soutthpaw
24th of April 2007 (Tue), 21:16
This is my 3rd digitial camera, which I just got yesterday under totally unplanned circumstances. I joined the forum here as it seemed pretty active and usually forums are the best place for info and help. Anyway I will share a little story
10 months ago I bought a Casio EX_Z850 camera from Best Buy and of course I got the 4 year extended service plan. this camera replaced my old Olympus 40 dont remember the exact model number. anyway the dial stopped working on the casio for the video position last month while i was on vacation. So I took it to Best Buy who happily took it in for repair. went to get in on monday and not only had their sevice center not fixed it, they had made it worse, the dial did not work at all and there was a dent in the front of the case. Checking the computer and service notes, the best buy employee told me they did not fix it due to the dent in the case. I promptly told them I did not drop it off with a dent in it! Sure enough checking my repair order in notes it said NVD (No Visible Damage). I then said i either need it fixed or need a sutible replacement as they did not carry this model in the store so after the employee had a short discussion with the assistant manager, he quickly offered to give me full credit toward a replacement from their in stock cameras plus pro rate credit on the service plan.
I was got the Casio EX-V7SR as I had my 10 month old daughter with me getting cranky and no time to research a new camera. However I left it unopened in the box and came home and did some online research which led me to choose between the Ex-V7SR and the Canon SD800is. what I liked about the Casio was the high quality video and wide scree video option and the 7x optical zoom. however the killing characteristics for the casio were the lack of a viewfinder that my previous 850 had and the poor f stop range of 3.4-5.4 along with limited reviews out that said the image quality was so so.
being I already had a high speed 2gb sd card, I eliminated several possibilities such as the 770 olympus, sony products and other no SD cameras. what made me decide to try my first Canon camera were multiple good reviews, (steves digicams) is a site i used to also read about my previous cameras. also 168 reviews from users on amazon. com with very few negatives. the wide angle 28mm setting and true 1600 ISO ability were the other selling points as i use wide angle more often that 7x zoom.
Comparison
It was instantly obvious that the Canon took far superior pictures compared to the casio 850! So thus far I am very pleased with my purchase.
One thing I want people to be aware of is that BestBuy now has 2 different Extended service plans the standard plan and the new plan that costs more but covers accidental damage such as dropping it, getting it wet, cracked screen etc. I am not a fan of these plans in general as they are usually a money making scam. however I have had the standard plan on 2 camcorders and my casio camera and got my money's worth from every one. all have been in for repair sevice or general cleaning and overhaul.
Price for the standard plan on my $350 camera was $59 and $89 for the new physical damages plan.
My advice to people buying a camera is get it from best buy and pay the extra for the service plan. Mail order seller's plans are total crap.. I bought a laptop from marine park electronics online and paid for and extended service plan except when i sent it in they obviouly made their own physical damage to it and refused to fix it... hence the mail order service/repair scam. you may pay more initially but in the long run you will save buying from a reputable retail store IMHO
Thanks for reading, hope someone benefits from this post
DJ
10 months ago I bought a Casio EX_Z850 camera from Best Buy and of course I got the 4 year extended service plan. this camera replaced my old Olympus 40 dont remember the exact model number. anyway the dial stopped working on the casio for the video position last month while i was on vacation. So I took it to Best Buy who happily took it in for repair. went to get in on monday and not only had their sevice center not fixed it, they had made it worse, the dial did not work at all and there was a dent in the front of the case. Checking the computer and service notes, the best buy employee told me they did not fix it due to the dent in the case. I promptly told them I did not drop it off with a dent in it! Sure enough checking my repair order in notes it said NVD (No Visible Damage). I then said i either need it fixed or need a sutible replacement as they did not carry this model in the store so after the employee had a short discussion with the assistant manager, he quickly offered to give me full credit toward a replacement from their in stock cameras plus pro rate credit on the service plan.
I was got the Casio EX-V7SR as I had my 10 month old daughter with me getting cranky and no time to research a new camera. However I left it unopened in the box and came home and did some online research which led me to choose between the Ex-V7SR and the Canon SD800is. what I liked about the Casio was the high quality video and wide scree video option and the 7x optical zoom. however the killing characteristics for the casio were the lack of a viewfinder that my previous 850 had and the poor f stop range of 3.4-5.4 along with limited reviews out that said the image quality was so so.
being I already had a high speed 2gb sd card, I eliminated several possibilities such as the 770 olympus, sony products and other no SD cameras. what made me decide to try my first Canon camera were multiple good reviews, (steves digicams) is a site i used to also read about my previous cameras. also 168 reviews from users on amazon. com with very few negatives. the wide angle 28mm setting and true 1600 ISO ability were the other selling points as i use wide angle more often that 7x zoom.
Comparison
It was instantly obvious that the Canon took far superior pictures compared to the casio 850! So thus far I am very pleased with my purchase.
One thing I want people to be aware of is that BestBuy now has 2 different Extended service plans the standard plan and the new plan that costs more but covers accidental damage such as dropping it, getting it wet, cracked screen etc. I am not a fan of these plans in general as they are usually a money making scam. however I have had the standard plan on 2 camcorders and my casio camera and got my money's worth from every one. all have been in for repair sevice or general cleaning and overhaul.
Price for the standard plan on my $350 camera was $59 and $89 for the new physical damages plan.
My advice to people buying a camera is get it from best buy and pay the extra for the service plan. Mail order seller's plans are total crap.. I bought a laptop from marine park electronics online and paid for and extended service plan except when i sent it in they obviouly made their own physical damage to it and refused to fix it... hence the mail order service/repair scam. you may pay more initially but in the long run you will save buying from a reputable retail store IMHO
Thanks for reading, hope someone benefits from this post
DJ