Damn.

Not about the photos, no. The photos came out really well, as they usually do with the camera. See?

No, the thing I’m upset about is my own stupidity. I was careless with the camera when I stopped at Costco on the way back. I picked my jacket up out of the cart as I unloaded it at the checkout counter, and I heard a loud, sharp CRACK! on the rock-hard cement floor. The camera had slipped out and fallen onto the concrete.

I paid for my things and set the cart aside, and when I turned the camera on there was hope–the display on the back showed the pictures I’d taken earlier just fine.

But when I turned to photo mode, the screen was black. Obviously either the CCD receptors are broken, or something connecting them to the camera is. And this is not a clumsy trinket to be casually disassembled–nor is it under warranty any more. I had it just under two years. Took thousands of photos with it, it served me incredibly well–but it should have lasted five or ten years, not less than two.

The ironic thing is, just the other night I looked at C/Net reviews to see what the current top-rated mid-range digital camera is. And guess what. It’s still the exact same model that I have, the Canon PowerShot S30. If I want to replace it with the best camera of its type, I have to get the same camera–can’t even get a new camera with better features. That speaks volumes for the value of the camera–and doesn’t make me feel too hot about having broken this one.

I suppose I could get it repaired, of course I’ll check it out–but such repairs often exceed the price of a brand-new camera, and then you have to worry about it breaking again.

Don’t you hate it when stuff like this happens? Still, there is no denying it: if that’s my worst problem in life, then I guess I am in excellent shape. Ah well.