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July 16, 2006
Olympus Undone
My last photograph...Tri-Rail leaving Delray BeachOn my way home from work on Friday, I snapped a couple of photographs of the northbound Tri-Rail train as it was leaving Delray Beach and put my camera in my backpack. I then commenced to pose my bag and bike on an empty bench, and took my camera out again. I slid the cover open, expecting my lens to expand, and…no movement.
I had just recharged my battery, and knew the camera had juice—at least as I was taking the previous photographs—but to be certain, I looked again at the images I took. My battery indicator was full, and my images were fine. I slid the cover open again. My lens remained in place.
The Olympus Stylus 300 digital cameras (as well as the rest of the Stylus series) have a mechanism whereby the lens remains tucked into the camera unless the lens cover is completely open. My assumption is that this protects the undoubtedly delicate lens from scratches or cracks.
I have always have some small difficulty with the sensitivity of my lens cover. It only takes a tap and the lens shuts closed, disappearing into its slot more quickly than a gopher escaping from a lawn mower. I remember more than once preparing for the perfect shot only to have my hopes dashed by the sudden disappearance of the lens because my finger slipped.
Carefully bringing my camera home, I unscrewed the lens cover to reveal the mechanisms, barely a quarter inch by quarter inch of little plastic and metal pieces, carefully aligned, and one tiny sliver of plastic—perhaps a half of millimeter wide and five millimeters long—broken loose.
With no practical way to fix it, I grunted in disdain. This camera, which cost me over $300 two years ago, is long outmoded by cameras with eight times the power at the same price. I have sent an email to Olympus complaining that an otherwise perfectly good camera has been brought low by a tiny sliver of plastic.
I will optimistically wait for their response. Perhaps this sort of thing has happened with this model before, and all I have to do is send in for a complete retrofit of the mechanism.
I don't care that the camera is already two years old and can only store 180 images at 2048 by 1572. I've taken a lot of good pictures with it and hope to take many more. Furthermore, It's not like I have another three hundred dollars to drop on a new camera—I still have to buy a new bicycle as well as finish my tattoo, not to mention my endless dental expenses.
So I have faith that Olympus will respond to me and do the right thing. You will all know if they don't.
Posted by Bastique at July 16, 2006 10:42 PM