Broken camera/which new one?/warranty???

[auzmum]

Ok - I have a Pentax Optio S60...I'm getting lens error and the lends cover won't open up and pop out- i've called 3 places and they all say it will be over $150 for repairs...so first question, do I get it fixed? I only take family pictures and short videos and send photos via email..nothing too dramatic!
So If I don't get it fixed, which camera do I get? I've been looking at a HP Photosmart M537 Digital Camera 6 MP
18x total zoom (3x optical, 6x digital) I don't want to spend a lot of money as I'd only had the pentax for 15 months!
Next question - when I do buy another camera, do I get the extended warranty for 2 years? I called HP and they assure me that if this camera brakes, they'll replace it with a brand new one...seems a bit too good to be true...thanks

[Photo-John]

Too bad about your Pentax. Please post a review for it. We need more reviews for Pentax compact digital cameras - positive or negative. As long as you've used it for a while and can give a fair evaluation, we want your review:

Read and write Pentax Optio S60 reviews >>

Now that I've got that bit of business out of the way

Although the HP cameras have nice specs and nice style right now, I can't recommend them. We've done three pro reviews and I haven't been impressed with any of them. Image quality is on the harsh side and I really dislike HP's invasive software. Right now, I like Panasonic's compact digital cameras the most. They all have Panasonic's MEGA O.I.S. image stabilization, which is invaluable, they're easy to use, and the image quality, although not the best, is very good. Next, I'd go with Kodak, Canon, or Casio. I also like the Olympus compacts.

The extended warranty is always a tough call. It's definitely a gamble. Most people never use it. But if you do need it, well, you've found out. There's no point in repairing a compact digital camera. It's cost-prohibitive. In that respect, they're more or less disposable. That's pretty lame. But it's a fact. You have to decide how you feel about the gamble. I wouldn't buy the warranty. But if I were in your shoes and just had a camera die, I might feel different.

Hope that helps.

[vcr7143]

I basically use a camera for the same purposes as 'auzmum' and must agree with Photo-John about the Panasonic brand. I own a DMC-TZ1S and am very happy with it. Just wrote a review of it. So 'auzmum' I would put my money on the Panasonic.

vcr7143

[auzmum]

Thanks for the help - I decided seeing that my camera was broken, I'd try anything to it, so I dropped it and low and behold, it now works as good as new!! yipee!!! thanks anyway :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: