My Canon SX20 IS has an intermittent "lens error" and a stuck pixel. Repair or Replace?

I would replace it. You can get either the SX50HS or the SX40HS for about $329...

http://www.adorama.com/ICASX50.html

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Canon-12.1MP-5251B001/17235934

Take a look at Cybertony's beautiful images, both cameras are great:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/52788143

noflashplease wrote:

About a year ago my Powershot SX20 IS developed a white stuck pixel in high ISO and low light stills and videos. This month, it has developed an intermittent black screen "lens error" message requiring a restart. From my past experience with a previous Powershot megazoom, the "lens error" will eventually cause the camera to become inoperative and will require a repair.

Is it more economic to replace or repair the Camera? In the past I've had a positive experience with two repairs performed directly by Canon, but each was between $150 and $200.

I'm very fond the wide f/2.8 aperture of the SX20 IS and the fact that it can use convenient and non-proprietary AA batteries. The current SX50 has a narrower aperture and feels less robust in construction, which makes me very reluctant to upgrade.

I am very fond of the Canon brand in terms of optics and imaging and the only real choice is between buying a new megazoom from different brand for $350 and up or paying for a Canon repair and hoping that something else doesn't break. A replacement would be the first non-Canon digital camera that I've ever owned.

I only take still pictures in 16:9 aspect ratio for screen viewing as I never make prints. I travel a great deal and my camera must be good at both maritime and exterior photography, while at the same time having reasonable high ISO and low light capabilities in museums which don't allow flash photography. I absolutely don't care about macro or portrait photography, although I would like a camera that is capable of photographing flying displays at airshows. I greatly appreciate the Canon Camera DC 8 software that provided for the proper orientation and folder organization of the JPEGS that I download by USB cable to my Windows laptop and would look for a similar software functionality in a competing brand. Incidentally, I do tend to take the occasional photo holding my SX20 over my head swiveling the tilting screen downward. I absolutely love the grid lines on the display for taking landscapes. In short, I love the camera and find the high ISO performance to be acceptable and the aperture to the minimum that I'd accept, hence my ambivalence about the SX50. I've also been known to take 400-500 photos in a few hours, so I carry a couple of replacement sets of rechargeable AA batteries.

Right now I'm considering shipping the SX20 IS to Canon for repairs, or looking at the Fuji X-S1. I really can't afford a Sony DMC-RX10 and I won't consider the much lauded Panasonic FZ200 because of past negative experience with the Panasonic brand in terms of reliability and customer service. The sad truth is that if the Canon SX50 HS had the same specifications as the FZ200 in terms of aperture, I might already have already have replaced my SX20 IS.

The reality is that I'm happy with the framing opportunities provided by 20x zoom but I feel the need for a wider aperture than the SX50 and I have no use for 30, 40 or 50 times zoom if it sacrifices aperture.

Probably less expensive to buy a 'new' SX10/SX20 than getting your camera repaired. Or maybe a second-hand SX40 with a 24-840mm equivalent f/2.7-5.8 lens. SX40 is quite a bit better at high ISOs than SX20, but its EVF is unfortunately a step backwards (smaller and darker).

Jeff Peterman wrote:

If you want a fast lens at the long end the only real option is the Panasonic FZ200. Like you SX20, it has a constant f2.8 aperture, but it does this with a 25-600mm lens! So, it goes both wider and longer than your camera. You'll give up on the compactness and on the use of AA batteries, but this camera line lasts quite some time on the rechargeable battery. You will gain a big improvement in resolution and low light capability, and a tremendous improvement in video capability

At this point, you may not be able to get the SX20 repaired as the parts may not be available. I retired my SX20 about three years ago, buying a Panasonic FZ40 because the Canon options were so much larger (the SX20 would easily fit in my coat pocket, and the FZ40 will also fit in a coat pocket).

Sounds like you are talking about another camera than SX20 (maybe S5is?). The SX20 is a rather large 12mp camera with a 28-560mm equivalent f/2.8-5.7 lens.

Steen Bay wrote:

Probably less expensive to buy a 'new' SX10/SX20 than getting your camera repaired. Or maybe a second-hand SX40 with a 24-840mm equivalent f/2.7-5.8 lens. SX40 is quite a bit better at high ISOs than SX20, but its EVF is unfortunately a step backwards (smaller and darker).

Your conclusion that it is probably less expensive buy new than repair is shared by Consumer Reports. An article in their current issue indicates that repairs are more economical than replacement in the first two years, a toss-up in the third year and definitely not advisable from year 4 onward.

I agree about the EVF on the SX30/SX40 body.

OpticGlass wrote:

I would replace it. You can get either the SX50HS or the SX40HS for about $329...

http://www.adorama.com/ICASX50.html

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Canon-12.1MP-5251B001/17235934

Take a look at Cybertony's beautiful images, both cameras are great:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/52788143

I am aware that the SX40 is going for $329 at any Walmart that still has it in stock. The SX50 is going for the same at Amazon, although I've seen it going for as little as $279 through one Brooklyn, NY storefront (which may or may not be a Canon authorized reseller).

I'm not objecting to the price on either camera and I think we can all agree that Canon products almost invariably produce beautiful images at default settings.

Jeff Peterman wrote:

If you want a fast lens at the long end the only real option is the Panasonic FZ200. Like you SX20, it has a constant f2.8 aperture, but it does this with a 25-600mm lens! So, it goes both wider and longer than your camera. You'll give up on the compactness and on the use of AA batteries, but this camera line lasts quite some time on the rechargeable battery. You will gain a big improvement in resolution and low light capability, and a tremendous improvement in video capability

At this point, you may not be able to get the SX20 repaired as the parts may not be available. I retired my SX20 about three years ago, buying a Panasonic FZ40 because the Canon options were so much larger (the SX20 would easily fit in my coat pocket, and the FZ40 will also fit in a coat pocket).

The time to buy a FZ200 came and went this summer when Best Buy decided to clearance out their inventory. As I recollect, early in July, they were selling the FZ200 for $299 new or $249 for display and "open box." I probably still wouldn't have bought since I've had so many previous issues with the Panasonic brand. As previously stated, I don't object to the specs or even to the price of the FZ200. If Canon was selling a camera of the same specifications for a list price of $600, without retailer discounts, I'd buy it. In a heartbeat! Of course, I think we can all remember the last time Canon tried to sell a megazoom at that price point; the SX1 IS premiered in 2009 and never seemed to sell in big numbers.

As far as repairs, Canon seems to have a basic $100 charge for labor and addition charges for parts. A credit card authorization is sort of open-ended in terms of costs but Canon has been very reputable in the past. They also offer a trade-in as part of the "Canon Loyalty Program," which seems to be a 20% discount against the price of a refurbished camera. Is 20% off a $309 refurbished SX50 HS a good deal? Honestly, I'd buy new first, if I wanted a SX50. Which I really didn't.

I'm glad to know that you enjoy your FZ40. I looked at a FZ60 as an emergency replacement but dismissed it because of the fixed rear display. I love a hinged display and can live with a tilting display but a fixed display is a non-starter for me. I take too many high and low angle shots. Overall, I'm not convinced that I could live with a second tier superzoom for that reason alone.

I'm also freaked out by the idea of the polymer lens in the current Panasonic FZ70. I hate the feel of an all plastic camera, something that Panasonic seems to the master of, but the idea of plastic optics seems to be the final straw. I know that the lenses in eye glasses have been plastic for generations, are lightweight and resist scratching remarkably well but it's just the idea that rankles.

So I've chosen a camera that's half again as heavy as the plastic Panasonic options. Yes, I'm trying the Fujifilm X-S1; two pounds of magnesium and glass. I get the impression that this camera will require a lot more thought, experimentation and user involvement in comparison to my past Canon cameras. The deciding factor was the manual zoom. After two brilliant Canon cameras both claimed by failed and failing power zoom mechanisms, I decided to go in another direction and Fuji's manual zoom ring seems to have been my deciding factor. I'll review the outcome of the my decision in the appropriate subforum.

Many thanks to the posters who all answered my original question with invariably good advice.  When each and every answer correlates with the advice given in this month's Consumer Reports magazine as to when to repair or replace a camera, you know you're in good hands.  Thank you.