Digital Camera - Need Input

[JennyN]

I have a Nikon CoolPix 995 digital camera that''s about 3 years old. A couple of months ago, it quit working. We took it to Best Buy & they sent it off for repair. Just last week I got a diagnostic report saying that the backlight is out & the CPU needs to be "reset" (can''t get a straight answer as to what that really means!). Estimate to fix is $360.

Any suggestions as to how I should proceed? I know the price of digital cameras has really come down. Should I just get a new one? What model do you recommend?

I''ve never been really crazy about the CoolPix 995. It seemed to have a second or so delay when you took the photo. Since we bought it primarily to photograph our young daughter, that ended up being a real hassle because she is never still for that long!

We''ve started using our 35 mm camera primarily, but I still like having a digital camera so we can post pix on the web.

Input??? Thanks for any suggestions or advice.

 

[verticalhorizon]

I have a Nikon CoolPix 995 digital camera that's about 3 years old. A couple of months ago, it quit working. We took it to Best Buy; they sent it off for repair. Just last week I got a diagnostic report saying that the backlight is out; the CPU needs to be 'reset' (can't get a straight answer as to what that really means!).

No idea what that means. Sounds like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo. 'Computers' that reside in small electronics aren't like those in your home PC. They're run on what's called firmware which is what allows them to operate with minimal user input.

Estimate to fix is $360. Any suggestions as to how I should proceed? I know the price of digital cameras has really come down.

I'm not sure how much the camera cost to start with, but I would most certainly use that money to buy a new camera than repair the old camera.

Should I just get a new one? What model do you recommend? I've never been really crazy about the CoolPix 995. It seemed to have a second or so delay when you took the photo.

Digital camera technology has somewhat increased, but more importantly... resolution has increased and removable memory have gotten much cheaper.

Three years ago a 3 megapixel camera was something only professional photographers could afford. Now you can get them at Target. Plus, that 1-2 second delay you experienced between each photo was partly the camera and partly due to the type of memory. They've since developed new memory cards that write much faster and store more photos (upwards of 512MB or even 1GB)!

Since we bought it primarily to photograph our young daughter, that ended up being a real hassle because she is never still for that long!

We've started using our 35 mm camera primarily, but I still like having a digital camera so we can post pix on the web.

I like the Canon A and S series digital cameras. People who are in the know also like Olypus cameras, they even make a water resistent one I think. Check out Amazon and epinions.com to see what people have been saying.

 

[Kamuelamom]

I would not spend the $360 on a repair, rather put it towards your new camera. My sony dsc-p50 quit too, so I upgraded to an olympus c-5050 which I LOVE. It takes great night shots, macros, and is a prosumer version which, if I understand correctly, can be used for professional purposes also, since it is 5 mp and can print fairly large photos with the right equipment.

Check out www.dpreview.com for full reviews on all the cameras, models, brands, etc. From there you can also link to other review sites and get opinions from consumers, which I find really valuable.

Good luck.

 

[JennyN]

Thanks for the input! I didn't get any responses for a couple of weeks after posting my initial question, and just now noticed that I had replies. The camera (broken) originally cost around $750. I think we've definitely decided to just get a new camera instead of repairing the old one. I'll check out the models you all recommended. Thanks again!!!

 

[aljdewey]

Holy COW - absolutely get a new one!




You can get a Nikon CoolPix 4100 for $269 or so.....and it's got LOADS more features/pixels than the one you had.

 

[Kamuelamom]

Panasonic has a brand new model, the FZ20 out and it is a superb camera for $600.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Bump this thread up. We have decided to get it together and get a digital camera. My questions are:

1) If $$ was no object what would you buy? And dollars to donuts, what do you think is the best value out there for DC''s?

2) What do you own now and are you happy with it?

3) What was the most important feature you considered when buying a camera?

My DH is consdiering a higher end Canon (sorry stats elude me at this moment)--any comments?

cheers----------------Sharon

 

[Hest88]

Well I''m in the middle of researching a 2nd digicam. We currently own an Olympus C-4000, which we love, but I want an ultracompact travel camera right now as a supplement. Even though the C-4000 is a compact it''s still too bulky to slip into a purse or pocket.

I keep switching my top 3 choices. In fact, I re-switched them again last night. For me, picture quality, size, and battery life are the three biggies, and the current top three are all small enough and supposedly have great picture quality---depending on the review.

1) Pentax Optio SV---because it has a 5x optical zoom

2) Panasonic Lumix DMC FX-2 or FX-7--has optical stabilization to combat camera shake, but has poor battery life

3) Canon S410--supposedly shoots great pictures but is rather slow.

Also on my list, that I may swap back in or out of the top three as more user reviews come in, are the Canon SD300 (smaller than the S410, but pictures not as good), the Sony P150 (reviews have been great, but user reviews have been mixed--plus batter life is supposed to be impressive), and I''m waiting for the Sony DSC LI to be released. I doubt it will perform as well as the Sony P150 due to sensor size, but it''s dimensions are attractive. Ideally, the Pentax 750Z would be smaller, since it''s gotten amazing user feedback for its picture quality, but it''s a bit too bulky for my needs.

Oh, and all this is subject to change by the day. I may add or take any camera off the list depending on what I read!

 

[noobie]

Date: 11/8/2004 12:12:22 PM
Author: canuk-gal

HI:

Bump this thread up. We have decided to get it together and get a digital camera. My questions are:

1) If $$ was no object what would you buy? And dollars to donuts, what do you think is the best value out there for DC''s?

2) What do you own now and are you happy with it?

3) What was the most important feature you considered when buying a camera?

My DH is consdiering a higher end Canon (sorry stats elude me at this moment)--any comments?

cheers----------------Sharon

What are you going to use it for and what is important to you? Are you going make enlargements? Are you going to take video? What knid of media do you want?

If you want a very small camera (I have a Canon s500) and it suffers as do all compacts from red eye and not the best lens optics. I also have an older G2 that takes better pictures, is slower and much bigger. For best pictures, an SLR is better. For smaller size the Canon Ss and Sony W1 is a good match of quality and size. New Nikons are nice as well.

I almost always use the s500 now. I do get disappointed with the optics and some exposures, but I was previously using a 35mm SLR.

 

[canuk-gal]

Hi:

Thanks for the input, so far. I would prefer a camera that is not too large/heavy (that said fitting into a small handbag is not requsite) , provide clear images without necessarily having a long movie mode feature. My DH likes the Canon PowerShot A95, which seems a good balance between the features I want and with a decent price tag. However, the Olympus C-770 also caught our eye, but it is quite pricey. Getting to touch and feel a number of brands is what I plan to do in the next few days--with the Christmas fliers out in full force I can hardly avoid cameras and the like even if I wished to!

cheers---Sharon

 

[Hest88]

My favorite camera review sites are: http://www.dpreview.com/ (which also has the most active forums)

http://www.imaging-resource.com/ - check out the "Dave''s Picks" sections as well as the reviews

http://www.steves-digicams.com/

http://www.dcresource.com/ --- fewer reviews, but they''re more "real world" reviews of the cameras they do review

 

[Todd07]

Date: 11/8/2004 12:12:22 PM
Author: canuk-gal

HI:
Bump this thread up. We have decided to get it together and get a digital camera. My questions are:

1) If $$ was no object what would you buy? And dollars to donuts, what do you think is the best value out there for DC''s?

2) What do you own now and are you happy with it?

3) What was the most important feature you considered when buying a camera? My DH is consdiering a higher end Canon (sorry stats elude me at this moment)--any comments?

cheers----------------Sharon

1. I''m pretty happy with the one I bought recently - Konika Dimage A2. I thought it was the best value prosumer. Key things I liked:
- good reviews and a great camera with more featues than I can use yet.
- all in one lens. It''s nice having a decent zoom built in so I don''t have to swap lenses like in my film SLR
- some type of anti shake technology. Really helps on the zoom shots
- Std memory solution so easy to buy extra memory for a long trip.

 

[Aurora Borealis]

My first DC was a Sony CyberShot. I was young and naive and bought into the marketing hype that a Japanese make=superior product. I regret that decision and have recently started looking for a new camera again. The sales associate at the store confirmed that buying a Sony for the name will do me no good. He showed me sample pictures taken from a wide range of cameras and indeed, the Sonys' colors were just a tiny bit off.

We both agreed that the pictures taken from Canons were the most true to color. Canon is not known to be sexy and sleek like some of the other Japanese cameras are but I think this time around I will go for performance rather than for looks.

Hmm...now that I think about it that sounds like good advice for man-hunting, too.

Hope this helps.

 

[rodentman]

Consider Nikon Coolpix 4800. MSRP $399. Has 8.3x optical zoom in a relatively compact pkg. 15 presets and tons of features.

 

[canuk-gal]

Hi:

Thanks for all the input. Bought an Olympus C-770 and am very happy.

Now to learn all the bells and whistles!

cheers---Sharon