konica kd200z problem

Have owned this camera just 1 1/2 year and app 400 pix, now shows "err" message. It attempts to work but wont. Changed card, batteries etc. Never dropped or abused. Took realy good pictures, but life ??? They want $150 to fix, plus mail etc. I will not buy Konica / Minolta again!!!!!
Had similar problem with Pentax few years ago. Wont buy that brand again as well.

Compact digital cameras are an expensive throwaway item. Unfortunately, most of them aren't as reliable as we'd like them to be. Maybe they're designed that way. It would be interesting to see some statistics on how long they generally last. My guess would be 2-3 years before they die. That didn't matter so much when people kept upgrading to get better resolution. But since 3 megapixel cameras became the common, there's going to be less upgrading. It would be nice if digital cameras were as burly and reliable as mobile phones.

Please post reviews for your cameras. That's the best way to place your vote on what you'd like to see in the future for digital cameras. If you do post reviews, please make sure to write about the cameras, though. Customer service is important, but it's not what the reviews were intended for.

Sorry about the dead camera. Hopefully the next one you buy will last you a long, long time.