That time a Pentax K1000 nearly fell into the ocean at Point Reyes

I was repairing a beat-up K1000 for a client out near Point Reyes last summer. I had it on a folding table right by the pier to test the shutter speeds in natural light. A sudden gust of wind flipped the whole table and the camera went sliding toward the water. I dove and caught it by the strap just before it went over the edge. The lens cap popped off and hit the water but the camera was fine, just needed a good cleaning. Has anyone else had a close call like this while working outdoors?

2 comments

2 Comments

owens.willow1mo ago

Oh man, that's wild! I had a Nikon F2 slip out of my bag on a windy beach at Cape Cod and I barely grabbed the strap before a wave took it.

margaret2341mo ago

Did you have a wrist strap on it or just the neck one? I switched to a Peak Design cuff for my heavy gear after I dropped my Canon in a parking lot once. That grab you pulled off was some quick thinking, I know I would have been sweating bullets.