Cathy asks: Yesterday I tried giving my camera a whir only to find it wouldn’t turn on. I replaced the batteries, but nope, it still won’t budge. I’m going on holiday in a month and really want to take photos. But I think repairing it might take too long. And I don’t want to buy a new camera as I want to use my money on my trip.
The problem with the world today is we’re into our disposables. Disposable plates, disposable cameras, disposable razors and the like. Because of this, it’s not so simple to take your broken tech to a local repair store and have it serviced.
Sadly repair stores seem to be a dying business. We’ve gone from a Do It Yourself nation to a get someone else to do it nation and then to a don’t do it at all nation. However there are still options!
Your first call of action should be to check whether your camera brand offers repairs.The best agent for you may be the company who made your digital camera – especially if you have it under warranted. Fujifilm, Canon and Olympus offer repairs just to name a few.
If this fails, you may find a willing repair company if you conduct a quick Google search. However be aware that they don’t usually focus only on camera repairs. Because of this they might not be so easy to find.
When looking for a camera repair company, your number one priority should be location. You may find a cheaper company on the other side of the country. But the cost of shipping your camera, potential damage and potential for the company to misquote you make this a risky venture.
By taking your camera into a local repair company, they can explain to you what is wrong with your camera. This ensures you that they aren’t misquoting your naive self to get more money. It also saves you time and with your impending trip, you need all the time you can get!
Be warned that getting your camera repaired is no cheap business. Take for example Snapshot Cameras, Waikato’s local camera repair servicer. Just estimating how much it’ll cost to repair your camera and what is wrong has a base fee of $120. If you have a DSLR model, this costs even more. So if you only use a $50 digital camera, it isn’t worth getting it repaired.
As a general rule about replacing vs repairing, if getting your tech repaired costs more than getting it replaced, then just buy new equipment. It saves you money and gets you the newest model. And since technology evolves you rapidly, you know you will be getting an impressive new camera!
However you also need to start from base one. Repairing your camera means you are familiar with how it works and probably won’t have any technical difficulties. Imagine taking a new camera to the beach only to find you accidentally deleted all your photos! That happens all the time.
Alongside possibly saving money and getting better tech, you may find newer cameras are sturdier. You can buy ‘rugged’ cameras that are built to handle day to day life.
If you do decide to buy a new camera, I have a few suggestions for buying the perfect one for as little cost as possible. Check out my article on choosing the perfect camera.
In short: If your camera replacement servicer is neither local or cheap just treat yourself to a new camera. Your photo album will thank you later.
