It was 5AM in Amsterdam and I was less than 50 meters from the Victoria Park Plaza where I’d get 3 hours of sleep before waking up for a flight back to the US. I’ve taken 2K photos on this trip and I was about to take my last photo of the night. After framing the neon sign and setting the exposure, a group of guys walked past and bumped into me. It’s alright, they were all of 16 years old and drunk so I forgave them instantly.
My Canon S95 fell four feet to the ground with the lens fully extended. Only the lens was dented with a few minor scratches. The body itself was perfect despite doing a few rolls across the cement. The camera was turned off and it powered on when I hit the button but the lens was stuck in an extended state.
The camera was broken.
I got back to the hotel and tried desperately to fix it. I tried pulling and pushing on the lens and power cycling the camera again and again. No luck.
The S95 is a phenomenal camera. My plan was, on my return to compare the G11/G12 with the S95 since I’ve owned all three models and a lot of people ask which a better buy is since they are so close in price. The S95 which I bought as a birthday gift for myself the last week of August is now a paperweight.
If you have any tips for me on how to get the camera repaired, let me know. Everything is still fully functional but the lens is forever stuck so I can’t zoom in and out. I guess The S95 is now my fixed zoom camera.
I’m sad to write this because my day of travel didn’t feel the same. That camera is always in my back pocket but, today, it just stayed in my checked bag with dirty socks and a tripod. I feel powerless without a camera. There’s a shot that I want to take but can’t. This is going to be a long few weeks not having a dedicated camera.
I’m extremely sad.
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