Help, my G10 is dying.

[bleeb]

FWIW, try storing your camera with desicant ( ie Moisture Munchers) and see if that will help improve the performance. When I travel to humid destinations, I will store the camera (when not in its housing) in a Zip Lock bag with the rechargeable discant packs in my A/C'd room. I have been surprised more than once about the "color" change in the desicant. And the camera and housing were completely dry when I removed the camera.

As a result of this thread, I've been wondering lately about storing the camera if it's not being used for a while. Putting it in an airtight bag in the fridge might slow down any corrosion or detector degradation that seems to happen with certain models. Just leave it in the bag for an hour or two after taking it out of the fridge, to avoid condensation inside. The operating specs typically go down to 0C, and those temperatures won't hurt the batteries either. If anything, it'll slow down their self-discharge.

 

[Roko]

Perhaps it may be worth it to dismantle it and see if you can tighten/reseat/clean any loose connectors? It seems like it could be an intermittent connection type problem along the CCD signal/control/power path, since it sometimes works and sometimes does not.

Wether that intermittent connection is an actual connector, or a bad PCB, bad solder joint, or shoddy bonding wire in an IC is a different story.. But if the Camera's already dying, it would be hard to make it worse... (Unless it's still under warranty)

 

[jdcpa]

I don't get the $800 comment, unless you mean new.

There are sweet looking used G10's for $300 or less on the internet. I found five in less than five minutes, not on Ebay.

Maybe got the used route?

 

[Gilligan]

FWIW, try storing your camera with desicant ( ie Moisture Munchers) and see if that will help improve the performance. When I travel to humid destinations, I will store the camera (when not in its housing) in a Zip Lock bag with the rechargeable discant packs in my A/C'd room. I have been surprised more than once about the "color" change in the desicant. And the camera and housing were completely dry when I removed the camera.

Thanks for your suggestion albeit a good one if just traveling for a couple of weeks or so. I am usually here for several months at a time and not always in an A/C environment. You did give me the idea to keep the camera in my sealed housing with desiccant when not in use versus a Zip Loc bag. I would just use a "sacrificial" housing O ring for storage purposes since it would be under pressure all the time then change to a different O-ring when diving.

 

[Puffer Fish]

Gilligan, so sorry to hear about your G10....I would be very upset if that happened to mine (which most likely will one day)...

That repair guy listed earlier might be willing to do a quick check of your camera, and at least you would know for sure what the issue was..would seem to be worth the check.

 

[slowhands]

I don't get the $800 comment, unless you mean new.

There are sweet looking used G10's for $300 or less on the internet. I found five in less than five minutes, not on Ebay.

Maybe go the used route?

I don't know where you are looking, but the lowest pricing today on ebay for closed auctions of G11s is about $450, while on Amazon it's about $480. I'm sure that will fall over time, maybe in a couple of generations.

Be careful when shopping from a Google search, there are a lot of crooks who will bait and switch, especially in Brooklyn. I'm serious, they take your money and deliver junk, or no battery, or something. I've been there.

People seem to really hang on to the G10 and the used market is tight right now, firm prices. And yes, new in box ones are offered at $800, but I doubt they sell many. Those sellers are waiting for someone who must have a new item, regardless of price, and apparently there are some buyers for that.

The G12 is not going to turn heads. I don't think it will affect G10 pricing much. When the G14 comes out and is a quantum leap, I think it will settle down to more reasonable levels. [yes, I think they will skip G13, just as they did G8, bad luck].

 

[Gilligan]

I don't get the $800 comment, unless you mean new.

There are sweet looking used G10's for $300 or less on the internet. I found five in less than five minutes, not on Ebay.

Maybe got the used route?

Yes, I meant new. I will consider a used one when I get back to the USA.

 

[Gilligan]

Be careful when shopping from a Google search, there are a lot of crooks who will bait and switch, especially in Brooklyn. I'm serious, they take your money and deliver junk, or no battery, or something. I've been there.

No worries there. I was born and raised in Brooklyn

I won't do anything while am still in the Philippines. Shipping to here is expensive and import tariffs are a major nightmare as you never know what they will charge you. Pay or you don't get your item.

 

[Gilligan]

Gilligan, so sorry to hear about your G10....I would be very upset if that happened to mine (which most likely will one day)...

That repair guy listed earlier might be willing to do a quick check of your camera, and at least you would know for sure what the issue was..would seem to be worth the check.

Thanks for that.

Getting it checked involves sending it from Bohol to Manila. Basically it's kind of a waste of time because there are no parts here like in the USA. From what I have been able to determine Canon Philippines doesn't stock many parts. They order the more major parts they need to fix a camera which takes about 6 to 8 weeks.

Filipinos are very patient people and will wait two months to get something fixed because "that's the way it is".
I have grown way more patient after having stayed here off and on for so many months over the last three years but my American "fix it now" mentality still raises it's head every now and then

 

[Gilligan]

Perhaps it may be worth it to dismantle it and see if you can tighten/reseat/clean any loose connectors? It seems like it could be an intermittent connection type problem along the CCD signal/control/power path, since it sometimes works and sometimes does not.

Wether that intermittent connection is an actual connector, or a bad PCB, bad solder joint, or shoddy bonding wire in an IC is a different story.. But if the Camera's already dying, it would be hard to make it worse... (Unless it's still under warranty)

Thanks for the suggestion. You may very well be correct since the problem is intermittent. No, it's not under warranty. It is 18 months old.
However I don't feel confident enough to open it up. I opened one of my old Olympus C4000Z cameras and went whoaaaa :shocked2: parts by the droves. No thanks.

I'll just wait till I get back to the USA in November and send it to Canon. I'll continue to use it until it completely dies. Maybe it will continue to work off and on till I leave.