How can i get my wet digital camera to work?

i sure wish money grew on trees... after bringing my sony cybershot to a night at the beach, it mysteriously doesn't work- it doesn't turn on, and i'm guessing it got wet. when i plugged the ion battery into the wall though, the charge light went on. i'm guessing that's a good sign. the camera is a little damp inside, and hopefully something can dry it out? please help :(

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Here is my sad story:
My wife was given a Canon Digital Rebel as a gift from her company. We took it on vacation to the ocean and onto a boat tour. In the last 15 minutes of the tour, a freak wave came up and soaked us and the camera with saltwater - even worse than normal water.
It immediately quit working.
The upshot is, we sent it back to Canon for repair and they were able to fix it and get it back to us in less than 10 working days! Since it was wet, our warranty didnt cover the cost of the $200 repair. However, since replacing it would have cost about $900 it was a good deal.

Canon has excellent customer service and repair, so I would highly recommnend them if you need to replace yours.

Most websites and forums will tell you that its toast and just buy a new one, but it could possibly be repaired, if the cost isnt more than replacing it.

The best thing you could do otherwise is take it apart as much as you can to let it air dry. Dont use a hairdryer as you could melt sensitive parts inside the camera. Just let it sit for several days. Evaporation will do the trick. Ive heard of some people suggesting dipping it in 100% ethanol to dry it out also, but that scares me a bit.

BTW, turning it on after it gets wet is the worst thing you can do as it could short out the circuitry. If it gets wet, leave it to dry for several days before doing anything.

Hope that helps a bit. Believe me I was seriously depressed after having seen a $900-1000 digital camera ruined, but now I have a fully functional camera again. Its not going anywhere near water again!

it will probably need repaired
they just don't like water

Take whatever comes off apart (battery case, camera card cover ect). If you can get the lense to open that could be helpful too. You DO NOT want to expose it to heat ... so hair dryers and sunlight are out. BUT you could leave it lay for several days to a week. Try it out after that. Other than that the only suggestion I have is take it to Best Buy or whatevr electronic store you have and see if they'll look at it.

Use a hair dryer set on low and dry it out completely.

ok salt water and electronics are very bad combination. you have a good possibility that the camera is done for. check you warranty to see if there is a repair place that will check the camera out for you. call up a dealer to find out the repair proceedure.
now the next time you go to the beach with a digital camera...take along a disposable digital camera and leave the good one at home...the salt water is in the air(moisture) and you don't even need to have it near the water for this to happen...if you take it with you: ziplock bags are great for saving the camera.

Remove the battery and memory card, wipe dry if it is still damp then let it sit in a dry place for a day or two.

Unfortunately its likely that your camera is now a paperweight. If its worth repairing then that's an option but repair will likely cost more than a comparable new camera.