Of course it depends on how much you pay, as to how well built your camera is but in this somewhat tongue in cheek video we see Canon’s 7D, an upper mid-level camera, being subjected to some torturous if not scientific tests:
The camera was put into a number of test situations:
- First it was run over repeatedly by a small truck, resulting in a few scuffs and scratches.
- The next test involved it being put in a bag on a wheel chair and pushed down a steep flight of concrete steps. The end result was that the lens broke off, yet the camera still worked perfectly.
- Next up, it was placed in a freezer and frozen overnight. To remove the ice, it was shot repeatedly with an air rifle. The ice had managed to get into the body but by putting the camera in distilled water then in a very low level oven, the team managed to revive the 7D.
- The final test, supposedly to remove some condensation in the viewfinder, was to set the camera alight. Despite burning for several minutes and ending up looking a little like a piece of coal, when a lens was attached, the camera still managed to produce a respectable image.
So, how tough is your camera? Probably pretty tough; however, following in the best traditions of TV shows, we recommend that you do not try these tests at home.
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I nearly cried when I saw it burnt up! I wonder…. What did you do with the 7d afterwards? I’d be happy to look after it for you :)
Interesting torture test! Unfortunately my 7d failed a more mundane test. I had it protected on a boating trip in a watertight bag. There was a tiny bit of moisture in the bag that caused high humidity…and with minor condensation inside the card area of the 7D t he camera was fried! I did the usual heroic oven and other drying thing, removed batteries, etc. Deader than dead. I sent the unit to Canon and despite my protestations that a camera like this should be ale to survive fairly normal abuse, they were unimpressed. Canon had the gall to charge me nearly $500 to set it right with a new CPU. So, I personally am unimpressed with my 7D’s durability to say the least!