09-12-2007, 08:36 PM
I purchased a Canon A60 4 yrs ago for my use and an A75 and an A85 2 years ago and they are all having problems w/ their CCDs. I just called Canon and they will repair all 3 at no cost to me or they offer an upgrade option -- a refurb A530 for $125. Opinions on what I should do???
09-12-2007, 08:38 PM
new A570is models are about $170 from Adorama, or a refurb A540 for $130. the A530 is at least one generation older, and lower resolution AFAIK. I would say just get the CCDs fixed for free.
09-12-2007, 09:10 PM
I had an A70 repaired several years ago, and the thing has been very reliable since.
The only downside is that it's 3.1 MP
it's a secondary camera that's easy to slip in a pocket and not worry about it being damaged. My "good" camera is a Canon 20D
If you're not too worried about getting extra mega pixels, I'd go for the repairs too.
The only downside is that it's 3.1 MP
it's a secondary camera that's easy to slip in a pocket and not worry about it being damaged. My "good" camera is a Canon 20D
If you're not too worried about getting extra mega pixels, I'd go for the repairs too.
09-12-2007, 09:11 PM
Yeh, I checked out that Canon offer a year or so ago for a friend. It really wasn't a very good deal, and it's an even "less good" deal if you can get the repairs done for free but are otherwise still happy with the cameras.
09-12-2007, 09:24 PM
Get the repair. You can get a new better camera for about the same as the "upgrade" price. Here for example: http://tinyurl.com/yso5fl
09-13-2007, 12:43 AM
[quote guod]I had an A70 repaired several years ago, and the thing has been very reliable since.
The only downside is that it's 3.1 MP
it's a secondary camera that's easy to slip in a pocket and not worry about it being damaged. My "good" camera is a Canon 20D
If you're not too worried about getting extra mega pixels, I'd go for the repairs too.
I think a 3.1 MP camera for a P&S is probably ideal. You can get 8x10's from that image and not run into a lot of problems with noise. I know that my 5 megapixel SONY is about the limit that I'd want to have for a P&S camera...even then, my wife has trouble getting a 'good' shot. It's all about image quality...the more the megapixels, the greater the noise. Manufacturers have built an unreal expectation that the more the megapixels, the better. In fact, I recall several people saying to me that their brand new 7 megapixel P&S takes worse pictures than their 3 megapixel camera from 3 yrs ago. They are right...the noise on the 7 megapixel P&S cameras is unbelievably bad.
My 2ยข.
The only downside is that it's 3.1 MP
it's a secondary camera that's easy to slip in a pocket and not worry about it being damaged. My "good" camera is a Canon 20D
If you're not too worried about getting extra mega pixels, I'd go for the repairs too.
I think a 3.1 MP camera for a P&S is probably ideal. You can get 8x10's from that image and not run into a lot of problems with noise. I know that my 5 megapixel SONY is about the limit that I'd want to have for a P&S camera...even then, my wife has trouble getting a 'good' shot. It's all about image quality...the more the megapixels, the greater the noise. Manufacturers have built an unreal expectation that the more the megapixels, the better. In fact, I recall several people saying to me that their brand new 7 megapixel P&S takes worse pictures than their 3 megapixel camera from 3 yrs ago. They are right...the noise on the 7 megapixel P&S cameras is unbelievably bad.
My 2ยข.
09-13-2007, 01:53 AM
I've got an A80 that's been going strong going on four years - get them repaired.
09-13-2007, 03:58 AM
btw, canon is great with repairs. i had this same repair done a few weeks ago. i dropped the packaged camera off at UPS/office depot on a Thursday; i got it back FedEx the following Wednesday. Canon paid for shipping BOTH ways!
09-13-2007, 11:05 AM
[quote guod]
The only downside is that it's 3.1 MP
My Canon S1 IS is only 3.2 MP and it takes great pics. I agree with wowzer that the Mfr's have pulled the "more is better" gag on us again - much like the old Apple/Intel Mhz battles. Unless you're a pro with a need for a higher res image I think 3.x MP is a great balance between file size and image quality.
The only downside is that it's 3.1 MP
My Canon S1 IS is only 3.2 MP and it takes great pics. I agree with wowzer that the Mfr's have pulled the "more is better" gag on us again - much like the old Apple/Intel Mhz battles. Unless you're a pro with a need for a higher res image I think 3.x MP is a great balance between file size and image quality.