Is buying canon bad?

[nags75]

Hi,

I had a Nikon coolpix 3200 (3MP) camera with me. I accidentally dropped it and now it does not work. Repair costs are so high that I decided to buy a new one.

I wanted to try something different from Nikon since there were some issues with Nikon like the response time, shot-to-shot delay, battery etc.

I decided to buy the most acclaimed Canon. And, narrowed down to Canon Powershot SD550. When looking at the reviews on the internet, I found this website which scared me completely....http://e18.bitnet.cx/comments.php

I am still inclined towards Canon SD550. I would appreciate your suggestions/comments on this. Is buying canon bad?

with regards,
nags75

[kvdnberg]

I just did a little Google search for the error you mentioned, and though Canon's behaviour may not be exactly stellar, I don't think that other companies can't be accused of the same thing. How many times I've hearded the dreaded words "We've never had anybody with that problem before" when it seems unlikely that each time I am the only person with that problem, you don't want to know.

Look for example for Nikon "System error" and you'll find quite a few there too, and that was just a guess on my part.

I am a happy owner of a Canon Powershot G2 and a Canon Powershot A520. I have had some memory card errors with the G2 but they were related to the cards, not the camera, they never happened again when I switched CF card brands. Other than that, no problems at all.

[nags75]

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion. Looks like what you say is true. Maybe, there are other places on the net where they talk about errors with other camers also. But, I am still thinking if it is worth the risk...it's a matter of around 350$!

[kvdnberg]

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion. Looks like what you say is true. Maybe, there are other places on the net where they talk about errors with other camers also. But, I am still thinking if it is worth the risk...it's a matter of around 350$!

Well I just bought a 1222 euro ($1490) Canon EOS 30D and even knowing about this story, would do it again without hesitation. Every purchase has a risk, heck every step you take in live, be it literal or figurative has a risk, that's why it's called living ;)

[cdifoto]

For every 1 disgruntled or unsatisfied customer that complains loudly there are at least a thousand perfectly happy and satisfied customers that are quietly enjoying their new purchase.

[David Metsky]

I've been using my SD300 for nearly 15 months now and have abused the heck out of it. It's doing just fine, no problems.

The reporting of the problem on the web is probably skewed by the popularity of the cameras, the uniform E18 error code being used by all the models for anything wrong with the lens, and a bit of spoofing. Certainly there is an error that can occur with Canons, but similar problems occur with all digital cameras from all makers.

I wouldn't give it a second thought. You do have to accept the fact that an error of that magnitude can happen on any digital camera at any time. If that is a major concern, consider an extended warrenty for peace of mind.

-dave-

[-m i n g]

I had a Nikon coolpix 3200 (3MP) camera with me

I had a Coolpix 4100 a few years back. The old models from coolpix takes about 4 seconds to ready its flash. I'm using an Ixus 55 and loving it. So far so good. Easy user interface and no such delay. Except when taking night scenery with a slow synchro flash

[DonSchap]

Chances are every major corporation has wrangled with a POS (Piece of "junk") in their product line-up. "Product Managers" are directly to blame when this happens, not the company. They normally sit in Engineering and confer with the designers for product preparation, design, manufacturing process and inventory. Admittedly, when the name brand goes on... you would like the inferred quality to be right there along with it. Ideally, this would be the norm... but when you factor in GREED and the cycling of veteran personnel, things go awry.

Canon, by and large, is perhaps the biggest of all existing camera manufacturers, today. They got that way by name recognition and the quality it implies. That can be ruined if enough people encounter problems with ANY line of product. That's why a lot of things are discontinued or continually modified.

Case in point: the Canon EF 75-300mm is in its fourth, perhaps fifth revision (Don't believe what is on the label). It hasn't stayed the same for various reasons, but someone must have complained or suggested a cheaper (hopefully better) way to make it, they fixed it and out came the new revision. The darn lens is only $179.00. There is not a lot of room to have costly mistakes, repairs or replacements. I'm sure the product manager of that particular lens is nail-biting constantly.

You see it all the time. Mistakes are far more prone to happen in today's high-speed assembly than ever before. Quality Assurance (QA) certainly does not have a massive budget. In fact, when costs get lopped... QA always gets the lean end. Company's don't QA because they WANT to... they do it out of necessity. When cuts happen, out comes a poor product from time to time. Hopefully this does not start a trend and is the abhoration, rather than the rule. They will hire or direct someone to watch this problem if it grows substantially, but if you really don't like what you are finding out... seek another product and don't tempt fate. Your time is valuable, too!

Remember: They won't make it, if you won't buy it. & "Buyer Beware!"