From: Tony
I am planning to buy a digital camera shortly and narrowed it down to two, one Canon and one Nikon, both of which have got great write-ups in the digital press, 9 out of 10 etc, etc.
When I go into any of the public forums where people own these cameras and discuss them, the reports are brutal and they are returning them because of various faults. So I was wondering how does one choose a reliable camera?, who does one believe? And what do you buy? Any help would be appreciated.
dp-now.com: People who are highly vocal on public forums usually have usually had a particularly unusual experience that has been frustrating. It’s more likely for someone in this state of mind to shout the loudest. In my experience, these people are unusually unlucky and in reality digital cameras are very reliable. Digicams are usually reliableThere are relatively few mechanical parts susceptible to malfunction and the digital nature of cameras adds to reliability as well. I have physically damaged a couple of digital cameras accidentally, but they continued to operate normally. I have evaluated about 20 different cameras in the last few months and none broke down. Sometimes there will be a batch of cameras that exhibit a problem not picked up in reviews, but this is also relatively rare.
Digital cameras are no more unreliable, inherently, than TVs, HiFis, PCs or most other digital consumer devices. I’d read a few reviews, choose the model that suits your needs and preferences (and budget) accordingly and go for it.
Tony replied:
I appreciate what you are saying. The people on the forums that I saw were not so much complaining about breakdowns, but more on picture results.
The two I had narrowed my choice to were, the Nikon Coolpix 885 and the Canon G1. I have a lot of 35mm and medium format experience so I wanted something that I would not out-grow too quick, but also I would not have to take out a second mortgage on. Both cameras are extremely expensive here in Dublin, so I want to be sure I am not investing in a troublesome camera. If you have any further comments I would be glad to hear them.
Answer: Those two happen to be models I have not tried, though I do know the lens on the Canon is first rate. Of course there is now a G2 available. I have reliably heard that the new S30 and S40 models are excellent too.
For really in-depth camera tests you should be looking at www.dpreview.com – if you haven’t already. Phil Askey’s site is arguably the best there is in this respect.
Let us know what you decide in the end. [Back to top of the page]
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