It is a sad day today Gentlemen.
Finally, after many years of active service, my digital camera died.
But lets not hurry things. I'll start from the beginning. . .
My passion for photography has slowly been on the rise. It all started when I was 6, and I got my first camera. It was a Minolta 35mm standard, very cheap camera. I had "earned" it for learning how to both multiply and divide within a week. It was a gift from my mother.
Well, I slowly started to take pictures of things I found interesting. By the time I was nine my mother was beginning to drown in all the bills from the film and the processing of the films. So. . .
On the First of March 2003, on my tenth birthday, I received my first digital camera.
It was a Fujifilm Finepix 2300 2.1mp camera, complete crap, VERY cheap, but back then I was thrilled. It came with a USB cable, a 64mb SmartMedia memory card and 4 AA batteries.
I took pictures of everything I saw. It didn't have any dials like exposure or ISO, so I used AUTO mode all the time. I didn't know what a tripod or telelens was back then. . .
Well, to make a long story short, I used the camera a lot. In the summer of 2004 though, it died. Damaged by a leaking package of milk I was carrying in my bag, it didn't stand a chance.
On Ebay, we soon found another one, which I quickly acquired. It cost $23 with shipping from USA to Finland, and as the memory card had survived undamaged, I had another crap camera. But I was satisfied.
In April 2005 my camera fell to the floor, and disintegrated.
I owned about 100€ then, and my mother decided to pay half the money for a new camera.
We found it. for 199.90€ there was the absolutely last example of the Canon Powershot A75 for sale in our local shop. I bought it.
Later I also bought a 256 mb CF memory card to accompany it.
I took better care of this camera than of the last two. Using camera bags exclusevly, cleaning the lense with appropriate material and handling it with all the care I could. I soon noticed that it was good for indoor photography, and as one thing lead to the other I soon purchased a tripod. Cheap one, but working. I started becoming more and more interested in more advanced photography, and within short I found myself experimenting with all kinds of different exposure, focal width and other settings. I loved that camera. A lot.
Well, it finally happened today. Altough of the extensive care, it simply stopped working. It had been getting worse for a month or so, slowing down and sometimes not responding, but today it was dead.
Completely.
The last images taken with it, were, ironically, just the ones I posted here. The ones of the interior and exterior views of the submarine Vesikko.
(Available here btw
http://brewsterpilot.googlepages.com/home
So, now I'm screwed. I have no working camera, and my economy is at 130€.
With an income of 286€ a year, it's gonna take a long time for me to reach 1100€, the amount needed for a
Canon EOS 350D/Digital Rebel XT (USA) special pack, including (also included in basic pack in bold)
1. The camera frame.
2. An EF-S 18-55mm included in the basic pack zoom objective,
3. An EF 55-200mm special zoom objective only included in this special pack
4. A BG-E3 Battery HandGrip for the camera, with extra battery possibility.
5. A NB-2LH lithium battery.
6. A CB-2LT charger.
7. An elbow strap.
8. The USB and A/V cables.
and
9. The included CD's.
All this for 1098€!
The basic pack would cost: 730€
The 55-200mm zoom would cost: 330€
The battery grip would cost: 130€
I save 90€ by buying it as a pack. Little to you, much to me. . .
BUT. . .
Adding the 4GB CF card and a convenient camera bag this lot will add another 230€ to this figure.
1330€. Quite shocking.
That means four more years of saving.
Four years without a camera.
Any idea of how to speed this process up a little?
Any saving or earning tips appreciated!
P.S. I'm too young to work yet.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Brewster
Anyway, a few pics:
FujiFilm FinePix 2300
Canon Powershot A75