Those of you who either know me or have ready my previous photography blog entries know that I have recently purchased a very nice DSLR camera. After using this camera for about three weeks, I began noticing some issues that were somewhat disconcerting. I realized that from time to time, I would fire up the camera, frame my shot, focus and listen to the camera and lens make a strange clicking and whirring sound, almost as if the gears of the body and lens weren’t focusing properly. Then, when I would shoot the picture, the camera would error out on me (yes, I mean actually blank out the user display panel with -Err- and screech at me), and I would have to shut everything down, remount the battery to get things to fully reset and fire it back up again.

After this type of treatment, things would usually go back into place and work for a while, so I didn’t think much of the issue, but when you spend this much on a tool, you don’t want to have to “make do” with it. So, when a friend informed me that another retail store had the exact same camera kit I had purchased with an added 75-200mm lens and a bag to boot for only $100 more, I saw my signal to return the one that was having a few issues and try again. Since I was still well within my 60 day return time, I simply took the kit back to the store and purchased the nicer kit from the other store, and boy, am I ever glad that I did.

Just yesterday, my new kit arrived in the mail (still waiting on the additional lens, but that’s OK), and when I opened it up to get situated again, I noted a few very interesting facts that made me extremely grateful I had made the exchange. When I first opened up the camera body, I noticed that in addition to the screen protecter I knew would be on there, there was also a thin, protective film that needed to be removed; I made a mental note that this had not been present on my first camera purchase. Then, as I seated the battery and powered it up, I was alarmed to see the word clock flashing over and over in the display panel: this had not happened previously, either. Upon reviewing the user’s manual — yes, these nice little (relatively speaking) booklets do come in handy from time to time — I discovered that when the body is powered up for the very first time, this flashing message is a notice for you to set your region and time for the image meta information.

After getting everything set and in its place, and after noting a few other minor differences from the first kit I had opened, I came to the conclusion that I was not the first one to have opened the original package from the first store. I don’t know if it was a return or a defective unit that had been refurbished in some way or what, but needless to say, I am extremely thankful that the opportunity arose not only to add a $300 lens and a bag to my kit for $100, but also to replace my camera with one that I know is brand-spankin’ new.