How to Clean a Massive Tomato Mess Off of My D3S?

[Juanito]

I've put my cameras through all kinds of hell - Burning Man dust, ocean salt water, beer spewed from the mouths of drunken partyers etc but nothing compares to the muck that I subjected my D3s yesterday. I, either bravely or foolishly, took it into the middle of a tomato battle. What's a tomato battle you ask? Well, it's where organizers drop several tons of tomatoes on the ground and then unleash hundreds of combatants to hurl them at each other. This is me afterward. (That shirt used to be white.)



I covered the front half of my camera thinking that the back wouldn't get hit. How wrong I was. Basically, I ended up with Nikon marinara. Here's what it looked like:



So I used lens cleaning solution to clean most of it off. I'm concerned that there may be lingering acidity (since tomatoes are acidic) so I'm wondering how to do my final cleaning. There's also tomato gunk in crevices that needs to be removed.

I'm thinking of alcohol but I'm not sure if that's too aggressive. Any suggestions?

John

[Dustbak]

Can't help you with the cleaning but would love to see some of the results

[Ken Bennett]

Is there any reason why you can't run it under the faucet? Gently, of course. My 1D series cameras can handle incredibly heavy rain, so I've not been shy about carefully rinsing them when needed. You do need to be careful not to get water inside the lens mount - I solve that by keeping a lens on the body, which is sealed with an O-ring.

EDIT: I, too, would love to see some of the photos from this event.

EDIT 2: it occurs to me that I should mention that you put your $5000 camera under the faucet at your own risk....

The other option is to send it to NPS for cleaning. They might even be amused.

[degrub]

pull the battery !

[NBP]

What's a tomato battle you ask? Well, it's where organizers drop several tons of tomatoes on the ground and then unleash hundreds of combatants to hurl them at each other.

I know this is going to sound awfully tedious, but I can't help but think what a blasé 1st world waste of food this is. Several tons of tomatos would be a gift from heaven in other parts of the world.

Hope you got some good pics out of it at least.

[Scott O.]

My first thought was "I'll bet you got some very cool and unique pictures".  My second thought was "what were you thinking"? 

[Stephen Starkman]

Add any pasta of your choice, simmer.

Seriously, looked like a blast let us know how the camera fares

S.

[LesPalenik]

What's a tomato battle you ask? Well, it's where organizers drop several tons of tomatoes on the ground and then unleash hundreds of combatants to hurl them at each other.

ONLY IN AMERICA!
Considering that tomatoes are good for humans, they may turn out to be beneficial also for Nikons. After all, they work wonderfully on dogs sprayed by skunks.
To counteract the acidity of the tomatoes, use some extracts of alcaline fruit, i.e. apple juice, but then you'll need another agent to remove the sugar (or a large St. Bernard).

Yes, we want to see some pics. I guess, the diffraction was not a problem in this case. BTW, didn't the amunition color affect the WB?

 

[Rhossydd]

ONLY IN AMERICA!

No, it all started in Spain, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomatina

[LesPalenik]

I didn't know that, thanks for pointing it out.
The Wikipedia says that "After the cleaning, the village cobblestone streets are pristine due to the acidity of the tomato disinfecting and thoroughly cleaning the surfaces".
Could work also for filthy cameras.

No wonder, the Spaniards are in the big mess now. They would be much better off if they had used the tomatoes to pay off their national debt.

[francois]

No, it all started in Spain, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomatina

And in northern Italy, they use oranges instead of tomatoes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Oranges

[LesPalenik]

And look where it got them.

[Rob C]

And look where it got them.

Yep, into another fine pickle.

Crazy, the lot. The tomatoes are only abused because there are simply too many of them to sell. Just like wine in other parts of Europe, where they pour it out of the village fountains at regular fiesta times - easier than finding water to waste. To shift that stuff to where it might do some good is just too expensive and would need refrigerated trucks: figure the maths. Anyway, the French at the borders would overturn the trucks heading north, another amusing, regular feature in the cartoon of United European life.

No wonder I put funny U.S. plates on the car and, when I remember, an Ecosse sticker on the rear screen. Split-personality disorder, moi? Nope, insurance à la belt 'n' braces! But I'm not quite convinced about the calming effect of a U.S. plate at long range, even though it's worked so far...

Rob C

[FredBGG]

Pull the battery right now!

Tomatos are acidic. As the juice dries the acidity goes way up.
If any weather seals on the camera are not perfect the camera may be in trouble.

You need to contact Nikon right away.

[Sheldon N]

I'd go with a cup of warm water and an old toothbrush. Scrub, rinse, scrub, rinse. It should get the stuff out of the cracks, and also dilute any acidity in the tomato juice.

[NancyP]

You have now created the perfect advertising shot for an all-weather/waterproof compact camera.

[Derry]

a little pepper and enjoy,,

Derry

[DaveL]

You have now created the perfect advertising shot for an all-weather/waterproof compact camera.

Bookworthy!

DaveL
(still grinning)

[JohnAONeill]

I would put the whole lot in an oven bag and pop it in at gas mark 3 for an hour and a half. Serve with some penne pasta and a sprig of Basil
Yumm

[DaveL]

Reminds me of my grease pole climb in Kingston Ontario, Queen's University.

Just after they had shaved us (360) all bald.

Initiations...you don't want to know what was in that "grease".

DaveL