Cameras and travel
Wednesday, 8 March 2023 15:25![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elusivekI was going on my upcoming trips with just my phone as camera, but I honestly really wanted to have a camera. But, my camera's dead-ish.
How dead-ish? LOL. I bought this way back in... 2014 or so, as a birthday present to myself (it was new stuff back then!). In 2016 when I went to London I dropped and the f*cked up the lense. No one in town wanted to fix, so I tried to order the same default lense. No dice. "You gotta wait 6 months for delivery" I was told by the shop, so I said, "I'll wait." Three days later the shop called me to say "We're not going to order the lense. You can buy a different lense or a new camera." As is with most sales service in town, I wasn't surprised. Yes, I bought a new lense, but at another shop. Then a few years later, in 2018 or so, I went to Tokyo and I was in BIC Camera or Yodobashi (one of those), and a stroke of genius strikes at me and I asked if they had that particular lense. Yes they had, and I got the original lense in 5 minutes and no hassle.
Then Covid happened so no more travel. Then some time in 2022, I bought a new camera strap because the original strap (faux leather thing) was slowly crumbling and coming off, and it was still working. AND THEN in June 2022, when I was going on that trip to Shun Tak, I found out the camera was dead. I left it at that, and just this week, when I was preparing my items for my Tokyo trip, I took the camera out to investigate a bit.
The camera is still capable of taking photos. It's just the display that's somehow disconnected. It lights up, but there's no display. I called the Macau service center, and they said it's a discontinued model so it's better if I just bought a new camera (WTF). I just called the Hong Kong service center, and while they were more empathetic, their conclusion was basically also just buy a new camera, but they did not say those exact words. "It's a discontinued model. No more spare parts. You can bring it in, there's the checking fee, if they can fix it, then there's the manpower fee, and the spare parts fee." Which coming to think of it, if there's no spare parts in production, how are they going to fix it and charge me a spare parts fee?
But I also did not want to buy a new camera. No. I want a new camera, I'm just forcing myself NOT to buy a new camera.
So. Out comes my camera before this one. The battery's a bit f*cked. The strap's f*cked. I couldn't find the charger. The little plastic that is on the flap for the battery compartment (really just for traction and maybe water protection) has crumbled away... but it's still usable. So. My friend Taobao. I got new batteries and the charging dock. I thought it'd be off-brand stuff, but Taobao sent me original Canon products. That was a nice surprise. I'm still miffed about the Panasonic, but this Canon served me well before the Panasonic times. It will have to do. (Still trying to convince myself I DO NOT NEED A NEW CAMERA) (In truth, what I really want is a COMPACT DSLR CAMERA LIKE THE PANASONIC) but I'm trying to ignore that.
As my travel date approaches, things are gearing into place. I'm not worried about the Tokyo trip. My friend has that covered.
I've encountered the first snag in the London trip though.
I did say I wasn't going to wait for my other friend about the London trip, but there are certain things I still had to wait. She's finally bought her flight tickets. But, the Harry Potter studio tour's messed up now. I planned to buy tickets on the official site, then add on the afternoon tea there. As afternoon teas go, it's always for 2 persons, so I was on the fence; if my friend backed out, then I'd be stuck with a two-person afternoon tea. So I waited. And now that she's bought her tickets, and I went to book, it's sold out, WTF.
So I had to buy the tickets from other channels, and it's like. Had I bought it direct it's 60GBP per person (and then plus extra for the afternoon tea) and now because it's through an agent it's like 100GBP, ok, alright, it's with a coach transfer from London... BUT STILL! Without the afternoon tea (Wanted to admire the food hall).
I think that out of spite, I'm going to book the Paddington Bear Afternoon Tea bus tour. LOL. I had sent that to the friend just as a joke and she said nah. But now. Hey. I lost one afternoon tea. I'm going to book that one anyway. LOL.
Maybe not. I'm still a nice person. I don't like, nor do I dislike, Paddington Bear. It's Paddington Bear. Anyway, I will find a decent afternoon tea.
Ah, and there, in the back of my mind, there's a third trip in the end of the year. For some reason, we're doing Italy. Which is fine. But in a group chat, for some stupid reason, my brain short-circuited and I mentioned "Guess we have to go to the Eiffel Tower". Thing is, I wasn't even mixing it up with Tower of Pisa. I really was thinking of the Eiffel Tower. My joke angle was about the copy Eiffel Tower in Macau "The Parisian Tower" and one of the travel mate's Dad was the construction company that built it, so I wanted to convey that this friend should pose with the Eiffel Tower for her Dad. And then when they laughed and said "The Eiffel Tower of Rome?" And then I figured my brain has short circuited and I said something stupid.
How dead-ish? LOL. I bought this way back in... 2014 or so, as a birthday present to myself (it was new stuff back then!). In 2016 when I went to London I dropped and the f*cked up the lense. No one in town wanted to fix, so I tried to order the same default lense. No dice. "You gotta wait 6 months for delivery" I was told by the shop, so I said, "I'll wait." Three days later the shop called me to say "We're not going to order the lense. You can buy a different lense or a new camera." As is with most sales service in town, I wasn't surprised. Yes, I bought a new lense, but at another shop. Then a few years later, in 2018 or so, I went to Tokyo and I was in BIC Camera or Yodobashi (one of those), and a stroke of genius strikes at me and I asked if they had that particular lense. Yes they had, and I got the original lense in 5 minutes and no hassle.
Then Covid happened so no more travel. Then some time in 2022, I bought a new camera strap because the original strap (faux leather thing) was slowly crumbling and coming off, and it was still working. AND THEN in June 2022, when I was going on that trip to Shun Tak, I found out the camera was dead. I left it at that, and just this week, when I was preparing my items for my Tokyo trip, I took the camera out to investigate a bit.
The camera is still capable of taking photos. It's just the display that's somehow disconnected. It lights up, but there's no display. I called the Macau service center, and they said it's a discontinued model so it's better if I just bought a new camera (WTF). I just called the Hong Kong service center, and while they were more empathetic, their conclusion was basically also just buy a new camera, but they did not say those exact words. "It's a discontinued model. No more spare parts. You can bring it in, there's the checking fee, if they can fix it, then there's the manpower fee, and the spare parts fee." Which coming to think of it, if there's no spare parts in production, how are they going to fix it and charge me a spare parts fee?
But I also did not want to buy a new camera. No. I want a new camera, I'm just forcing myself NOT to buy a new camera.
So. Out comes my camera before this one. The battery's a bit f*cked. The strap's f*cked. I couldn't find the charger. The little plastic that is on the flap for the battery compartment (really just for traction and maybe water protection) has crumbled away... but it's still usable. So. My friend Taobao. I got new batteries and the charging dock. I thought it'd be off-brand stuff, but Taobao sent me original Canon products. That was a nice surprise. I'm still miffed about the Panasonic, but this Canon served me well before the Panasonic times. It will have to do. (Still trying to convince myself I DO NOT NEED A NEW CAMERA) (In truth, what I really want is a COMPACT DSLR CAMERA LIKE THE PANASONIC) but I'm trying to ignore that.
As my travel date approaches, things are gearing into place. I'm not worried about the Tokyo trip. My friend has that covered.
I've encountered the first snag in the London trip though.
I did say I wasn't going to wait for my other friend about the London trip, but there are certain things I still had to wait. She's finally bought her flight tickets. But, the Harry Potter studio tour's messed up now. I planned to buy tickets on the official site, then add on the afternoon tea there. As afternoon teas go, it's always for 2 persons, so I was on the fence; if my friend backed out, then I'd be stuck with a two-person afternoon tea. So I waited. And now that she's bought her tickets, and I went to book, it's sold out, WTF.
So I had to buy the tickets from other channels, and it's like. Had I bought it direct it's 60GBP per person (and then plus extra for the afternoon tea) and now because it's through an agent it's like 100GBP, ok, alright, it's with a coach transfer from London... BUT STILL! Without the afternoon tea (Wanted to admire the food hall).
I think that out of spite, I'm going to book the Paddington Bear Afternoon Tea bus tour. LOL. I had sent that to the friend just as a joke and she said nah. But now. Hey. I lost one afternoon tea. I'm going to book that one anyway. LOL.
Maybe not. I'm still a nice person. I don't like, nor do I dislike, Paddington Bear. It's Paddington Bear. Anyway, I will find a decent afternoon tea.
Ah, and there, in the back of my mind, there's a third trip in the end of the year. For some reason, we're doing Italy. Which is fine. But in a group chat, for some stupid reason, my brain short-circuited and I mentioned "Guess we have to go to the Eiffel Tower". Thing is, I wasn't even mixing it up with Tower of Pisa. I really was thinking of the Eiffel Tower. My joke angle was about the copy Eiffel Tower in Macau "The Parisian Tower" and one of the travel mate's Dad was the construction company that built it, so I wanted to convey that this friend should pose with the Eiffel Tower for her Dad. And then when they laughed and said "The Eiffel Tower of Rome?" And then I figured my brain has short circuited and I said something stupid.
