In today’s edition of “things you wish you didn’t know,” photographer Joel Robison recently made the most unfortunate discovery of a sizable live spider trapped inside the optical housing of his Sony a7r III‘s electronic viewfinder.
Hello spider cam
The camera in question was purchased new last August by Joel and since, has seen some action on “a couple short shoots outside,” but has otherwise been in his camera bag, lens attached. So how the heck did the spider get in there?
One theory (I’m proposing, right now) is that spider eggs somehow got inside the camera’s EVF long before it reached Joel. In fact, our friends over at Popular Science have a most unsettling story about how common this is, especially when it comes to car manufacturing. Perhaps the same is true for camera manufacturing? (Gosh, I hope not).
The spider’s debut
Joel first noticed the spider last week, on March 8th.
“I tend to use the LCD screen on the camera to access menus but on that day I looked through the viewfinder to double-check my focus and noticed a blur blocking my view. I assumed it was dust or something at first. When I pulled back and noticed it was a spider, I thought it was outside the camera and felt a bit creeped out. And then it quickly pulled its legs into the corner of the viewfinder and I realized it was inside the body itself. As of today (March 15) it’s still alive. It was quite active during a photoshoot I was on yesterday.”
The fact that he’s kept on shooting is merit for serious props in my book!
Sony’s response so far
As of writing, Joel has reached out to Sony only via Twitter, and thus far, has yet to receive a response. Sony advertises the 42MP full-frame a7R III—a ~$3000 camera—as weather-sealed, and presumably, that should mean spider proof, though a Lens Rentals’ teardown does reveal one possible entry point at the base. (Though I seriously doubt the spider crawled in through the battery door).
What’s next for the spider cam?
Joel seems to be taking the whole experience in stride, which is the opposite of how I’d react. Other than “slight blur when looking through the viewfinder,” it doesn’t tremendously bother him. Though Joel admits it’s a bit weird bringing a spider that close to his eye. “I’ve joked that maybe this is the start of my Superhero origin story!”
Ultimately, we hope Sony—who has a solid reputation of standing behind their gear—helps Joel out. His spider cam is likely still under warranty, so if nothing else, they should be able to send him an arachnid-free replacement.
The moral of the story? ALWAYS check your camera for spiders.
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