Survey-- Problems with Canon DCs

Hi I'm conducting a survey on how much problems are people having with their cameras. I have a couple of questions for all Canon owners.

1.) Have you ever had mechanical problems with the camera? If you did please describe.

2.) If you had to deal with the manufacturer, did they fix you camera free of charge within warrenty period or did you have to pay a fee? And how much shipping did you have to pay.

3.) Thanks for talking time to reply, I would like to know if it would be alright if I shared your problems with other people.

Models I'm particularly interested in -- A40, S110, S200, S30, G2. But all comments are welcome.

I have a problem with the nature of this "survey." You are not asking for reoprts of no problems, and even if you did you would get a disporportionalte response from those that have. If you get, say, 50 negative responses, what exactly does that mean?

--rhb

Jen_K said:

Hi I'm conducting a survey on how much problems are people having
with their cameras. I have a couple of questions for all Canon
owners.

1.) Have you ever had mechanical problems with the camera? If you
did please describe.

2.) If you had to deal with the manufacturer, did they fix you
camera free of charge within warrenty period or did you have to pay
a fee? And how much shipping did you have to pay.

3.) Thanks for talking time to reply, I would like to know if it
would be alright if I shared your problems with other people.

Models I'm particularly interested in -- A40, S110, S200, S30, G2.
But all comments are welcome.

Click to expand...

Hi Jen_K,

Jen_K said:

Hi I'm conducting a survey on how much problems are people having
with their cameras. I have a couple of questions for all Canon
owners.

1.) Have you ever had mechanical problems with the camera? If you
did please describe.

Click to expand...

It's depends on how do you treat your camera.

Jen_K said:

2.) If you had to deal with the manufacturer, did they fix you
camera free of charge within warrenty period or did you have to pay
a fee? And how much shipping did you have to pay.

Click to expand...

It's depends on what models of your camera, and what kind of parts do you need to replace and the hours---depends on the mood of tech'n.

Jen_K said:

3.) Thanks for talking time to reply, I would like to know if it
would be alright if I shared your problems with other people.

Click to expand...

Jen_K said:

Models I'm particularly interested in -- A40, S110, S200, S30, G2.
But all comments are welcome.

Click to expand...

Anthony

You're mostly going to get bad responses, this won't (or shouldn't) be a way for you to decide on getting a camera.

Well, as long as people are going to do a survey like this, let me be one to say that no.. no problems. I love my G2. Yes, the beginning of "the crack" is showing, but Canon acknowledges this, and will fix it. It's purely cosmetic.

But my G2 is great. Let's try to make this thread proportionate now that it's been started. (Hopefully proportionate to the NO PROBLEMS side.)

---------------------------
http://www.pbase.com/gtdavemac

Jen_K said:

Hi I'm conducting a survey on how much problems are people having
with their cameras. I have a couple of questions for all Canon
owners.

1.) Have you ever had mechanical problems with the camera? If you
did please describe.

Click to expand...

I currently have a G1, G2, and S110 plus a bunch of other Canon stuff. No mechanical problems so far.

Richard

So do I,What is Jen-K's agenda ?Has he got a problem and wants some backup? or is he a Fuji/sony/whatever fan? I have had a G1 and Pro90 for quite a while with no problems at all and my dealings with Canon service has been good (finding parts for a scanner) Frank

Richard said:

--rhb

Jen_K said:

Hi I'm conducting a survey on how much problems are people having
with their cameras. I have a couple of questions for all Canon
owners.

1.) Have you ever had mechanical problems with the camera? If you
did please describe.

2.) If you had to deal with the manufacturer, did they fix you
camera free of charge within warrenty period or did you have to pay
a fee? And how much shipping did you have to pay.

3.) Thanks for talking time to reply, I would like to know if it
would be alright if I shared your problems with other people.

Models I'm particularly interested in -- A40, S110, S200, S30, G2.
But all comments are welcome.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
Frank Perry

I have an S-20 and a G2. Both great cameras and no problems so far.

.... Jim

eg said:

Jen_K said:

Hi I'm conducting a survey on how much problems are people having
with their cameras. I have a couple of questions for all Canon
owners.

1.) Have you ever had mechanical problems with the camera? If you
did please describe.

Click to expand...

I currently have a G1, G2, and S110 plus a bunch of other Canon
stuff. No mechanical problems so far.

Click to expand...

frank perry said:

Richard
So do I,What is Jen-K's agenda ?Has he

Click to expand...

Frank,

But what if Jen-K is a "she"?????? Wouldn't that change everything?

Cheers,

JRS

got a problem and wants

frank perry said:

some backup? or is he a Fuji/sony/whatever fan? I have had a G1 and
Pro90 for quite a while with no problems at all and my dealings
with Canon service has been good (finding parts for a scanner)
Frank

Richard said:

--rhb

Jen_K said:

Hi I'm conducting a survey on how much problems are people having
with their cameras. I have a couple of questions for all Canon
owners.

1.) Have you ever had mechanical problems with the camera? If you
did please describe.

2.) If you had to deal with the manufacturer, did they fix you
camera free of charge within warrenty period or did you have to pay
a fee? And how much shipping did you have to pay.

3.) Thanks for talking time to reply, I would like to know if it
would be alright if I shared your problems with other people.

Models I'm particularly interested in -- A40, S110, S200, S30, G2.
But all comments are welcome.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
Frank Perry

Click to expand...

Don't get me wrong. I don't have a camera. I have just read horror stories after stories of long wait for camera repairs and repairs not done up to expectation. I need to buy these guys in bulk I need a good camera company that will not only take care of me if I need support but I really need a camera that's low maintainance. If I buy service on ten or twenty cameras that would almost add up to a grand or more. I just want to get a feel for what is some common problems, really there's no reason to get defensive... I'm sorry if this offended people but I just needed some feedback to determine which cameras require the least amount of maintance.... Thanx for the feedback guys...

I guess I assumed it took a man to control a G2... ;-) (NOT!)

No flames, please-- my wife is very good at pointing out my gender foibles regularly. I don't really mean any of them...
--rhb

J.R.Simpson said:

frank perry said:

Richard
So do I,What is Jen-K's agenda ?Has he

Click to expand...

Frank,

But what if Jen-K is a "she"?????? Wouldn't that change everything?

Cheers,

JRS

got a problem and wants

Zak44318 said:

some backup? or is he a Fuji/sony/whatever fan? I have had a G1 and
Pro90 for quite a while with no problems at all and my dealings
with Canon service has been good (finding parts for a scanner)
Frank

Richard said:

--rhb

Jen_K said:

Hi I'm conducting a survey on how much problems are people having
with their cameras. I have a couple of questions for all Canon
owners.

1.) Have you ever had mechanical problems with the camera? If you
did please describe.

2.) If you had to deal with the manufacturer, did they fix you
camera free of charge within warrenty period or did you have to pay
a fee? And how much shipping did you have to pay.

3.) Thanks for talking time to reply, I would like to know if it
would be alright if I shared your problems with other people.

Models I'm particularly interested in -- A40, S110, S200, S30, G2.
But all comments are welcome.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
Frank Perry

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Jen_K,

Thanks for the clarification of your needs. Your survey still won't yield statistically valid results, but you will find that almost any of the cameras from the major manufacturers will be good, with frequescy of repair closely aligned with complexity to operate. If you need a fully-capable, complex (read vesatile) camera the G2 is very good, as are certain models from Fujitsu, Sony, Olympus, Minolta, and others. You will also find suitable cameras within any performance range from these same companies. Keep your eye on the specs (after determining your needs clearly) and then get the one that generates the fewest complaints among your onw users. IT ceratinly wouldn't hurt to keep your options open and purchanse a number of different models and makers.

--rhb

Jen_K said:

Don't get me wrong. I don't have a camera. I have just read
horror stories after stories of long wait for camera repairs and
repairs not done up to expectation. I need to buy these guys in
bulk I need a good camera company that will not only take care of
me if I need support but I really need a camera that's low
maintainance. If I buy service on ten or twenty cameras that would
almost add up to a grand or more. I just want to get a feel for
what is some common problems, really there's no reason to get
defensive... I'm sorry if this offended people but I just
needed some feedback to determine which cameras require the least
amount of maintance.... Thanx for the feedback guys...

Click to expand...

If you're buying a dozen or more cameras, you can try to negotiate a deal with your retailer, not only on price but also on waranty service: "If I give you this much business, can you help me expedite any repair service that I might need?" In looking at Canon, Kodak, Nikon, Olympus, and Sony, you might map out where their repair facilities are in relation to you, for the least delay in shipping times.

That said, I think you'll have difficulty making an accurate assessment based on anecdotal evidence volunteered in these forums. It may be gruesomely entertaining to hear camera repair horror stories, but it's hard to predict if they will happen to you. For accuracy, you'd need to know certain numbers such as total cameras sold, number of cameras sent in for repair, average repair time, etc. - numbers internal to each manufacturer and most likely guarded as trade secrets. The quality of repair will probably vary widely, as it's hard to know how good each repair facility is and what staff turnover is like; e.g. great repairs only when a certain brilliant technician is working. Even when Consumer's Reports tries to find out this kind of information, they can only come up with numbers limited to their own sample. You may want to ask by specific camera model, as design differences may make certain models easier to repair than others.

On a whole, my impression is that most of the currently available digicams are of good quality and do not need frequent repair - and are similiar enough in this aspect that you can be free to choose based on the other criteria such as image quality, ergonomics, battery life, etc. For a truly bomb-proof digicam, you'd have to look at something like the EOS 1D dSLR which has a metal body, numerous environmental seals, and is backed by the higher repair/exchange level of Canon Professional Services - but 20 of these would cost $100,000 USD - and that's before buying lenses.

Good luck,
WH

Jen_K said:

Don't get me wrong. I don't have a camera. I have just read
horror stories after stories of long wait for camera repairs and
repairs not done up to expectation. I need to buy these guys in
bulk I need a good camera company that will not only take care of
me if I need support but I really need a camera that's low
maintainance. If I buy service on ten or twenty cameras that would
almost add up to a grand or more. I just want to get a feel for
what is some common problems, really there's no reason to get
defensive... I'm sorry if this offended people but I just
needed some feedback to determine which cameras require the least
amount of maintance.... Thanx for the feedback guys...

Click to expand...

A few days ago one owner on this forum was adament that the G2 they owned wasn't sharp/focusing.

When I pointed out from the EXIF data the real issues, pride prevented them acknowledging the real issue - them!

The G2 is a very popular, affordable camera letting a lot of new people shoot photos, just like the above person you could not count on their testimony to the survey if you were trying to gain correct results.
Sorry

I have a G1 which broke down last november. It just stopped responding and it was repaired under warranty.

Jen_K said:

1.) Have you ever had mechanical problems with the camera? If you
did please describe.

Click to expand...

According to the repair form it was not a mechanical but rather an electronic failure. Canon said that they replaced a fuse. One thing I didn't like, though: they took five (5) weeks to fix the camera, and when it came back it was working again, but it had a hot pixel. I was already quite pissed that it had taken so long (I did not have my camera with Christmas), but when I discovered the hot pixel I was very angry. They took another two (2) weeks to fix that.
I did and do not have any other problems with the camera.

Jen_K said:

2.) If you had to deal with the manufacturer, did they fix you
camera free of charge within warrenty period or did you have to pay
a fee? And how much shipping did you have to pay.

Click to expand...

The camera was 11 months old, and Canon fixed it for free. I did not have to pay any shipping as I bought the camera in a 'normal' (non-internet) photoshop, they shipped the camera to Canon for me.

Jen_K said:

3.) Thanks for talking time to reply, I would like to know if it
would be alright if I shared your problems with other people.

Click to expand...

No problem.

Jen_K said:

Models I'm particularly interested in -- A40, S110, S200, S30, G2.
But all comments are welcome.

Click to expand...

Although they fixed my camera in the end, I am not happy with the level of service I got. I hope for Canon the Netherlands that I was unlucky and that they usually do better.

Jeroen
the Netherlands

http://autorai2001.dhs.org
Cool pictures of sports cars, taken with a G1.