Digital Camera Broken. Help please, quotes of £100 to repair!

Matt`_5

Hello

I have just been on a holiday to Center Parcs, and it seems that when we were in the water a little bit of water might have got inside out digital camera. Its a FujiFilm FinePix F401 and has done us well for just under 2 years. The warranty i think was only 1 year so i cant get it repaired for free.

It turns on and everything, the screen is fine but i think the problem is in the lens. At first looking at the screen the people / objects were just black and white but this has got worse to now just blurs.

When a photo is taken it appears as a blur but with spots of colour. The actual screen is fine as all previous photos taken appear fine.

I phoned up Fuji and they said a charge of £99.50, and Jessops with a charge of £138.57. These prices are a bit high, i may as well just buy a new camera.

Can anybody suggest a reason why the camera may have gone like this? (i think it was water, but may be something else). Where could i get it fixed cheaper or can you suggest any other camera that are at a good price at the moment?

Thanks very much,

Matt

Mr_Skint_2

It seems that youv'e got damp inbetween the eypiece and LCD screen
just stick it in the airing cupboard for a few days to dry out.

itgirlinuk

My canon stopped working few months ago and it could not read the memory card at all. I called Canon and they said it would cost me £96 to fix this and if anything else turns up, it would cost me more.

I decided to check with Canon Singapore and asked them how much it would cost. I have friends over there, and they offered to help. So I sent it off to Canon Singapore and I got the memory card fixed and the unknown shutter problem fixed for $200 and my friends posted it back. So all in all, I saved £16 ($200 / 2.5 = £86) and got the shutter problem fixed for free! Very pleased with that.

But I am sure Canon would have posted it back to any given address, rather than go through my friend, but I decided to stick to someone I knew, rather than the call centre.

Matt`_5

Mr_Skint wrote:

It seems that youv'e got damp inbetween the eypiece and LCD screen
just stick it in the airing cupboard for a few days to dry out.

Ill try that and let you know.

Any other suggestions please?

Hunnymonster

My Fuji F601 stopped working in a very similar way - however I managed to carefully disassemble it and work out that it was being stopped by dust ingress into the motorised lens assembly - if you're resigned to buying a new camera anyway and you have the patience to do it, you've lost nothing and might save yourself from buying a new camera

Matt`_5

Mr_Skint wrote:

It seems that youv'e got damp inbetween the eypiece and LCD screen
just stick it in the airing cupboard for a few days to dry out.

Thank you soooooo much, i have kept it in there for a few days, and now its seems as good as new :D:D:D

amanda40

a friend had problem with their fuji camera ( this was their 2nd first broke in guarantee and was replace) same problem happened again out of the warranty bya few months. He sent it back to Fuji with a letter axplaining disapointed etc and they fixed it and returned it for free - all it cost him was the special delivery postage.

--Tony--

Hi all thought I would share this with you.

On holiday I dropped my Fuji F601 and the lens came out but would not go back in.

Fuji quoted me about £130 to fix it, you can imagine I was gutted. Found another place that would charge for time and parts used but they wanted £20 to quote which would be refunded if work carried out!

Anyhow I'm going to Hong Kong shortly with a friend visiting his mum. So I sent my camera to her and she took it to the shop and its been repaired for £25. Will collect it in a few weeks and test it well on holiday.

Just goes to show what a rip of these fixed price repairs are.

I love my F601 and have lots of smart media and batteries stand alone charger dock all of which would have had to be replaced if I bought a new camera.

Chuffed to nuts Tony

T4i

If anything electrical gets damp/wet do what Mr Skint said and stick it in a dry warm place for some days. I've saved a couple mobiles by doing this.....just remember if you dont try to turn it on when its wet you will have more chances of saving it.

mr_fishbulb

Can you claim it under accidental damage on your household insurance?

Matt`_5

Matt` wrote:

Thank you soooooo much, i have kept it in there for a few days, and now its seems as good as new :D:D:D

Oh as the thread was brought back to life i thought i would give you an update.

Unfortunately the camera went back to its old ways a day later and keeps doing that on and off for a while. I have just decided to get another camera now. Ebay it goes

Thanks for all your helpful suggestions, i appreciate it