4 replies

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2 replies

@diasdiem:
Go back to fark.
PLEASE.

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axiomatic

@2 replies by: Bah! You're just bitter because Fark is the source of all the funny to be found on the internet.

;-)

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diasdiem

@2 replies by: Count your blessings. I could have been from /b/

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JohnQPublic

@diasdiem: In which case it would have been a very very different \"trap\".

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firestorm888

@JohnQPublic: A 'sand' trap - D'OH! Too late....

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JackieEggs

@diasdiem: It's a \"sand\" trap.

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morganlh85

I had the same thing happen to my Canon camera after keeping it in my purse sans protective case...it got crumbs or something in it from the bottom of my bag and the lens wouldn't extend fully after that.

While customer service is essentially correct that she should have taken better care of the camera, they need assistance with their, ahem, customer service skills.

5 replies

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NarcoGirl

@morganlh85: yep. same thing here. I've done it several times... but the last time I went, I guess the same thing happened to me.
Sand is evil!

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davekoob

@morganlh85: Do you eat your lunch or carry your lunch in your purse? How do you get crumbs in your purse????

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SnoopyFish

@davekoob: odviously you are not a chick

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SnoopyFish

@davekoob: or have a girlfriend?? lol

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Charlotte Rae's Web

@SnoopyFish: or have kids.

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kcvaliant

@morganlh85: Yeah I have an Olympus water proof camera that can be used underwater.. Damn thing got water in it and only works half the time now and fogs up the other half..

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Exek

There goes my plans on taking photos at the aquarium. Since just because it has aquarium mode doesn't actually mean i should take photos there.

3 replies

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cowboyesfan

@Exek:

This reminds me of the time someone sued the Producers of \"The Neverending Story\".

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Laura Northrup

@Exek: My camera has a \"kids and pets\" mode. I guess that means I shouldn't let my dog use it.

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mianne

@Laura Northrup: Unless your dog is taking photos of baby goats!

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wbabbit

@mianne: absolute classic

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mattman0726

@mianne: ah boooo...

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Nick1693

If they don't expect you to go to the beach and use the beach mode, then where do they expect you to use it?

4 replies

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xipander

@Nick1693: Maybe it's only for simulated beach images?

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mariospants

@xipander: exactly: take a picture of your family in front of the christmas tree with beach mode on? Poof! Family's in their swimtrunks on the beach.

Of course, this can lead to issues: \"what the??! Who the HELL left the camera on beach mode? Aaron's bar mitzvah pictures are all ruined!\"

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semanticantics

@Nick1693: A little precaution not to get sand in your camera?

Poorly worded service, completely reasonable not to dole out a free camera.

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Nick1693

@semanticantics: I never said they should give a free camera, just where they'd expect you to use it if not at the beach.

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Nicole

@Nick1693: You can use it at the beach, you just have to be careful. I have two digital camera's and I use them at the beach regularly, and without any problems, because I'm careful to keep them in the case when not shooting when block them from wind and sand when I am.

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lordargent

@Nick1693:

Beach mode is to take pictures of the beach without actually being on the beach.

So, take the shot from a cliff overlooking the beach, or a walkway next to the beach, etc.

/In other news, I've taken my casio camera, and my canon 20d to the beach and they both work fine. Probably because I wasn't using them to dig holes in the sand.

/Heck, I took my non waterproof casio kayaking up a river before (double sandwich bagged). And it was fine.

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catnapped

@lordargent: Or you take a picture of a picture of a beach.

See? Problem solved!

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doctor_cos wants you to remain calm

The nerve of some people, expecting consumer cameras to stand up to typical consumer uses!

3 replies

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dwrichards

@doctor_cos: And your statement is exactly why we have ridiculous warnings on products. A hair dryer is made to be used in the bathroom. Would you bring it into the shower with you? When did common sense get replaced with entitlement?

I just took a quick look at my wife's instructions for her consumer point and shoot camera and it clearly states to be careful around water, dirt and all of those other nasty elements. All of my pro gear has the same warning, even my waterproof gear has the same warning.

We have a brain, people need to start using it.

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cjnewbs

@dwrichards:

Hairdryer designed for use in the bathroom?

I don't know what its like where you live but in the UK it is illegal to fit 13 Amp wall plugs in the bathroom. Any plugs in the bathroom have a Shaver/Bathroom plug type fitting, and hairdryers only have a standard 13amp fitting.

Based on this I would say hairdryers are not designed to be used in the bathroom.

But this is beside the point. Just because a camera has a beach mode doesn't mean the lens barrel has been completely sealed against any contaminants.

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Brain.wav

@cjnewbs: See, the bathroom is the sensible place to use a hairdryer. Because your hair is, you know wet.
That's why in the US, any plugs located near a water source (typically, anything near a kitchen sink or anywhere in a bathroom), have a built-in circuit breaker.

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LorenPechtel

@doctor_cos:

To make it survive an actual encounter with beach sand would require a sealed camera--that's going to add to the size, weight and price.

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qwerty001984

This is why I can't understand why people do not buy the water proof cameras.

I paid about $130 for my water proof digital camera. They have the same features and are the same as any regular digital camera but they are waterproof and shock proof.

People always take pictures at beaches, in the rain, around water, parties with spilled beer, etc. it is silly to not buy a waterpoof camera.

6 replies

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subtlefrog

@qwerty001984: Meh, my friend got a waterproof one for fun use while we were in the field, in addition to the high quality camera for pro shots, and the waterproof one was dead within 6 months. So - they also don't stack up for durability.

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Seokso

@qwerty001984: Weatherproof cameras really don't stack up for features and photo quality. My girlfriend and I have been researching and we're actually considering buying two separate cameras -one for water and one for other situations.

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qwerty001984

@Seokso:
Mine is an olympus 10mp.
Unless you want a professional camera, the waterproof cameras have the same features as any sub $300 camera.

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Seokso

@qwerty001984: Well, since I've been doing a lot of research lately, I'll guess your camera is an Olympus Tough 6000. That's the same as what my girlfriend's parents have and it's good for what it is.

You're ignoring, however, a lot of factors that may not be important to you, but which you don't have to be a professional to want. To be specific: more than 3.6x optical zoom (digital is worthless), manual exposure controls, RAW format, HD video, etc. That's not even mentioning difficult to quantify issues like color and smoothness or technical specs like CCD size. Currently, none of the non-pro waterproof cameras can offer more than point and shoot.

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kcvaliant

@qwerty001984:

Posted from my other comment

I have an Olympus water proof camera that can be used underwater.. Damn thing got water in it and only works half the time now and fogs up the other half..

So they are not 100% either..

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phixional-ninja

@qwerty001984: My first reaction was: \"because some of us want a better camera than you can get in a waterproof model.\" Then I looked again at the camera she had and...yeah. Agreed.

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bkdlays

@qwerty001984: Well what camera do you have?

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I had a Kodak camera LCD break out of nowhere, and sent it in for repairs. They repaired it, but put a note in that said the camera had obviously been mishandled and this was a courtesy repair. I took photos of the LCD before I sent it away, and you can see no damage/scratches/etc... on the LCD.

Also, if they already want money, unscrew the case, and see if you can blow out the offending sand/manually help the lens yourself. I've found unless there is actual damage to the gears, such as them being broken/in pieces, taking the case off allows you to blow/probe something out.

3 replies

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mianne

@GitEmSteveDave_HazEnvy: Digital camera repair isn't a task for the casual tinkerer. Given that it appears the OP's camera probably has sand in the zoom drive, they might find themselves looking at around 6-10 lens elements and have no idea how to keep them in order, unscratched, unbroken, and unsmudged; let alone get them all back together properly.

I've got a camera with a dead capacitor, so every time the batteries are replaced, everything is reset to factory default. While I've used a soldering iron a few times in my life, I've decided I'll live with that until I replace the camera anyway.

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kateblack

@mianne: But but but... if you're going to replace the semi-broken camera anyway, that's the PERFECT time to tinker with it.

I learned how to fix many problems with laser printers that way.

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@mianne: I'm just talkign about taking off the outer casing, not the whole thing apart. There are holes in the inner casing in which these offending bits might escape through when the outercasing is off.

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boobookitt

@GitEmSteveDave_HazEnvy: this works actually - I've used compressed air to get sand and dirt out of my (very expensive) digital SLR lens. Also make sure you use cotton gloves when handling the lens - especially the inside of the lens. Skin oils are a bitch to permanently get off.

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katstermonster

@boobookitt: Tell me about it. I do research in optical diagnostics, and I have a thousand dollar mirror with fingerprints on it from people who thought it'd be cool to fiddle with my setup (ok, and a few from me being clumsy). All the acetone in the world can only go so far.

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@katstermonster: It's your own fault Knight. Didn't anyone ever tell you to make sure your optics were clean?

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madog

@GitEmSteveDave_HazEnvy: Free popcorn!

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@madog: Yes Kent.

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theblackdog

I had this happen with my Sony camera after taking it to white sands. You definitely have to be careful with them.

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evarga

Notice what they say...\"exposing it to the elements\". There are all sorts of protective cases and sleeves and housings, and once in said case, \"Beach\" mode provides typical balanced settings.
My Canon has an \"Underwater\" mode, does that mean I can take it underwater and get a new & free camera if it breaks?

3 replies

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kateblack

@evarga: This.

It's descriptive of a zone with lots of bright light, not an urging by the company for the customers to take delicate electronics onto the beach.

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Megalomania

@evarga: I'm kind of curious as to what exactly you would use an 'underwater' mode for... taking pictures through the portholes of a submarine?

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Kogenta

@Megalomania: I'm guessing for those boats with the clear bottoms, or the giant walk in aquariums, or you know, if you buy a special underwater protective case for the camera and take it underwater.

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evarga

@Megalomania: Canon has the setting on almost all of their cameras, most likely because they also happen to sell underwater housings for almost all of their cameras.

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rpm773

My camera has a \"Drop off Sears Tower\" mode. Until reading this, I assumed I could drop it off the Sears Tower and have it continue to function properly.

I guess now I'll always a bit of a doubt as to whether that's really true.

3 replies

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sven.kirk

@rpm773: Sorry to let you down, but I already tried it.
Since they changed the name to 'Willis Tower', the rep said I am no longer covered.

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nybiker

@sven.kirk: Yeah, but wouldn't that change have a material change to the terms of the warranty/guarantee? Therefore you should have been covered. ;-)

I am always amazed when I watch a making-of bonus feature and they have the movie cameras encased in what seems to be a gigantic baggie. Maybe the movie camera already has some sort of 'element-resistant' feature built in?

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gStein_*|bringing starpipe back|*

@sven.kirk: what if i refuse to acknowledge the name change?

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GearheadGeek

@gStein_wondering if this will work: Obviously you'd have to do that in writing, within 30 days of the announcement of the name change. Failure do to that will constitute acceptance of the new terms. Isn't that how they do it these days?

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sveyden

At least, you can never starve at the beach because of the sand which is there.

2 replies

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nybiker

@sveyden: And no bringing in your own sand from home; you are expected to pay beach-prices for the food.

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AnthonyC

@sveyden:
But what brought the sandwiches there? Why, Noah sent Ham and his descendants mustered and bred.

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james

The best camera is the one you have with you, so the Olympus SW series (\"Stylus\") cameras are worth the extra bucks. I literally never leave home without it.

I've had a Stylus 720SW for 3 years or so, and it is waterproof down to 30 feet, so I've taken it snorkeling. It is also shock-proof, claiming to be drop-tolerant up to some reasonable height above concrete, something I'll try not to test.

The current version of the camera is called the Stylus 8000, and it has a price point just under $300.00, so it costs about triple what the Kodak mentioned in the article goes for, but the Olympus is 12 megapixel versus 8.2 megapixel for the Kodak.

1 replies

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elangomatt

@james: It has been a long time since I have touched or used a stylus camera. Are the digital stylus cameras as great as the film version used to be? I hope they are since they are still charging a premium for the stylus name.

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jparadise

I had a Lumix that looked strikingly like the one in the photo, and it got its ass kicked by bringing it to the beach (sand got in it and the lens cover/zoom didn't work right for a long time. I finally got all the sand out, but then dropped it on the lcd side and totally killed it. Still was able to sell it as a 'fixer upper' on Ebay for like $40 though!)

I would suggest being very very careful about taking ANY camera with a zoom lens to the beach.

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Splendid

another case of a useless warranty.

i would suspect that the camera has a one-year warranty that covers parts but only 90 day coverage for parts and labor.

after 90 days your warranty is effectively useless.

2 replies

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elangomatt

@Splendid: This isn't another case of a useless warranty. She purchased the camera in February of 2008, so it is well out of any 1 year warranty anyway. It sounds like the OP wants Kodak to fix her camera after getting sand in it out of warranty. This would have been a more interesting story if the camera HAD been in warranty and Kodak was trying to charge her $60 to repair it.

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Rachacha

@elangomatt: Not really, the warranty would likely be only for manufacturing defects, or breakage from \"normal use\". Bringing it to the beach and getting sand in the gears would likely not be \"normal use\" and certainly is not a manufacturing defect.

I frequently bring my digital camera to the beach, however I take it out only when I intend to use it, and when it is not in use, I keep it in it's neoprene case, and put the case inside a ziploc bag. If the wind is blowing, and I can feel the sand hitting me, the camera does not come out.

My guess is the OP threw the camera in a bag without a case, along with sunscreen and towels, and left the bag sitting on the sand allowing sand to get into the bag and consequently on the camera.

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kc2gvx

The Fuji WP33 is waterproof down to 10 feet, has 10 MP, & 3x zoom. My girlfriend purchased it and it is wonderful. You can find it for around $160.

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Hrmmmm, I wonder if this person could take the same tact that the Kindle guy did and claim that their claims about it's abilities were fraudulent.

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sonneillon

I use a camera for work and I beat that guy up. It frequently slides off my passenger seat while I am driving. The GPS can't live without it's camera buddy and jumps too.

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Ronin-Democrat

if here instruction booklet doesn't mention taking extra special care at the beach I say she ither teams up with the xbox lawyers or try an ecb...

3 replies

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JohnQPublic

@Ronin-Democrat: The user manual does not explicitly mention sand or not using it on the beach or in dirty conditions. Of course, that doesn't mean the warranty will cover it.

@Rachacha: The instructions that originally came with the electric outlet probably say something similar.

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Nicole

@Ronin-Democrat: The instructions shouldn't have to give you common sense information. Any idiot knows when you go to the beach, EVERYTHING you have is going to be coated in sand. If she somehow expected that rule not to apply to her camera, it's her own fault it's broken.

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Rachacha

@Ronin-Democrat: Does the electrical outlet in your kitchen say \"Do not stick a paper clip in the slots\"?

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The Marionette

I think it's the fault of the person with the camera. Just because it has a beach mode doesn't mean it won't get damaged in any way. That's like buying a scratch-proof cover for....oh... let's say an ipod and you take a metal filer to it over and over and it eventually gets through the protection, then the person complains that it's scratched.

3 replies

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WiglyWorm must cease and decist

@The Marionette: No, it's not like that at all. It's like a salesman saying \"this carpet has a special setting for bare floors!\" and then saying \"well you weren't supposed to use it on your bare floors!\" when something screws up.

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The Marionette

@WiglyWorm must cease and decist: what are you talking about. With the camera it has a feature for beach settings, but taking it to the beach and having sand get blown in the camera isn't necessarily what they had in mind for that feature. Same goes with my example, a company's scratch-proof coating for an ipod has a (well their only) feature that let's you drop your ipod from about 15 - 20 feet, normal bumping, other minor scratching (ie keeping it in your pocket with your keys), but then someone decides to launch it off the top of a building and it goes through the coating.

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jessedybka

@WiglyWorm must cease and decist: It's more like saying that \"this carpet has a special setting for bare floors!\" and then after putting the carpet in a warehouse (with bare floors) it gets damaged.

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flarn2006

I got sand in my lens once. Except I was on a steep hill and my brother grabbed me to keep him from falling down. Unfortunately, this made *me* fall down, pushing my camera, lens-first, into the sand. The damage wasn't as bad as in this article, but the lens cover no longer opened automatically, and I often got fingerprints on the lens when I manually opened it.

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johnbc5

I have an Olympus Stylus 790SW that is shock and waterproof. I have dropped it in the sand at the beach and used in the ocean as I was surfing. I use it snowboarding and have fell on the camera many times. I have beaten up the camera to the point that it is a running joke with my friends that it is the camera that won't die. The only thing I have to do is wash the salt of camera when I get home and charge the battery.

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yospiff

I agree that the wording used by the Kodak reps should have been better, but this is an inexpensive point & shoot, that currently sells new for between $100-$150. Expecting it to be hardened against the elements is not reasonable for this class of camera. She's had it for over a a year and a half. She was not careful and got sand in it. Time to buy a new camera.

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Outrun1986

I have a Panasonic Lumix and the instructions tell you specifically not to use the camera at the beach. I suspect the beach mode is for those that have some sort of protective case on their camera while using it at the beach.

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Bog

And yeah. My Canon G10 had a \"under water\" mode too. That didn't work out so well at the ocean for me either.

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El_Fez

I've taken tons of photos at the beach with no ill effect. It's just a matter of either exercising some care or realizing that sand and salt water are the two WORST things for sensitive electronics and that you'll have to take your lumps if you get hit by sea spray.

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mwc5446

Same thing happened with my Casio Exilim. Sand...even though we were careful. Sand from towels, etc. got into it.

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Daveinva

Same thing happened to me, I took my Panasonic to a Malibu beach and the sand gummed up the auto-lens.

It didn't take a whole lot of sand, but still-- *I* was the stupid one, not Panasonic.

Just be careful, or better yet, bring a disposable to the beach (or use your cell phone camera-- nothing with moving parts around sand, people!).

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Winteridge2

Does this mean that I cannot actually take pictures underwater with my underwater camera? Or does that just void the warranty? I know my kodak has a \"snow\" mode, but when I take it outside on cold snowy days, the battery always quits. Maybe just shoot the snow out my window?

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StanTheManDean

Just because the Canon EOS 1D is dust and weather resistant doesn't mean the prudent camera owner is stupid enough to take the camera to the beach without wearing some protection:

[www.bhphotovideo.com]

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PLATTWORX

Why are stories like this making it onto site? So many turn to this site for real stories about companies that have done wrong or done right.

This \"woman rubs camera in sand and ruins it, thinks Kodak should fix for free\" clutters the site and makes it look less professional. Ugh.

2 replies

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JohnQPublic

@PLATTWORX: [consumerist.com]

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Winteridge2

@PLATTWORX: It is important that people are made aware of these things, so that they maybe don't ruin their own cameras. Some things are not covered in the camera manual.

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lestat730

I suppose she got a few pictures off in beach mode before it died :) I hope they were worth it!

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madanthony

My camera uses a picture of a mountain to show the mode for taking photographs of something far away. That means the warranty would cover it if it fell down a mountain, right?

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Seokso

I've taken my Canon Powershot A710 everywhere and back with no case, bag, or any protection. It's been to countless beach and boat trips, backpacked for months through the invasive dry season dust of SE Asia (parts are still stained orange), tumbled down ski slopes at -20C, been dropped, banged, and generally abused. Besides a seriously scratched screen and an occasionally sticky lens cover, it still works great and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I'll definitely be buying Canon again.

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Buffet

....any skinny-dipping pics?

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Bitter_Old_Punk

Just because your camera has a sepia mode doesn't mean you should time travel to 1929.

1 replies

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JohnQPublic

@Bitter_Old_Punk: Lol, that's awesome!

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nstonep

How dumb do you have to be to not understand that electronics not made specifically for the elements (ie wind, water, sand, etc.) shouldn't be exposed to said elements (ie waterproof camera).

The picture settings are based on light not on where you are. Just because it has a mountain setting does that mean you take it up mt. ranier?

Yeah...just bury that camera in the sand and let the tide wash over it because if there's a beach setting it must be waterproof and sandproof!

1 replies

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JohnQPublic

@nstonep: How stupid do you have to be to intentionally piss off your customers by advertising capabilities that your product doesn't actually have. If it has \"beach mode\", it is entirely reasonable to want to take the camera on the beach to use said \"beach mode\".

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hi

[www.break.com]

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TessTalks

CONSUMER + BIG BUSINESS = SCAM

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StrangeEmily

You can buy a water proof case that still enables you to take pictures but doesn't let in any water or sand while you take your pictures. *shrugs*

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timdesuyo

This shouldn't even be on this page. If she had taken proper care of her camera, she wouldn't have a problem. You mean sand and water are bad for precision-carved glass, electronics, and tiny gears?

I do bring my camera to the beach, and I have yet to have a problem. But you have to be careful, and use common sense.

I'm surprised that this got published here. This complaint should have been circular filed.

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koolzero

I have this old sony 2.1 MP Cyber-shot that has been taken to the beach in Cancun various beaches Florida and Hawaii, and it has been dropped in the sand many times and the thing still works.