Last summer, I had a minor mishap with my equipment. At the end of a good hike, I had left my GFX 100S on its tripod to take care of an urgent oil change, and while my back was turned, a sudden thud made me jump. It was almost dark, and I had just crossed the territory of some wolves, as indicated by a sign placed near a wildlife surveillance camera.
However, the wolf had nothing to do with the small disaster I turned to find: the GFX and its 35-70mm lens had nosedived and were lying flat on the path. The explanation lay with the tripod. My newly acquired Tree Legged Thing had tried to sneak away on two legs while my back was turned. I should have known better, when fatigue makes you hesitant to check that everything is tight at the end of the day.
I picked up the injured, prepared for the worst. Fortunately, if I can say so, it was a forest path covered with a thin layer of humus, which somewhat cushioned the impact between these pieces of refined Japanese technology and the wild side. The camera body had rotated in the L-bracket, and the tension on the locking screw was significant. This also relieved some of the impact.
After unscrewing it, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the bottom of the body had no apparent damage. Others have been less fortunate. I then resigned myself to saying goodbye to my 35-70mm lens, and when zooming the mechanism fully, I must have noticed a slight dent at some point, but it seems harmless and the lens has produced a good number of sharp images since. Amazing.
However, I didn't immediately realize that the viewfinder was faulty. I thought my eyes were just getting tired, but yesterday, while handling the camera, I noticed a faint rattling noise, and it turned out to be coming from the viewfinder. The diopter adjustment screw isn't working properly anymore and gets stuck at a certain point, and the image is never truly sharp. An element inside seems to be loose. I noticed two small screws behind the viewfinder's rubber cover, which gives me a little hope. Perhaps it won't be necessary to send the camera back for repair with a complete disassembly. Does anyone know what the internal components look like inside the viewfinder and if any parts are likely to come loose after an impact without breaking and could be reassembled ?
…The moral of the story: no matter how urgent the situation, never turn your back on a GFX camera mounted on its tripod when the smell of the stable becomes overpowering at the end of a long day
However, the wolf had nothing to do with the small disaster I turned to find: the GFX and its 35-70mm lens had nosedived and were lying flat on the path. The explanation lay with the tripod. My newly acquired Tree Legged Thing had tried to sneak away on two legs while my back was turned. I should have known better, when fatigue makes you hesitant to check that everything is tight at the end of the day.
I picked up the injured, prepared for the worst. Fortunately, if I can say so, it was a forest path covered with a thin layer of humus, which somewhat cushioned the impact between these pieces of refined Japanese technology and the wild side. The camera body had rotated in the L-bracket, and the tension on the locking screw was significant. This also relieved some of the impact.
After unscrewing it, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the bottom of the body had no apparent damage. Others have been less fortunate. I then resigned myself to saying goodbye to my 35-70mm lens, and when zooming the mechanism fully, I must have noticed a slight dent at some point, but it seems harmless and the lens has produced a good number of sharp images since. Amazing.
However, I didn't immediately realize that the viewfinder was faulty. I thought my eyes were just getting tired, but yesterday, while handling the camera, I noticed a faint rattling noise, and it turned out to be coming from the viewfinder. The diopter adjustment screw isn't working properly anymore and gets stuck at a certain point, and the image is never truly sharp. An element inside seems to be loose. I noticed two small screws behind the viewfinder's rubber cover, which gives me a little hope. Perhaps it won't be necessary to send the camera back for repair with a complete disassembly. Does anyone know what the internal components look like inside the viewfinder and if any parts are likely to come loose after an impact without breaking and could be reassembled ?
…The moral of the story: no matter how urgent the situation, never turn your back on a GFX camera mounted on its tripod when the smell of the stable becomes overpowering at the end of a long day
