Is my camera worth fixing?

[Minnie824]

We (ok, I) kindof had an 'oops' with my camera last weekend..wanted to take a great picture of DD coming down a water slide, and catch her at the same time. Unfortunately, both DD and camera ended up in the water. Now the power button does nothing. I took camera to a camera shop to see if its fixable. He said they have a guy coming in to check today but it looks like it may be an issue with the motherboard?? Does anyone know if its worth fixing? It was a Sony Cybershot camera (around $400 2 years ago) with a 12x zoom. I'm wondering if its worth fixing it or if I should just buy a new camera. Any advice? Thanks.

 

[ukcatfan]

We (ok, I) kindof had an 'oops' with my camera last weekend..wanted to take a great picture of DD coming down a water slide, and catch her at the same time. Unfortunately, both DD and camera ended up in the water. Now the power button does nothing. I took camera to a camera shop to see if its fixable. He said they have a guy coming in to check today but it looks like it may be an issue with the motherboard?? Does anyone know if its worth fixing? It was a Sony Cybershot camera (around $400 2 years ago) with a 12x zoom. I'm wondering if its worth fixing it or if I should just buy a new camera. Any advice? Thanks.

Sorry to hear that. I can almost say for sure that you are better off buying a new one considering how the prices have come down. For example, you can get a DSLR for $400 today. It might not even be fixable with water damage. Digital cameras and water do not mix well. You might want to consider a waterproof model if that type of shooting interests you. They would not have that much zoom though.

Kevin

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

It will really depend on what they tell you it will cost to repair ... but, electronics and water are generally a BAD combination.

Sometimes, you can just let a wet camera dry out thoroughly (leave all of the doors and covers open/off and let it sit someplace warm and dry for a couple of days), especially if the camera was off when it got wet and not turned on until it was dry, but if the camera was ON when you ended up in the pool, it's probably fried.

 

[Minnie824]

Yeah, the water thing won't happen again....I will definitely be more careful and will just buy a disposable camera for waterparks next time. Do you have any recommendations of cameras for a new one? I was looking online just now at the Nikon Coolpix S10? I would like something with a good zoom (for disney) and maybe a little smaller than our last one if possible.

 

[Master Mason]

Take a look at the canon S3 Also the Fuji 9XXX series, I have heard great things about both.

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

I'd start at the Digital Camera Resource Page and check in the Zoom column for the kind you're looking for. Their reviews are great and, IMO, very unbiased and you get to see very similar shots from each reviewed camera (at full size if you want) in the Gallery for comparison.

Anything in the P&S superzoom family (10x or more on the chart) is going to be about the same size or bigger than your older Sony. You might want to look at the 4x or 6x models ... there's a lot of offerings. If you liked the quality of your Sony, I'm sure they make one in that range. If not, Panasonic Lumix (DMC-LZ7 or DMC-TZ3) cameras seem to be the most compact for longer zooms. Canon (A710 IS) and Fuji (FinePix F650) also have a couple of nice smaller-sized middle-zoom-ranged cameras, too.

 

[Minnie824]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I've narrowed down a new camera, based on all the reviews everywhere, etc, to either
Canon S3
Canon A710

I know the zoom is better on S3, but also its a little bigger. I can't decide! I was used to carrying around the larger camera, so I'm thinkin I should just go with the S3 since it seems like a great camera and everyone seems to like it.

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

I know the zoom is better on S3, but also its a little bigger. I can't decide! I was used to carrying around the larger camera, so I'm thinkin I should just go with the S3 since it seems like a great camera and everyone seems to like it.

I don't think you'll be dissatisfied with an S3 ... I've had mine since May and I've shot almost 1,000 pictures with it, already! It's the best camera I've ever owned.

If you get one, be sure to join the "family" and post on our thread.

 

[S. C.]

I read where someone said they have put an ipod and a cell phone sealed in a plastic bag with uncooked rice for a few days & that they both worked fine afterwards. I'll see if i can find the link seems like i saved it.

 

[ukcatfan]

I think you will be happy with the S3, or any of the "S" models for that matter. The S5 is out, but still very expensive. I had the S1 and was able to send it in for a free upgrade to the S2 due to the bad Sony sensor debacle of last year. I have hardly used it since I also now have a K100D DSLR, but when I have used it, I was happy with the quality and performance. I still carry it everywhere the K100D goes because of the long focal length and for the kids to use.

The A710 does not have as nice of a lens IMO, but does still have many of the features of the "S" series. If smaller is important, I do not think it would be bad.

If low light motion shooting is really important, the Fuji's with a 1/1.7" sensor will perform better due to being able to use a higher ISO with less noise compared to a camera with a 1/2.5" sensor. That is an area where IS will not help. If your low light subjects are stationary, then IS is an advantage. Fuji just announced some new models a couple of days ago that now finally have IS, but they do not mention the sensor sizes yet. Plus, they are finally offering SD card support.

Kevin

 

[Groucho]

It might be worth sending the camera to Sony to see if you can get an estimate... it might be a reasonable cost, though it very well may not be, too!

If you have a few Memory Sticks already, you may want to stick with the Sony brand, their H5 is roughly equivalent to the S3 and is equally loved by its owners, and your memory sticks will work with it. They will not work with any non-Sony camera.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

If you ever drop something electronic in the water again, here's my advice. First, take out the battery. The sooner you do this the better off you are. Take out any memory cards or other removable items. Try to drain out all the water possible. Then put the device and parts (not the battery) in the dryer on low heat on a dryer tray (you don't want it bouncing all around). Let it dry out in the dryer for about 5 hours. Let it sit for a couple of days. If you can, put it in a sealed bag with a desiccant (silica gel is great - rice, salt, or kitty litter are OK).

Once it all seems dry, put it all back together, say a brief prayer, and turn it on. If everything works OK except the LCD screen, give it a day or two. LCD screens seem to take forever to dry out.

If you have a few Memory Sticks already, you may want to stick with the Sony brand,

That's not a bad tie-breaker, but memory cards are really cheap. It won't cost you much to start over if you switch to a brand that uses non-proprietary memory cards like CF or SD cards.

 

[Groucho]

That's not a bad tie-breaker, but memory cards are really cheap. It won't cost you much to start over if you switch to a brand that uses non-proprietary memory cards like CF or SD cards.

Very true, but something to keep in mind, since the H5 didn't get a mention at all and the OP may have overlooked it.

 

[manning]

My wife looves her Sony H5.

You may want to look at the H1 too. The lower MP count may give you a cleaner picture at higher ISO.