Now that school is almost out for the summer, you've probably begun to search the web for places to go... cheap places to go! With the price of gas migrating towards $4/gal you are probably thinking about something closer to home. Air travel seems to be a roll of the dice with the airlines playing musical chairs with one another and trying to cover the rising fuel costs by charging passengers extra for a second checked bag. Really, would you want to check a second bag when you know they are going to lose the first checked bag?
One thing you will want to consider this early in the planning stages is a camera. How is your camera doing that you have now? Don't wait a couple days prior to V-day to pull out the camera and check it over. Check it out now, especially if it is a film camera. If it's been in the back of the closet there are a few things that need to be done before taking it on your vacation. Remove the batteries and make sure they didn't leak into the battery chamber of the camera. If they did, the camera may still be salvageable. But a future blog will discuss how to perform cleaning, maintenance and storage of your camera. Most likely, buying a new camera, is your first choice at this point.
Now, if you are in the market for a new camera, where do you start? Well, the worst thing to do is have the salesperson tell you what you want. You know what you want; you just need a way to organize your thoughts. Here is where to start in that process...
First step should be: Get some paper and a pen. Write down what you liked with all the cameras you have owned or used. Spend a lot of thought with this. This list is for you to use in selecting your new camera.
Next you will start another list: Write down what you did not like with those cameras. If you are considering a digital and it is your first, here are a couple of things to consider:
Anti-shake, anti-vibration--This is a big deal. Even the pro, high end digitals are adding this feature. Lower priced cameras also have this feature. This is a must have feature for digital cameras today, especially if this will be your first.
Start up time. Biggest complaint with a digital camera is missing a picture because someone was waiting for the camera to "come on," "turn on," "warm up," whatever they may call it. By the time the camera is ready, the baby's first step is missed and all you can get is the 2nd, 3rd, 4th steps.
Type and size of battery the camera uses. It is best to purchase a camera that uses AA batteries. Those are available all over the world where there are stores. If you want the thin, "fit in your shirt pocket" camera, plan for the odd battery, specific for that camera and possibly just that model! And if you leave your charger at home... uh-oh.
Go to a store you are familiar with that sells cameras. DO NOT BUY a camera. The salesperson at a camera store will do everything in their power to make the sale at that moment, even lie if they have to. I know from experience about the "promises" list they begin to rattle off until they see you begin to soften up. A promise made to me on the first digital camera was not outrageous. When I was ready to step up to a more sophisticated camera, I went back to the camera store with the old camera I purchased from them. The salesperson said they would take the old camera as a trade in when I would be ready to move up. I dealt with the same saleperson and he looked at me like I was crazy when I said I wanted to trade the old one in. "We don't do trade-ins and never have."
Listen to the sales pitch, test out the camera and then go get a cup of coffee. DO NOT BUY. If you saw what you liked make note of the brand and model.
Then, check out the reviews of the camera you liked. You can go on line and search for the make and model, go to the camera manufacturer's website, and the best and most reliable review is from the consumer just like you who will tell it straight. Here, too, is where you can find out if the camera is a discontinued model or being discontinued. So if the saleperson says you are getting a great deal on a camera they want you to buy, do you consider a discontinued product a great deal?
In the process of checking reviews on line, you may have found a better price. You may save money not paying tax, but remember to consider the shipping and handling charges. Add up the camera price and shipping in comparison to purchasing the camera locally. Can you wait a day or two for the savings? I buy all my camera equipment through an online camera and video store which has been proven to be reliable and trustworthy. In the first year alone of switching to the online purchasing, I saved over $1,000 for gear and they even purchased my old camera and lenses! However, if you decide to purchase over the internet be aware there is something called a "gray market." Gray market equipment is meant to be sold outside the United States and here is what makes the price so attractive... no manufacturer's warranty comes with the purchase. A good article about the "gray market" alert is in the January 2008 issue of Popular Photography magazine. You may be able to read the article by going to the magazine's online site, http://www.popphoto.com/ and search for the editorial by John Owens, "Camera-Buyer Beware: How to tell a scam from a steal."
Buying a camera is a big discision today. Just like a new car, the minute you walk out the door with the camera, it's value drops quite a bit. Another thing, the digital market is still quite new and "finding itself" to please the customer. Digital cameras are obsolete in the matter of days of being released. Take for instance the line of Nikon's digital SLR cameras. They have jumped all over the place to get the consumer's attention... D100 to D70 to D50, D80, D200, and within a model there have been changes and releases and the same has been happening in their pro line of DSLRs. If you could follow the "point and shoot" camera's history, you would discover that market is a disaster.
Oh, and one more thing, if you can't find a model that has all the features you want, just wait a few days, it will be on the market...
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