Bob Sullivan wrote:
I used my daughter's S4 on a week long business trip.
It was quite handy and convenient as the temperature was 95 F. degrees.
I especially enjoyed the small size and light weight.
One battery was good for 250 jpegs and a maximum day's shooting.
Now I would like to buy another one, perhaps an upgrade for my
daughter or just for wifey & self. There are two problems.
1) The Optio S4 is long out of date. I would probably do an S5i or
SV. I think I can get these for $300 and $220 respectively. Does
anybody have a cheap source for an S4?
2) My daughter is very taken with the idea of the S4 fitting into the
Altoids tin. Both the S5i and the SV (especially) are a bit bigger
than the S4. I am not sure she wants to trade-up, so we would end up
with the bigger camera... not much of a gift for letting me borrow the
camera.
I have looked at ebay, but the price of the S4 or S4i is silly. They
are going for more than $150 and I would rather pay the extra for a
new SV at that price.
So do we have any sage advice out there?
Oh my. You asked the wrong guy!
Not only have I had an S4 for ever since they started advertising it, I
wouldn't give it up for anything I can think of!
If my wife didn't have an Optio S5i (a gift from me) I'd probably get a
backup S4, and pack it in a dust and moisture free atmosphere and put it
in a safe, just in case!
I use this little jewel all the time. I simply can't imagine being
without it!
Now, part two of this diatribe:
Just because a camera company lacks the foresight to continue to produce
a model, in no way reflects on the desireability of that model. Or it's
reliability, for that matter. Other examples are abundant in the industry.
Pentax moved on because they wanted to move on. They felt pressed to
come up with bigger and better. Not because there was a single thing
wrong with the S4. Nothing!
A major truth here: camera model does NOT start deteriorating,
physically or otherwise, just because it's taken off the maker's list of
production cameras.
Were it me, I'd go ahead and find the very nicest S4 I could find. Some
old person who never drove it over 35 MPH, and only on alternate Wednesdays.
Then buy it and use it! You'll never be sorry!
keith whaley
(Yes, I found myself wishing that I had the *istDS along with me, but
I didn't miss trying to fumble in and out of vehicles with papers and
a big camera at 95 degrees. On the basis of this trip and ownership
of the *istDS, I want to trade in my Sony S85 on something smaller
like the S4.)
Regards, Bob S.
