Camera woes....
I've been having problems lately with my two year-old Canon PowerShot A300 digital camera. I can use it to view stored images or change settings, but when set to capture images I get nothing on the LCD viewfinder. Literally. Nothing but a blank, black, screen. On occasion the camera would work flawlessly, but on certain days, without any warning, this particular gremlin would rear its ugly head, rendering the camera useless.
It was quite puzzling since I was always the careful type when it came to electronic devices. The camera was well taken care of, it was never dropped, never exposed to moisture, it was hardly ever subjected to rough handling. The carrying case bore some signs of frequent use, but the camera itself is in pristine condition. It doesn't even have a scratch. Hell, it even looks new. But why won't it work?
Being my first digital camera, I wondered to myself if digital cameras nowadays are considered disposable with life spans of only a few years. I also thought that Canon was reputable brand when it came to cameras. So why the problem?
Well, there was only one way to find out the answers to these questions.
Yesterday I brought the camera to Canon's service center in Pasong Tamo in Makati. Man that's far.
After describing the problem in detail, they gave me some good news and some bad news.
The good news is, they were more than familiar with the problem. I was told that PowerShot A300s of that particular period had a known factory defect with their CCDs. The CCD (charge-coupled device) is the electronic component responsible for capturing images. Because it is a known factory defect, they informed me that the repair work, including replacement parts and labor would be done absolutely free.
So what's the bad news? The bad news is that the repair would take two to three months. Jeez. That's a mighty long wait.
In the meantime, I still need a camera. Nothing fancy, just an entry level camera with more functionality than the ones on my cell phones.
I guess I'm in the market for a new camera.
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I also have a Powershot A300 and it, too, has broken down. I was aware of this factory defect way beforehand and did not mind it until the same trouble happened to it. Brought mine in last 27 December but I still don't have mine. Lack of spare parts, the service rep said.
In disgust, I got my hands on a 7.1 megapixel Powershot A620. Gorgeous. You may have seen the difference in the photos I have in my blog, photohosting accounts and friendster.
I'm handing down my A300 to my dad when I get it back to my dad. He'll take it out of town for his projects.
I hope it does not have any defects, either.
Good luck in your camera quest.
Two years ago the PowerShot A300 was one of the sweetest deals when it came to entry level digital cameras. It even had a promo, I got a free printer along with mine. I'm sure you realized it too hence your purchase of one.
Alas, the defect has caught up with both of us.
I thought about getting a higher-end camera, unfortunately budget considerations still limit me to the entry level. Probably a PowerShot A410 is in my future. Having a lot of pixels is a nice feature to have, but since my uses are limited to occassional prints and web use, 3.2 MP will probably be ok for me in the meantime.
I looked up the specs for the A620. It seems to be a pretty sweet camera. And yes, the pictures are a lot better. :-)
I'm thinking of teaching my son how to use a camera when I get the A300 back. He can use that one. :-)
I'll probably stick to Canon (notwithstanding the defect) since I'm pretty familiar with its control system. It's a hassle to relearn how to use another brand again.
Thanks man. I'll let you know how it turns out. :-)