Repair camera or get a new one? (Canon, Nikon, Kodak)

[SandyCo]

I have a Canon Powershot A630, and it worked fine until just now when the LCD screen went completely white. It still takes photos, but with no viewfinder and no way to see the photos I just took, this camera is pretty much useless at the moment. And of course, it's out of warranty.

I went to Canon's website, and put in all the information for a quote. $89 to repair it. That doesn't include the cost of shipping it to the service center (probably another $20 at least). So for $110, I can get my camera fixed.

I paid about $260 for it when it was new, back in January 2007. It has quirks that have bugged me since day one, like the delay on pressing the button vs. when it actually snaps the photo. On the other hand, I'm not sure I really want to spend another $250 vs. $110 or so to fix it.

Thoughts?

[Nomadicus]

Will you get a new warranty with it protecting the repair at least? If not I would not repair. To me it would not be worth it. My 2¢.

[Rach1966]

I damaged my LCD screen on a mission trip
when I got back home I searched and it was expensive
found a guy on e-bay that fix's the lens and about 1/2 the price
I looked up your camera and this is what I found from the same guy
Canon Powershot A630 630 Camera Part NEW OEM LCD SCREEN - eBay (item 250146789014 end time Nov-15-08 09:56:16 PST)
then I bought a hard plastic piece that goes over the LCD so that it will not get damaged again

[Rach1966]

after reading the e-bay site there, it looks like that is the LCD to be mailed to you
but I actually mailed my camera to them and they fix'd it and mailed it back to me
turn around time was a week

[Azkadellia]

Originally Posted by SandyCo

I have a Canon Powershot A630, and it worked fine until just now when the LCD screen went completely white. It still takes photos, but with no viewfinder and no way to see the photos I just took, this camera is pretty much useless at the moment. And of course, it's out of warranty.

I went to Canon's website, and put in all the information for a quote. $89 to repair it. That doesn't include the cost of shipping it to the service center (probably another $20 at least). So for $110, I can get my camera fixed.

I paid about $260 for it when it was new, back in January 2007. It has quirks that have bugged me since day one, like the delay on pressing the button vs. when it actually snaps the photo. On the other hand, I'm not sure I really want to spend another $250 vs. $110 or so to fix it.

Thoughts?

That one 'quirk' you mention is called 'shutter lag time' and all P&S digitals have it. Some just are faster on the draw than others, and with each new generation of cameras, it does improve.

I'm with Nomadicus on this one. IF the repair will be warrantied, then I'd say 'maybe' to it...but overall, if you end up paying close to what you spent on the camera just to fix it, (and you never know the real cost until they get their hands on it), it would be a better deal to replace it.

[kdog]

What I would do is send it into Canon for an "estimate". Include a note explaining how disappointed you are that a camera created by the best camera company in the world only lasted a bit over a year. There's a good chance that they may decide to do a "good-will" repair for free and send it back to you. If they call you and give you the $89 estimate fee, then tell them to stuff it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

[Outback Annie]

I wouldn't spend the repair money if you've never been really happy with it anyway. Not when for $150 you can pick up a 7mp Kodak P&S from any Wal Mart store which takes lovely photos.

[SandyCo]

Thanks so much for the input, everyone! I decided to buy a new camera, and only paid $120 at Amazon. It has much of the same features as the old one. I figure for only $10 or so more, having a new camera is worth it.

[Blondie621]

Originally Posted by SandyCo

I have a Canon Powershot A630, and it worked fine until just now when the LCD screen went completely white. It still takes photos, but with no viewfinder and no way to see the photos I just took, this camera is pretty much useless at the moment. And of course, it's out of warranty.

I went to Canon's website, and put in all the information for a quote. $89 to repair it. That doesn't include the cost of shipping it to the service center (probably another $20 at least). So for $110, I can get my camera fixed.

I paid about $260 for it when it was new, back in January 2007. It has quirks that have bugged me since day one, like the delay on pressing the button vs. when it actually snaps the photo. On the other hand, I'm not sure I really want to spend another $250 vs. $110 or so to fix it.

Thoughts?

I had a Nikon coolpix for less than a year and the on and off switch broke...they wanted 110.00 to fix it....said no!
Bought the Canon A630 same as you in Dec. 06 from Amazon, mine is ok.
I do not know if it would be worth fixing since the price on that camera has come way down. You would have to research a replacement cost on a new one first. I am a dummy at this but let me try....I had that shutter lag problem, I set my ISO to high....? I think....hmmm, and it snaps the pic right away...no shutter lag anymore. I am going to replace my camera soon also because I hate that the A630 does not have stability....too many blurry retakes all the time!

[SandyCo]

I bought a Canon A590IS to replace my A630; I should get it on Wednesday. I'm a little nervous about the video being only 20 fps instead of the 30 fps I have now, but I checked on YouTube, and the video tests for this camera came out pretty good. I agree about the blurry photos on the A630. My new camera has image stabilization. Thanks for the input on the shutter lag; I'll try that!