards and fisheyes, while cool.... Don't mix to well. The front of my fisheye has been hit more than once.

Don't be a dumbass and let your shoulder bag with a digital hasselblad in it fall 5 feet to a solid cement ground. While the camera was fine... Talk about a scary experience.

All of my repairs have been covered by my insurance.... Get insurance.

I have had light stands knocked over by skateboards and wind, lenses broken, flashes destroyed, and more close calls than I like to think about. And I am pretty careful and not very clumsy...

Like I said before, get insurance for your camera gear.

[DeLeon]

Originally Posted by swanny338

...Don't be a dumbass and let your shoulder bag with a digital hasselblad in it fall 5 feet to a solid cement ground. While the camera was fine... Talk about a scary experience.....

I kind of threw up in the back of my mouth just a little bit.

[AndrewCCM]

UGH UGH UGH...

This just one reason I keep a hood on my lenses regardless if I am indoors or not. They have saved me a couple of times... Mainly due to me forgetting that I am tethered to my flash via battery pack and yanking off of table and such...

I have UV's on my zooms, but not on my primes... Not exactly sure why that is, but it is what it is...

I hope your camera and lens survived that...

[PhotoByLeal]

It happens to all of us at one point or another!

It happen to me when we were in Disney World standing in line to get on a ride... I was holding our new Canon Video Camera and it slipped out of my hands and BROKE the FILTER only! Thank the FILTER , because it landed right on the LENS!

That's why I spend the MONEY on FILTERS! It saved our VC!

Later,
Angel

[Ahh!]

Original story not yet over. The lens picked up some shrapnel or something and started binding up in the zoom. Sent it off to the factory...sigh. Anybody else want to share pix of their less-than-handi work?

[rockin-photos]

Well, I don't know that this applies, I didn't distroy a camera or lens, but while doing my first model shoot with a new camera, I acidentally had the WB set for flourecent lighting while shooting outdoors. The results were a blue cast on all 200+ images I shot that day.
HERE is and example of one of the images before I repaired it in PSP.
HERE is the repaired version.

[Fotographie-Junge]

Originally Posted by rockin-photos

Well, I don't know that this applies, I didn't distroy a camera or lens, but while doing my first model shoot with a new camera, I acidentally had the WB set for flourecent lighting while shooting outdoors. The results were a blue cast on all 200+ images I shot that day.
HERE is and example of one of the images before I repaired it in PSP.
HERE is the repaired version.

Hahaha(not at the fact of WB, but randomness) ....you didnt shoot in RAW?

[eRoc]

I was taking pictures of my sister next to a lake. I kept scooching back little by little and almost fell 15ft off this little cliff.

Needless to say, I look back while I'm scooching now.

I've done the whole umbrella taking off in the wind maneuver. I had to bend one of my umbrellas back into shape and reinforce with scotch tape. lol. It still works.