So my prized possession, my Canon Powershot with which I have taken over 7,000 pictures in the 3 years that I've owned it...is dead.

The lens won't open, and I've tried numerous tips found online to no avail.

I don't want to take it in for repair, because it'll probably cost me nearly as much as a replacement.

So, I want to spend around $400 for a decent camera. I love taking pictures, but I'm definitely no pro. I mostly take pics of the kids, and the one complaint I had about the Powershot was that low-light pics (such as the school auditorium) were bad. Either they were too dark, or I needed a tripod for the "indoor" setting.

So...Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus? Point-&-Shoot? SLR?

What's a good choice for an amateur who wants good pics of the kids?

Any & all advice would be greatly appreciated.

i have no advice but i'm sorry for your loss that must be like when a keyboard dies

XxAxX said:

i have no advice but i'm sorry for your loss that must be like when a keyboard dies

I really, really loved my camera. Part of me wants to fix it, but most places charge $50 just to bench test it, so I can't see this type of repair (probably needs a new motor for the lens) being less than $200.

PurpleJedi said:

XxAxX said:

i have no advice but i'm sorry for your loss that must be like when a keyboard dies

I really, really loved my camera. Part of me wants to fix it, but most places charge $50 just to bench test it, so I can't see this type of repair (probably needs a new motor for the lens) being less than $200.

how much is a new canon powershot?

ZombieKitten said:

PurpleJedi said:

I really, really loved my camera. Part of me wants to fix it, but most places charge $50 just to bench test it, so I can't see this type of repair (probably needs a new motor for the lens) being less than $200.

how much is a new canon powershot?

$400+

But I can't justify a $200 repair on a $400 camera. I already once fixed the flash for $125.00. That would make it an almost $800 camera!!! For 8megapixels?

PurpleJedi said:

ZombieKitten said:

how much is a new canon powershot?

$400+

But I can't justify a $200 repair on a $400 camera. I already once fixed the flash for $125.00. That would make it an almost $800 camera!!! For 8megapixels?

so you couldn't afford a new one at all?

I wouldn't recommend fixing it, these things have a short lifespan, something else will break next.

http://www.getprice.com.a...Camera.htm

what about this one? it retails here at $600, but many online stores have it for half that.

http://www.bhphotovideo.c...Search=yes

I've bought from B&H before twice and found it very competitive price wise, and delivery superfast!

ZombieKitten said:

http://www.getprice.com.a...Camera.htm

what about this one? it retails here at $600, but many online stores have it for half that.

http://www.bhphotovideo.c...Search=yes

I've bought from B&H before twice and found it very competitive price wise, and delivery superfast!

This is what I find baffling;

My old 8megapixel camera still shows up priced at over $400.00 (Powershot SX100IS)

BUT, what appears to be its replacement - a 12megapixel version of the powershot (SX130IS), is on Amazon for $200!!!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/...dition=new

Spend a lot of time researching what's available at Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Target. As much as I hate those stores most of the time, they occasionally have ridiculous deals on cameras. My sister bought my niece one at Wal-Mart for her high school photography class for around $300 that was selling for as much as $650 at other places.

Other than that, not real advice. Good luck, though. I hate being without a camera (which will make some people laugh ).

Oh, and my niece's cam is a digital Canon body that came with the basic lense, a case and a book. You can get tricky with it, or set it to auto-focus and let it figure things out for you. I think she had to buy a flash - not sure on that, though. I also got her digital photography for dummies and she's been snappin' away ever since. So, ya know, you can probably get a point and shoot good pics of the kids camera for even less these days.

I feel ya. In August I went on vacation and on the last day, my digital camera (Fuji) fell off the bed and broke -- the lens cover was stuck open, and the retractable lens wouldn't retract; and the viewer and any pictures I took were just all white light.

I took it to Phototech just south of Union Square to see how much it would be to fix. They charge $15 + tax for an estimate and then if you decide you want to have it fixed they apply that amount to the cost of the repair. I was expecting it to cost $150-$200 to get it fixed, at which time I was just going to buy a new one. (Since I think I paid $180 for it 5 years ago.) But it was only $75 - the $15 plus tax, so it ended up costing me $62 and includes a 6 month warranty. I hardly ever take photos and I hate the idea of just throwing something away when it could be repaired so I was happy with that. Maybe you see what Phototech says.

Here's their website: http://www.phototech.com/demo/index.php

I remember reading about a camera that ZombieKitten bought for about $100 and she raved about it.

That one sounded pretty good to me.

[Edited 11/17/10 23:44pm]

ZombieKitten said:

wildgoldenhoney said:

I remember reading about a camera that ZombieKitten bought for about $100 and she raved about it.

That one sounded pretty good to me.

that was more a play camera though, that I let the kids use

and you can use it underwater

jone70 said:

I feel ya. In August I went on vacation and on the last day, my digital camera (Fuji) fell off the bed and broke -- the lens cover was stuck open, and the retractable lens wouldn't retract; and the viewer and any pictures I took were just all white light.

I took it to Phototech just south of Union Square to see how much it would be to fix. They charge $15 + tax for an estimate and then if you decide you want to have it fixed they apply that amount to the cost of the repair. I was expecting it to cost $150-$200 to get it fixed, at which time I was just going to buy a new one. (Since I think I paid $180 for it 5 years ago.) But it was only $75 - the $15 plus tax, so it ended up costing me $62 and includes a 6 month warranty. I hardly ever take photos and I hate the idea of just throwing something away when it could be repaired so I was happy with that. Maybe you see what Phototech says.

Here's their website: http://www.phototech.com/demo/index.php

$75???

Perhaps I was making an unjustified assumption. Will take mine in for an estimate.

I'll try my local camera shop first, but thanks for the link!

ZombieKitten said:

ZombieKitten said:

that was more a play camera though, that I let the kids use

and you can use it underwater

My 2 boys want a camera, and I was thinking about getting one of those waterproof/shockproof babies.

PurpleJedi said:

jone70 said:

I feel ya. In August I went on vacation and on the last day, my digital camera (Fuji) fell off the bed and broke -- the lens cover was stuck open, and the retractable lens wouldn't retract; and the viewer and any pictures I took were just all white light.

I took it to Phototech just south of Union Square to see how much it would be to fix. They charge $15 + tax for an estimate and then if you decide you want to have it fixed they apply that amount to the cost of the repair. I was expecting it to cost $150-$200 to get it fixed, at which time I was just going to buy a new one. (Since I think I paid $180 for it 5 years ago.) But it was only $75 - the $15 plus tax, so it ended up costing me $62 and includes a 6 month warranty. I hardly ever take photos and I hate the idea of just throwing something away when it could be repaired so I was happy with that. Maybe you see what Phototech says.

Here's their website: http://www.phototech.com/demo/index.php

$75???

Perhaps I was making an unjustified assumption. Will take mine in for an estimate.

I'll try my local camera shop first, but thanks for the link!

I don't have a fancy camera, and it's at least 6 years old. It's a Fuji A303. Like I said, I hardly every take photos so it was worth it to me to pay less and keep my old camera than to spend $200+ on a new camera that I won't use that much. My repair included fixing/realigning the shutter and lens mechanisms, cleaning it, and something else I can't remember. Plus the 6 month warranty. Your camera sounds much fancier than mine, so it may cost more to repair; but for $15 (estimate) it may be worth it to see. I think they also sell refurbished/used cameras there, which may be an option.