PSA: Heard a guy at the camera swap meet say 'if it's digital, just toss it and buy new'

I was at the monthly meet in Springfield and this collector was telling a newbie that fixing digital bodies is a waste of time. That mindset is why so many good cameras end up in landfills over a simple board or screen issue. How do we fight this 'disposable' idea when talking to regular folks?

3 comments

3 Comments

sean_robinson1mo ago

Yeah, my buddy had a lens error on his old Nikon and the shop just cleaned the contacts for twenty bucks. It's like what robinson.reese said, people forget these things are just machines with parts that can wear out. What's the weirdest fix you've seen that saved a camera from the trash?

robinson.reese1mo ago

What about the cameras that are out of production but still take great photos? My old DSLR had a shutter issue that cost less than a new phone case to fix. Where do people think the parts for those "new" cameras even come from? Doesn't throwing away a whole camera over a small problem just make everything more expensive for everyone?

matthewbarnes1mo agoTop Commenter

Ever try to explain it like fixing a car? I told my neighbor his old Canon just needed a new battery door (a cheap part) and now he uses it for his kid's soccer games. Showing people the actual fix, like a cracked screen replacement on a point-and-shoot, makes it feel less like magic and more like a simple repair. It turns that "toss it" feeling into a "well, that was easy" moment.

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