Camera Follies

I recently acquired the Nikon Z6 with the 24-70 f/4 lens.
But the 24-70 has been off for repairs and I just got it back.

I'm pretty protective of my equipment, but I messed up big
time with this lens. The lens is "retractable", meaning that
you have to twist the barrel to extend the lens before you
can use it. That makes the lens compact. Some people (like
me) appreciate the compactness, but a lot of reviewers have
complained about the risk of missing shots because of the
extra movement you have to make before the lens is ready
to take pictures.

Well I found a bigger issue.

The Z6 has an oversized lens release button. I was out
shooting about a month ago and it was time to put the camera
back in the bag. So I turned the lens barrel to retract it
and somehow I must have bumped the lens release button
at the same time. In what seemed like slow motion I saw the
lens drop out of the camera and do a somersault on its way
to the ground. The rear element planted itself in soft wet
grass and the lens was standing straight up. I picked it up,
turned it over, and saw that the rear element and the electrical
contacts were covered in mucky water and sand particles.

Yikes!

Luckily I had a body cap and a rear lens cap in my bag.
I capped everything up and returned home. At home I tried,
without much confidence of success, to see if I could clean
up the mess. I put some Eclipse fluid on a Pecpad and gingerly
dabbed at the rear element. No dice. The muck was welded on
to the rear element. As I expected, the lens had to be sent
off for repair.

So, $500 CAN later, I have my lens back. The rear element and
electrical contacts were replaced. I'm now a wiser but poorer man.

In any case, I got this shot of Kailey on a beautiful evening.

Best viewed at original size.