Friday, May 14, 2010

Snap, Snap, Pop and Crackled!

It's been well over a month now since the day I was walking Sammy, camera in hand, and, as I stopped to snap a picture, Sammy jerked hard on the leash causing me to lose my grip on my camera. The camera then fell to the ground, landing on the dirt along side the road and since it seemed to be what I would call a "soft fall" as I bent down to pick it up I was hoping that no damage had been done to my trusty little Kodak.

Unfortunately, because when this happened and the camera hit the ground, the lens was out, open, and of course, what with old Murphy and his law ya know, that's the side that then had hit the ground. And sadly, damage had occurred then too as the lens was jammed, slighly cockeyed, immovable to get it to extend out or to retract back into the camera body.

I was sick when I saw what had happened. I've been trying to locate a place, locally -or fairly local to me -like maybe in State College or perhaps as far away as Altoona -where I might be able to get someone to look at my camera and tell me if it can be repaired and if so, would it be priced reasonably enough with enough of a guarantee then too that the camera would work again the way it had before this little accident.

Lots of folks have told me that in today's throw-away society and mentality, when problems or accidents occur, the least expensive route is often to just replace the item and not even bother checking on getting things repaired.

Recently, I was given a gift -a Visa gift certificate -and this has had me doing a little searching online for digital cameras -trying to find the best camera for the best price.

I really liked the camera I had but I also like the camera that my son, older daughter and I had bought back in January for younger daughter's birthday present. They are almost identical units but I think my camera had 8 pixels and my daughter's has 10 or 12 pixels -don't remember those numbers exactly right now. Things like pixels and what zoom power a camera has are just numbers to me because I really am not that knowledgeable about digital cameras -or any camera for that matter -and so don't understand fully then the value of having whatever of these features on a camera.

All I wanted when I bought the camera I had -which cost me $149 two years ago in December when I purchased it -was a nice little camera to use to take pictures mainly of my family, especially the grandkids and that I could then download those pictures right away to files on my computer! That this particular camera also had a video feature was just an added bonus to my way of thinking. And when I found the camera we purchased for Mandy for only $100 and it had the same basic features but with a higher pixel count and I think a little bigger zoom power too, I was happy because, knowing how much I had been enjoying my camera, I figured Mandy would appreciate that and then some too.

I've been searching online for the best prices now on a camera as much like mine or the one we gave to Mandy with the ease of operation that both of these units have (had, in my camera's instance) available and now I'm getting really confused. I've seen camera's like mine listing for anywhere from $109 to $129 -as opposed to the $149 I had paid for mine. I've seen some other cameras similar to mine and to Mandy's priced as low as $79 too!

How do I determine then which is the best unit for me to purchase? The cameras I have been looking at are all made by Kodak -haven't looked at any of the other brands simply because I guess I've always truly been a fan of having "Kodak moments" I suppose. So how do I figure out which unit, which model, is the best for me to get to replace my pretty little red camera which was an M853 and Mandy's camera I think is an M340 or something like that number? (She has it with her at the moment so I can't pick it up to check the model number there.)

No matter what I select, what fancy features it may contain, I'm never going to be using this camera for other than just quick shots, no fancy set-ups, nothing along a "professional" line of use cause I don't have a natural talent for photography, a good eye type thing ya know.

I just want one that will give me the most for my money and the same amount of enjoyment I had experienced with the one I had before.

Any suggestions? And, any explanations too on the various features and how to compare them would be much appreciated as well.

9 comments:

Maggie May said...

I'm a great lover of Pentax, because that is the one David McMahon recommended and I have not been disappointed.
I always wrap the strap round my neck or my wrist when handling the camera...... just in case I drop it.
maggie X

Nuts in May

... Paige said...

I like Sony and Cannon; but be sure that you get one with fast processing when using the flash (snap/flash/wait and wait for too long a time-argh!)

and be sure it has a handle this time :-)

Berni said...

Sorry about your trusty Kodak you were comfortable with. Sound like a new one is probably on the cards. I bought a digital almost two years ago and keep promising to take photos for the blog and forgetting about it. I am not much of a camera person although it is a great hobby I am amazed how some people can see great shots all about them and I don't. I really must get on the ball and take photos more I always enjoy seeing others peoples on the blogs.

Travis Cody said...

You know what I'd do? If you've got a Best Buy or a Radio Shack near you, go and handle the cameras in your price range.

I like to shop online. But sometimes you've just got to get the item in your hand to determine which one you want.

terri said...

The best way to compare models is to make a list of which ones you think you're interested in, then do a google search for the features and compare the various models. If you're just interested in simplicity and higher mega-pixels, it should be fairly easy to compare.

Sniffles and Smiles said...

Oh, Jeni...I wish I could be of help...but I know nothing of any use in this department...I have a Fuji...it was a good price...it did what I wanted it to, and so I bought it...but I'm sure there are better...Hope you find just what you are looking for!!! ~Janine XO

CiCi said...

I have a Canon. It really does a great job. You are on the right track with all your research.

Paula said...

If you really liked the camera that you had, and that model is still available, why not just get another one? I have a Cannon and love it, but I think that they all have models that are very similar. Hope you find something soon. Stinks to be without your camera.

Linda said...

Before I got my current Nikon I had a Kodak and it took fantastic pictures but before that I had a Nikon CoolPix and it took fantastic pictures with - what I think - was slightly better color. Not to be a Nikon snob or anything but I don't think you can beat Nikon for color.

However, I think the best advice you have here is the advice that Travis gave you. Go to a local place and try a few out and see what you like. Barring that, go to QVC.com and check out some of the videos they have of the cameras they offer, you can get some really good deals on QVC and they back their stuff 100%, too. I have never ever had a problem with anything I've gotten from QVC! Plus those videos they have answer any and all questions you may have about a camera you might be interested in!