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Digital Camera Longevity

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  • #16
    Re: Digital Camera Longevity

    My camera is an Olympus C750 Ultra Zoom. I got it second hand early 2005, and I think it was the 2004 model.

    It is a great camera and it was meant to be mine. I had been looking for a new digital camera for a while and I had basically decided between the olympus or a fuji.

    In October 2004 OG and I were walking past a camera shop in Rundle street, Adelaide and the exact camera I was looking for was sitting in the window for sale, second hand. I asked OG and he said no, cant really afford it.

    Then my dad died and I came into a little bit of money. The camera was still sitting in the window early January so I went in and bought it for 1/2 the retail price of the new model. I also bought my Gaggia Classic at the same time.

    Its a very good camera as people can see by the pics I have posted on here. Although I didnt get along with my father at all, I think he would be pleased that I bought a camera with some of the money I was left as he was really into photography.

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    • #17
      Re: Digital Camera Longevity

      I have Nikkon Coolpix 990, that my brother got new in 2000, its a 3megapixel optical..
      It does macro down to 2 cm, brother got it for that function, (component Broking).
      I see no need for a higher resolution and the Nikkon lenses are probably better than some of the cheaper brands..Anyway it has had no problems..

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      • #18
        Re: Digital Camera Longevity

        I reckon youd have to go a long way to beat this little beauty, a Fujifilm S9500 or the more current S9600. There are reviews from respected sites all over the web and this one from Trusted Reviews is fairly typical and also very thorough. Its not an SLR but if youre not into dragging a whole kit around with you everywhere, this camera pretty well has it all in one package 8-)..... Worth a look I reckon ,

        Cheers,
        Mal.

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        • #19
          Re: Digital Camera Longevity

          Yeah thats the big brother of my old S3000.

          I actually like the ergonomics of it with my big hands compared to the little pocket sized things.

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          • #20
            Re: Digital Camera Longevity

            Geez, all I got is a Canon Powershot A75. Best value camera in its price bracket back in 2004. I wanted something that took great "auto-everything" shots, but still had manual controls if I ever got photo saavy.

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            • #21
              Re: Digital Camera Longevity

              Olympus C770 ultra zoom here - 4MP, 10x optical zoom and a decent quality lens - which is far more important than pixel count until youre in serious prosumer territory. It also has half-decent manual controls (not that Ive used them much :-[).

              The C770UZ was a fantastic camera for the price (I paid $550 about three years ago) and Id expect similar quality from the newer iterations. The proprietary XD cards are a bit of a pain, but very cheap now on evilbay. Plus I have a thumb-sized USB card reader ($10), so when theyre not in the camera I use them as a USB drive

              I agree with Evan though; if price is no object, a decent DSLR for god shots and a pocketable point-and-shoot for everyday use would be ideal.

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              • #22
                Re: Digital Camera Longevity

                So our Kodak DX 6340 digi camera died again, its a 5yo camerea and has failed for a second time, ....... and just when I was about  to post a photo of my Corretto MKII.

                The first fault  occured   11 months ago and that  repair cost over $100.00, so we are loathe to go down that path again

                Many have told me that 4 years is a good life for a digital camera, but to me, that view is un acceptable,  so I was wondering if any camera on the market is made with a non-disposable technology, and would give us a longer life than 4 years.

                My mums "brownie" still works and is probably 50+ years old, obviously, I dont expect a digi-cam to perform that well,  but  I guess,  in an ideal world,  I kinda want a digital camera with that build quality, ie just like an espresso machine.  

                Our need is just for happy snaps [so even 4Mpix is OK] , but Id gladly pay more if I knew the camera was was built to last.

                So I throw it out to yall, any suggestions??? What are your experiences and or recommendations??
                We recently purchased a Canon Powershot A570iS.
                Excellent camera for the price (now as low as $260 new).
                It replaced a fully working Kodak DX something.

                Its still a flimsy piece when it comes down to it. Probably be all over if it got dropped once, but good for our needs.

                As for the 4 years being a good life for the camera, I dont think build quality is the prime concern.
                Technology moves so fast these days 4 years is going to yield some fairly significant changes at the base level.

                The box brownie may still work, but who wants to use it? Or cart it on holidays.

                The Kodak we had was great for its time, but its time had passed. The Canon A570 is only a few steps up from the most basic, but the features are quite good, the flash recovery time is better, the power management is better, its lighter, got a bigger screen on the back and yet is smaller than the Kodak.

                Brett.

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                • #23
                  Re: Digital Camera Longevity

                  If you want great quality and reliability then Canon DSLR s cant be beaten. My 20d has been going for a good while now and while a bit bulky to put in your pocket suits my hands well. Further it takes a photo when you push the shutter not at some random time afterwards, generally just after the action shot you want is gone. The lenses are retainable for future body upgrades as we all know the glass costs mucho more than the camera. They can be a bit heavy though especially with this little 2.5kg monster hanging off the front. I just used this set up for some formals and shows etc. The 2.8 aperture through the zoom range and the image stabilization sure helps out in low light.



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                  • #24
                    Re: Digital Camera Longevity

                    Mal - I was making the decision between the fujifilm and my Olympus. I just got lucky and managed to get the Olympus at a good price.

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                    • #25
                      Re: Digital Camera Longevity


                      Slightly off-topic but...

                      I sold my 70-220/2.8-IS with the 10D



                      AWESOME bit of fast glass but I found I really needed wanted a 600mm f/4L so I sold all the gear before I bought one! At the time the 600s were $20k+ (read: divorce for sure) I noticed they are half that now (err is that half a divorce?)


                      The other fav lens was the 24mm F1.8. Great for leaving on the camera when in a crowd as the dSLRs do suffer from not being wide enough sometimes.


                      My post really is off topic because with all this gear just one bounce and you have just lost a serious amount of money.

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                      • #26
                        Re: Digital Camera Longevity

                        Hey Reuben,

                        Thanks for starting this thread because I am in the market as well. I dont have the hang ups, sorry cant think of a better word at the moment, that you do about consumerism, would expect 5 years as a max out of modern technology and that would be pushing it.

                        Anyway I have gone through 2 in the last 5 years which I think is unacceptable.

                        So thanks to everybody who has contributed, much appreciated, your input has been great.

                        I am waiting until after the 25th to see whats around.

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                        • #27
                          Re: Digital Camera Longevity

                          Reservations, Reuben, that is the word I wanted.

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                          • #28
                            Re: Digital Camera Longevity

                            Originally posted by Andy Freeman link=1197883858/15#24 date=1198140497
                            Slightly off-topic but...

                            I sold my 70-220/2.8-IS with the 10D



                            AWESOME bit of fast glass but I found I really needed wanted a 600mm f/4L so I sold all the gear before I bought one! At the time the 600s were $20k+ (read: divorce for sure) I noticed they are half that now (err is that half a divorce?)


                            The other fav lens was the 24mm F1.8. Great for leaving on the camera when in a crowd as the dSLRs do suffer from not being wide enough sometimes.


                            My post really is off topic because with all this gear just one bounce and you have just lost a serious amount of money.
                            There is a report on a 70 - 200 2.8 IS on Ken Rockwells site that was dropped from the back of an elephant onto cobblestones, still worked like a newie. I guess at 3.5k you would want it to be fairly tough

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                            • #29
                              Re: Digital Camera Longevity


                              Neil, I never tried that, I was more the cotton wool sort of guy with my gear.


                              I would recommend that anyone looking for a camera checks for a review on this site.

                              http://www.dpreview.com

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                              • #30
                                Re: Digital Camera Longevity

                                If youre after a "deal" on camera gear, check this link out:
                                ********************
                                Non-Sponsor link removed.... Doesnt matter that its not about coffee,
                                Mal.


                                Ring & have a chat with Nenad. Hes a really nice bloke to deal with & seems to know his stuff. He might be able to advise you on which model will suit you best. He imports the gear himself & supplies full warranty. I saved around $500 just on my Canon SLR body.
                                Hey Andy, maybe you can sign him up as a CS sponsor. Photography & coffee seem to go well together!

                                Evan.

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