Cameras

[tubatom91]

Currently I have a camera that does not work. and seeing that it is doing me absolutely no good sitting here on my desk I want get a second opinion. It is a Nikon Coolpix S9. I bought it for around $200 around a year and a half ago. It is a point-and-shoot no frills camera. It's got 6.1 megapixels and 3x zoom. I cannot get it to hold a charge for more than 15 minutes (or around 5-10 pictures). I have replaced the original battery (It is a square Nikon replacement recharable battery from best buy). Since it has the brand new battery in it and still refuses to keep charged it leads me to believe that there is an internal short somewhere. I am not a camera expert . If anybody has had a similar problem or experience can you lend me your opinion and tell me if it's worth fixing or should I just go buy an equivalent camera. Thanks.

[Jeffrey Hicks]

As a former camera salesman and photolab operator I would try and find a new camera that takes the new battery you bought. It is always cheaper to replace than to repair most point and shoot cameras.

[TubaCoopa]

Definitely replace it. Most companies will charge you an arm and a leg to replace even the simplest of parts. Plus, you'll get some new camera features anyways, since you're buying new.

[Matt G]

Shame you are having these problems. I didn't know the Nikon P&S cameras had specific batteries. When looking for a P&S, I tend to avoid that mess. On dSLR cameras, it is a take it or leave it proposition with battery packs.

It is normally not worth it to get a P&S serviced. They are pretty much meant to be "disposable" with a few exceptions (like the Canon Gx series).

I would encourage you to seek out a P&S that takes normal batteries. I have an older Canon PowerShot that has taken a beating but still works okay and takes 4 AA batteries. That allows me to replace them just about anywhere, and I can carry a set of extras fairly easily.

[bearphonium]

I have a friend with a similar camera, and watching her go through contortions to be sure she had a charged battery has convinced me to only go with store bought batteries. No camera specific batteries; just good ol' AA's.