I am so tempted by the Amazon price, but the LCD stories are scaring me off. On the other hand, I have an earlier Elph and it's built like a tank. Is this just one of those cases where the chorus of complaints makes it appear worse than it is? Or is the LCD really that fragile?

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/2005 03:23PM by $tevie.

I'm also looking for a camera-- the features that appeal to me about this one are optical zoom, movie with sound, and apparently no limitation to film clip length.
Steve's speaks highly of it:
[www.steves-digicams.com]

My main concerns:

Proprietary battery-- what am I missing-- how could 760 mAh possibly be enough? How much does an extra battery cost?
I think I'd need to bring along 3 extras on a week long trip with no easy access to AC.

AVI format-- how hard is that to switch to a more mac-friendly format? Does the camera record in QT format as well?

-USB-- does this have a full sized USB2 port? Would it automatically downgrade to USB 1.1?

-3 MP-- lots of 4 MP cameras available in similar price range-- what would I be giving up?
The images at Steve's look pretty decent (especially the .AVI).

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I suffer from the same sensitivity that you do. A few nuggets of wisdom were shared with me and I'm "trying" to incorporate them into my life. First, remember that nobody can hurt your feelings unless you let them. You can always reject what is being forced on you emotionally.
Second, nothing changes unless you change it. If you don't want the behavior to be repeated then you need to take action. Otherwise the kid has learned that his behavior is the way to get things done, because everyone lets him get away with it.
In the meantime I sympathize because I've been there.
-beerman

Oh yeah-- what are the "LCD stories"?

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I suffer from the same sensitivity that you do. A few nuggets of wisdom were shared with me and I'm "trying" to incorporate them into my life. First, remember that nobody can hurt your feelings unless you let them. You can always reject what is being forced on you emotionally.
Second, nothing changes unless you change it. If you don't want the behavior to be repeated then you need to take action. Otherwise the kid has learned that his behavior is the way to get things done, because everyone lets him get away with it.
In the meantime I sympathize because I've been there.
-beerman

I don't know how good the Canon batteries are, but with our Nikon D-70 we only have to charge the battery every couple of weeks, and we shoot a lot, several gigs a week.

h' Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Oh yeah-- what are the "LCD stories"?

The Amazon reviews are filled with people complaining that the LCD on their SD200 cracked and/or broke within a matter of months. I have to admit I haven't gone on to research other Canon cameras to see if they also are getting complaints. This is more like an impulse buy but it's in danger of being squashed by the negative remarks on Amazon.

I see.
That's a deal killer for me.
The bad LCD reports seem mostly older, from eralier this year.
Any luck googling?

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I suffer from the same sensitivity that you do. A few nuggets of wisdom were shared with me and I'm "trying" to incorporate them into my life. First, remember that nobody can hurt your feelings unless you let them. You can always reject what is being forced on you emotionally.
Second, nothing changes unless you change it. If you don't want the behavior to be repeated then you need to take action. Otherwise the kid has learned that his behavior is the way to get things done, because everyone lets him get away with it.
In the meantime I sympathize because I've been there.
-beerman

Also, one reviewer comlains about bettery life, saying it only lasts an hour.

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I suffer from the same sensitivity that you do. A few nuggets of wisdom were shared with me and I'm "trying" to incorporate them into my life. First, remember that nobody can hurt your feelings unless you let them. You can always reject what is being forced on you emotionally.
Second, nothing changes unless you change it. If you don't want the behavior to be repeated then you need to take action. Otherwise the kid has learned that his behavior is the way to get things done, because everyone lets him get away with it.
In the meantime I sympathize because I've been there.
-beerman

Here's where you can sign up for the C-A-S:
[www.zlk.com]

And here's a semi-useful discussion:
[www.dcresource.com]

The good news:
You can order a replacement screen and DIY for $45 shipped.

The bad news-- Cannon appears to suck badly as a company to do business with.

---

I suffer from the same sensitivity that you do. A few nuggets of wisdom were shared with me and I'm "trying" to incorporate them into my life. First, remember that nobody can hurt your feelings unless you let them. You can always reject what is being forced on you emotionally.
Second, nothing changes unless you change it. If you don't want the behavior to be repeated then you need to take action. Otherwise the kid has learned that his behavior is the way to get things done, because everyone lets him get away with it.
In the meantime I sympathize because I've been there.
-beerman

I've got an older Elph, so does my friend, so does my sister-in-law. All different models, all perfectly good cameras that work well. So I am somewhat skeptical that suddenly this particular model is so terrible. It makes me wonder if it isn't somewhat akin to the "iPod batteries only last 6 months" hysteria.

No, it seems to be a problem with this particular 2" LCD which is made by Sony, which in my book stands for 6 months of use before failure, tops. And whichever camera it may have ended up in.
There are more than enough reports of the LCD breaking without any provication that I consider credible.
The question for you would be whether they have started using a better or different LCD since the bulk of the probkem reports, and how to know if you're getting the newer one.

---

I suffer from the same sensitivity that you do. A few nuggets of wisdom were shared with me and I'm "trying" to incorporate them into my life. First, remember that nobody can hurt your feelings unless you let them. You can always reject what is being forced on you emotionally.
Second, nothing changes unless you change it. If you don't want the behavior to be repeated then you need to take action. Otherwise the kid has learned that his behavior is the way to get things done, because everyone lets him get away with it.
In the meantime I sympathize because I've been there.
-beerman

Read through that second link a bit-- it seems the SD500 has just as many problems, due to the same LCD.

---

I suffer from the same sensitivity that you do. A few nuggets of wisdom were shared with me and I'm "trying" to incorporate them into my life. First, remember that nobody can hurt your feelings unless you let them. You can always reject what is being forced on you emotionally.
Second, nothing changes unless you change it. If you don't want the behavior to be repeated then you need to take action. Otherwise the kid has learned that his behavior is the way to get things done, because everyone lets him get away with it.
In the meantime I sympathize because I've been there.
-beerman

h' Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The question for you would be whether they have
> started using a better or different LCD since the
> bulk of the probkem reports, and how to know if
> you're getting the newer one.

That IS the question. So I guess I will have to ask myself "Are you feeling lucky?" before I decide...

I hope you decide wisely, 'cuz you know I have to do everything you do.

---

I suffer from the same sensitivity that you do. A few nuggets of wisdom were shared with me and I'm "trying" to incorporate them into my life. First, remember that nobody can hurt your feelings unless you let them. You can always reject what is being forced on you emotionally.
Second, nothing changes unless you change it. If you don't want the behavior to be repeated then you need to take action. Otherwise the kid has learned that his behavior is the way to get things done, because everyone lets him get away with it.
In the meantime I sympathize because I've been there.
-beerman

I know. I had the flu just last week, you copycat.

Well, you're going to have to PM me when you push the button.
Although I'd try to find a similar deal off-Amazon-- they're just soooo slow most of the time.
-h'

---

I suffer from the same sensitivity that you do. A few nuggets of wisdom were shared with me and I'm "trying" to incorporate them into my life. First, remember that nobody can hurt your feelings unless you let them. You can always reject what is being forced on you emotionally.
Second, nothing changes unless you change it. If you don't want the behavior to be repeated then you need to take action. Otherwise the kid has learned that his behavior is the way to get things done, because everyone lets him get away with it.
In the meantime I sympathize because I've been there.
-beerman

I've owned the Canon SD200. Very sturdy camera... until i dropped it onto a hardwood floor with the lens telescoped out. It wasn't pretty. If you by chance heard a horribly animalistic explitive filled scream in the breeze a few months ago. That was me.

Sold it on Craigslist for way more than i thought it would bring

Coincidentally the buyer said he wanted to swap out the LCD (which was undamaged) from my camera onto his. And keep the battery as a spare. So there may be some merit to the chorus of complaints.

If it was my money. I'd poney up a few more bucks (or wait) and get a newer DigiElph model. Those closeout prices sure are tempting though...

16 posts into the thread an actual SD200 owner appears . . .

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I suffer from the same sensitivity that you do. A few nuggets of wisdom were shared with me and I'm "trying" to incorporate them into my life. First, remember that nobody can hurt your feelings unless you let them. You can always reject what is being forced on you emotionally.
Second, nothing changes unless you change it. If you don't want the behavior to be repeated then you need to take action. Otherwise the kid has learned that his behavior is the way to get things done, because everyone lets him get away with it.
In the meantime I sympathize because I've been there.
-beerman

This is going to be the camera that stops the "I wanted to use the Elph and YOU had it" battles, so it's just about the right amount of money that I want to spend. There's a Nikon available for "serious" photography. This is essentially an unjustifiable expense, so I am trying to keep it under $200. :-D

I will probably buy it. What the heck.

You snooze, you lose.

I decided to stop putzing around -- and take advantage of the 5% Amazon Appreciation code that Newton posted -- and go ahead and order this camera.

All gone.