Consider the fact that Ipods shatter on first impact, and even under warranty they are not replaced or repaired gratis, yet I don’t hear of any such suits being considered. Welcome to the digital world!

I’m an old school, film-based photographer who can recall countless mishaps with Nikons and Canons, many suffering extreme environments and yet remain intact and dependable.
Let’s face it, I doubt digital cameras will ever reach that level of dependability. Digital cameras have shifted the practice of cameras lasting for generations to a life span of 1-2 years in many cases. Is this progress? Perhaps.

Finally, with rare exception, most of these E18 errors are the result of mishandling by the consumer, period. Yes, it would be nice if digicams were as dependable and sturdy as their mechanical counterparts, but I fear that will not be the case, ever. So consumers will have to learn to be more careful with their practices or hold onto their old film-based Nikons and Canons for anything but the yearly holiday trek to grandma’s house.

Ok, finally, I mean it this time. Of course Canon or any other manufacturer cannot refund the retail price in cold hard cash when they never received such funds in the first place. For those believing they should set their sights on the manufacturer rather than their retailer, I wish you the best of luck and can only suggest you re-read [or introduce yourself if you haven't previously read] a rather dated story of a rather curious and decidely flamboyant icon, Don Quixote. Yes, we all have our own windmills, and this one awaits you!

I dropped my camera so Canon is evil…

DONT DROP YOUR CAMERAS, IT IS NOT GOOD FOR THEM.

It is not the manufacturers fault is you drop your camera… DUH…

Anyway, that’s my 2 cents worth, which may be all its worth.

Everything goes well. I took some interesting pictures. I come to India for an assignment and one fine day, the E18 happens. This happens exactly a month after the warranty expires. Trust me, when I tell you this, that I had always handled it like a $ 660.00 gadget is to be handled and that too when I was a student and it had taken me two years to save that much money.

Luckily, Canon Indian office is right across the place where I was staying. Gave it to them for repair. They charge me Rs.250.00 to look at it, which is apprx 5.00 American Dollars. The lady from Canon India, calls me and gives me an estimate. A whooping Rs.8500, which is apprx. $ 185 American.

She says the complete lens have to be changed. I did find it funny but did not argue.

I look up Amazon and realise that the camera is cheaper now and selling for around 250 bucks.

I took the camera to a camera repair shop in Old Delhi, where they have one of the biggest market of Cameras. You can see many important journalists and photographer hanging around, trying to buy or get their cameras repaired.

This repair guy I go to, takes a look at the camera and laughs. He shows me at least another 7 to 8 SD700 cameras lying around, gathering dust.

He told me that nothing can be done about it as its not worth looking at. Its a peice of trash now.

Can I use it for something else? He comes up with couple of good ones.

1. Give it to one of your friend to use it and then tell him that HE f***** it up, so that HE should get you a new one.

2. Open the camera, take out the lens and all the parts and scatter them on your work table. If someone asks you about it, then tell him that I’m “designing a new camera for the Japs”. Secret service.

3. Give it to your boss’s kid to play with. Make your boss miserable by showing him the broken camera.

4. Use the lens to magnify newsprint. Use it as you are reading something “important”.

5. The battery and the charger is still good. Sell it on ebay. The LCD can be used for something, I’m sure. There must few more interseting stuff inside the camera.

So overall, I had a good laugh and came back abusing Canon and the senior management of Canon.

Can anyone think of more uses for my camera?

I will never ever buy a Canon again in my life, even if it the only company in the whole wide world. Its not the money which really bothers me, its the attitude of the company. Its the manner in which they dismiss the client’s complain, is what is really pissing.

Its the disregard and ” I don’t give a F*** attitude which annoys me”. I think, it tantamounts to a Corporate Con.

I am going to Canon India again and trying to meet up with the CEO with E18 experiences. Thanks to the guy who took the initiative of hosting a website. I am hurt and pissed off. If Canon cannot take the responsibility of its own products, then I think we should boycot their products.

Thanks for fighting back.

You should know that the Canon Corporation does not support their own repair services within “the Americas” (as Mr. Adachi refers to us). The repair services are, instead, independent companies which pursue independent policies in their search for independent profits. Accordingly there exist none but the most rudimentary communication links between these companies and the Canon Corporation. This is why it sometimes seems as though “one hand doesn’t know what the other hand is doing;” in fact the two hands are not joined to the same body.