February 10, 2010
LCD Screen is the #1 Part That Will Break on Your Digital Camera
We live in a throw-away society, it’s a simple fact. You buy that brand new fancy digital camera with all the bells and whistles for $400, and in 6 months to 1 year it’s worth maybe half that, and then the unthinkable happens: you drop it and it breaks. The screen is broken or the lens is broken or stuck, so what do you do? You go back to there store where you bought it and the kid working there that knows next to nothing about cameras to begin with, let alone camera repair, tells you to throw it in the garbage and it’s not fixable. You feel ripped off and mad at the camera manufacturer and you toss it out and buy a new one made by somebody else.
There are alternatives, there are ALWAYS alternatives to every problem. Honest! It may cost you 0 to fix your camera, and yes you can buy a new camera these days for 0 at some places, but what sort of quality do you think you will get from a 0 camera? You shouldn’t expect high quality that’s for sure, because you won’t be getting it.
#1 - Cracked, broken, smashed LCD screen.
It was hard for me to choose between a jammed lens and broken LCD screen repair but I stuck with LCD for #1 because it’s so easy to break your LCD that you don’t even have to touch the camera to do it!
The LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is the view screen on the back of the camera that lets you see menus, playback pictures etc. An LCD screen is a very thin and fragile part of the camera and on many of them it is completely unprotected! Take a look at your LCD screen; is it slightly recessed or does it look like it’s flat and even all the way across? If it’s flat you have a protective ‘window’ or ‘glass’ over the LCD to help prevent damage and breakage. If it’s not flat, you have nothing protecting your LCD and should put a good quality LCD screen protector on the camera and NOT those thin, flimsy ’saran wrap’ plastic film screen protectors, they are worthless.
- Don’t expose your camera to high heat or extreme cold in your car. Extreme heat can cause expansion of the liquid in the LCD and cause it to ‘crack’, and on the other side of things extreme cold can cause it to freeze!
- Don’t ever put anything pressing against your LCD screen in your camera bag, as it can crack the LCD screen (yes even if there is a window over it there is a chance it will break!)
- Don’t put your camera in your back pocket and then sit down!
- Don’t store your camera in your pants pocket, it can easily break from the pressure.
- … Just avoid putting the camera in your pants pocket completely. =)
Ok, so it’s broken, what do you do now?
- Manufacturers usually cite impact damage as the cause of the breakage and will not repair the camera under warranty. You can try, and I wish you luck, but they probably won’t fix it.
- Look for a defective camera on eBay and make one good camera from the two if you are handy.
- Look for an actual camera repair business and not somebody that will send it to the manufacturer and tell you it’s $200 and 4-6 weeks to repair. (If they tell you this, they are NOT repairing your camera for you, they are sending it to the manufacturer, guaranteed)
Many LCD screens are very easy to install and you can do it yourself and all you need is a small screwdriver. Some LCD screens are so difficult to replace that even trained technicians don’t like doing the repair! While I can’t pick one brand …. is the best and Brand … is the worst, it’s really not like that. Certain SERIES of cameras have 1 or 2 models that are difficult to work on, yet the rest of them are fairly straight forward. You will have to figure out if you want to try opening your camera and repairing it by yourself or not.
How is the LCD screen replaced?
With most Canon digital camera LCD screens for example (using them as the example because they have the largest market share) all you do is disconnect the ribbon cable for the LCD and the backlight (the light that shines through the LCD and allows you to see what is on the screen) and then install the new LCD. Some LCDs do come with the backlight that shines through it attached and others do not. Some backlights need to be soldered to the mainboard of the camera, some do not.
- Be careful to not touch the flash capacitor contacts! You will shock yourself pretty good if you do it and it will hurt a bit. You may end up tossing the camera half-way across the room when it happens to you. (Yeah, I’ve done it, I’ve been repairing cameras for 5 years now so….) We use an item called a “flash capacitor discharger” and we use them every time we work on a camera.
I hope this sheds some light on the subject of camera repair. There’s no need to toss out your camera just because the LCD screen is broken, in fact you might be able to fix it yourself!
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February 5, 2010
Canon A Series: Quality Cameras That Are Too Often Overlooked
Today’s digital camera technology offers consumers an irresistible range of camera options coming from different top brands. From point and shoot compact digital cameras to large and bulky DSLRs and mid-sized cameras in between-the choices can be overwhelmingly endless. Shopping for a new camera can become overwhelming due to the number of models and specifications available today. So how can a consumer end up picking the cream of the crop?
While there is no single best digital camera (since choices vary according to each person’s unique needs and preferences), your best bet is of course to study the options available and rely on one of the top brands in the market today.
Canon Digital Cameras
What is the brand with the largest market share today? Canon! Canon is well known as a supplier of quality digital cameras. Its camera series lines, which include PowerShot (point and shoot) and EOS (DSLR), have consistently received numerous positive ratings from users and critiques.
Of course, not everything that Canon produces is flawless as there have been issues along the way; nevertheless this company enjoys a good reputation and an outstanding track record when it comes to high quality digital cameras.
Since cost is always a major concern if you want to buy a Canon digital camera they produced several cameras that are within your means. The Canon Powershot A470 is a top-selling camera for good reason. This compact and portable digital camera offers a 7.1 MP image size, 3.4x optical zoom, and a 2.5-inch LCD monitor for your viewing pleasure. Quality and user-friendliness are combined in this piece of affordable camera.
Canon also recognizes the fact that digital cameras have also become a fashion accessory today and people are looking for beauty and style aside from excellent performance. The Canon A1000IS with its elegant, two-toned look is certainly appealing to most people’s eyes. Even with its modern style, its features do not take a backseat. It comes with a 10MP image size (honestly all you need), 4x optical zoom and impressive image stabilization.
For adventure seekers, Canon created an action-packed camera called the Canon PowerShot D10, which is waterproof up to 10 meters, freezeproof from -10 degrees Celsius, and shockproof up to 1.22 meters. This excellent camera has a 12 MP image size, 3x optical zoom, 2.5 inch LCD screen, and the ever-reliable image stabilization.
Proper Care and Maintenance
Just like with any other brand of digital camera, it is imperative that you take utmost care of your Canon digital camera repair. Even if Canon is known for its quality, it is still not invincible to wear and tear. As much as possible, protect your camera from dust and debris. Avoid dropping it or subjecting it to impact.
If you suspect any malfunction in your digicam, bring it immediately to a service center that has experience with Canon digital camera repair. If you prefer to do it yourself, look for a vendor selling genuine OEM Canon digital camera parts.
Producing high-quality photographs is not at all difficult with the excellent line of Canon PowerShot series. To ensure that you end up with the best choice that will meet your photography needs and requirements, review and compare different products before buying.
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We all know how important it is to have a quality camera to capture life’s memories, and a Sony camera is a great choice with which to do it. Sony is at the forefront of digital camera development. Sony has provided consumers with an excellent line of digital cameras that is equipped with the best optical and imaging technology that can capture your most prized memories with more detail, color and precision imaginable.
All Sony digital cameras are designed with ease of use and quality photography in mind. This line of Sony digital cameras allow high digital processing that reduces picture noise and delivers smoother and more detailed images. Included in this line is the H series.
The DSC- H1
The Cybershot DSC H1 offers a 12x zoom which is wonderful for close-up shots. It is generally considered as a well-thought-out design with a broad feature set and fast performance that can work well in almost all shooting situations. The DSC-H1 is a slightly larger body camera and this gives it a good sturdy feeling in the hand.
The DSC-H2
The DSC H2 comes with a 6 megapixel imager and a 2″ LCD. This model incorporates Sony’s SupersteadyShot optical image stabilization that is very helpful in reducing image blur caused by hand movement. It also offers a high-light sensitivity setting of up to ISO 1000 which is very ideal for capturing moving objects and people with less blur and graininess. The shutter lag at both wide angle and telephoto zoom settings is very good in addition to the prefocus time (half-pressing and holding down the Sony DSC-H2 shutter button before exposure) which is very fast.
The DSC-H3
This Sony H3 model is a super compact 8 megapixel camera that has a powerful 10x optical zoom lens that is perfect for close-up shots. It is also ideal for capturing movement as you will be able to take a snapshot of every touchdown as it also includes Sony’s advanced sports shooting mode which combines high shutter speed shooting and continuous auto-focusing. This aspect helps reduce shutter lag by quickly focusing on fast moving objects.
The DSC-H5
The DSC-H5 has a 7.2 megapixel CCD imager and a three inch LCD screen and has a 12x optical zoom. It is capable of capturing distant shots and easy to use like a point-and-shoot camera. Additionally, the Sony anti-blur system provides the noise reduction technology that helps minimize picture noise which makes it easier to shoot at a faster shutter speed. This is very advantageous especially if you are taking a shot in low-light conditions.
Sony has always been known to offer a quality product and their digital cameras are no exception. Not every Sony camera will suit your needs but there is bound to be at least one camera that will, and Sony is a name you can trust.
If you do decide to purchase a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H series camera, make sure you do some research on Google first regarding the Sony DSC-H5 shutter button repair first! The models after the DSC-H10 and up do not have this Sony shutter button repair problem.