Google+ helps recover camera, shots after year underwater
updated 02:35 pm EST, Sat November 26, 2011
Canon EOS Rebel XS' photos last year in salty sea
Naturalist Markus Thompson orchestrated one of the more unusual camera recoveries yet after he posted about a Canon Rebel XS (1000D) on Google+ between Friday and Saturday. He found the DSLR at the end of a wharf in Deep Bay, near Vancouver, British Columbia after after it had been underwater for what turned out to be since August 2010, or 15 months ago. Although the camera itself was ruined from exposure to saltwater, the SD card inside was still working, giving a clue as to the owner through self-portraits and shots of his family.
After using Google+ to ask for input, fellow circle followers tracked it down to Graham MacKenzie, a firefighter in nearby Kamloops who had lost the camera to the water while on vacation. The entire process of mentioning the camera through to getting in contact with the owner took just 16 hours.
While such a recovery was liekly possible with Facebook, the use of circles helped by encouraging group collaboration on searching for information. The camera's data surviving also showed that the camera is relatively sealed up inside, even though it's not as tough as more weather-resistant cameras like the EOS 7D, 5D Mark II, and 1D Mark IV. [via The Verge]
