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Camera advice please


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Dear Auntie jack

 

To my not inconsiderable annoyance my 7 year old daughter dropped my Canon SX120is digital camera today on its lense. It still seems to take photos ok, but the lense housing will not retract fully and then shuts down. It is a cracking little camera and i am very fond of it. First question is should i bother to get it repaired or just get a replacement? The same camera is not too expensive at £130, but i could always get the newer version the Canon the SX130is at £150. Are there any mid sized digital cameras that anybody would recommend? The Canon was 10 megapixel and 10 times optical zoom so i am looking for something comparable or better.

 

The next question is what punishment should i dish out to my daughter? She has just turned 7 and with her birthday money bought a mobile phone. I am thinking of returning the phone and using the money on my camera. Also, i am contemplating taking her remaining birthday money and selling all of her presents to fund the replacement or am i being a bit too harsh?

 

Yours anxiously

Tim

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Great War truck

Dear Auntie jack

...... or am i being a bit too harsh?

 

way too harsh -there are worse things normally commited by older kids ie teenagers>:( such as wrapping the car around a tree, through a wall or over a roundabout and burning down the kitchen after leaving the chip pan on>:( so it could be worse.

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Dear Auntie jack

 

To my not inconsiderable annoyance my 7 year old daughter dropped my Canon SX120is digital camera today on its lense. It still seems to take photos ok, but the lense housing will not retract fully and then shuts down. It is a cracking little camera and i am very fond of it. First question is should i bother to get it repaired or just get a replacement? The same camera is not too expensive at £130, but i could always get the newer version the Canon the SX130is at £150. Are there any mid sized digital cameras that anybody would recommend? The Canon was 10 megapixel and 10 times optical zoom so i am looking for something comparable or better.

 

The next question is what punishment should i dish out to my daughter? She has just turned 7 and with her birthday money bought a mobile phone. I am thinking of returning the phone and using the money on my camera. Also, i am contemplating taking her remaining birthday money and selling all of her presents to fund the replacement or am i being a bit too harsh?

 

Yours anxiously

Tim

 

A few years ago something similar happened to my camera (a Nikon SLR with a zoom lens). My daughter (5 or 6 at the time) had dropped the camera from a considerable height. Camera was ok, lens was not. I was very annoyed too but did not punish her.

This is what happens with children, don't take your disappointment out on her.

 

A good site for camera info is http://www.dpreview.com.

As it happens I just bought a Canon IX 115 HS and I quite like it. You may like it too.

Reviews: http://www.trustedreviews.com/Canon-IXUS-115-HS_Digital-Camera_review and http://www.techradar.com/reviews/cameras-and-camcorders/cameras/compact-cameras/canon-ixus-115-hs-932080/review?artc_pg=1

 

Hope this helps and hope you will take lovely pictures of your daughter with your shiny new camera!

 

Daniel

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From my experience it is not worth sending it for repair.

As for punishment, the camera still works, so that is the one she can use. Should be punishment enough.

Anybody can drop a camera. I know I did and it was in its holster bag. I was also halfway up a small hill in the Lake District, it rolled quite nicely over a 10ft drop onto a pile of rocks. gues what it still worked, the levs was trashed and the view finder was made of about 9 pieces of class. Because it was worth about £900 (with lens) and insured, the insurers decided to send it for repair. It eventually came back 4 days before going on holiday, no replacement lens though. So I had to source and pay for one, only one I could get was £300. Guess what it took one picture and never worked again. They did not argue about payibg for the £300 quid lense but did not want to pay for the equivalent spec camera, as the new model had a few "idiot" modes on it. Got money in the end.

#

As for a replacement camera, the best digital compact is one that you feel comfy using.

Go for a good known brand, Cannon, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic as these tend to have better optics. The lens is the important part. With repect to zoom length you need to go for optical zoom figures, some quote digital zoom figures and all this is cropping the image so you loose quality. Optics are more important than the number of pixels,

I have a Panasonic Limix DMC FX07 compact, fits in the pocket. Optical zoom is only 3.6x with 14.6x digital zoom, it is also ony 7M pixels. Bit more expensive than some but then it has a really good lens on it (Leica)

It does what I need it to do and if I want serious photography I get the SLR out.

Mike

 

PS IIRC when I was about 10 i dropped my parents camera in the sea.

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Awww she didnt do it on purpose. Did she? It was an accident, these things happen I'm afraid. As far as the camera, do you have home insurance? Can you claim? I accidently spilt a whole glass of wine over my laptop recently (apart from being devastated at loosing my wine) and that was covered on home insurance-we needed to pay an excess.

But dont please dont punish your daughter, explain to her how some things are very delicate and need looking after!!!!!!!

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Got to agree to replace rather than repair. Canon repairs go to a guy in Scotland (I believe their only authorised repairer) and in my experience he just did what he felt needed doing - irrespective of what was actually wrong. Appalling bad attitude when i finally got through to his ex -directory number to try and 'put the case', listed number having got no reply!

 

Punishment? - just beat her with a stick (in private).

 

 

 

 

 

 

joking, as i'm sure you were when you brought it up.:)

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Bin it.

 

Replace it with a Panasonic Lumix, any of them that have a Leica lens ( there's a dozen different models, not all have Leica )

 

Don't spend more than £150 in case she does it again, and tell her she is the official starting handle turner for a Dennis....

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I like the Fuji cameras. They have a great low light setting and good vidieo. Best bet mooch into the store and try them all. Make daughter stand completly still as test subject for a couple of hours, that will put her off cameras for life!:cool2:

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Thanks for the ideas. Because Rosie said i shouldnt i wont punish her I will bow to her beter child care knowledge. Its a shame really as i had just got a pink NCB suit and gas mask for a 7 year old and fitted her cuddly toys with thunderflashes. I was thinking of something involving crawling through the sandpit and paddling pool while being bombarded with exploding cuddly toys. Anyway, instead i will give her a big hug and chocolate muffin and keep the replacement camera in my WW2 US Army safe now instead.

 

Lots of good ideas on the camera front which i will look into. Thanks everyone.

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Aww that's good to hear (although crawling through a sandpit and paddling pool whilst being attacked by exploding cuddly toys sounds fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Hopefully she has seen how sad this has made you feel and perhaps be more careful next time she handles precious items.

Good luck with the new/repaired camera.

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Very strange and unusual thing, must almost be a first as I have to agree with TB, I use a Fuji but on the other hand I suppose all it goes to prove is they must be idiot proof:nut::D

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