Because I was so attached to my previous Sony Cybershot, when it came time to buy a camera for Bella, we decided to go for another Cybershot. Well, maybe it had more to do with the salesguy at Best Buy telling us it was their best-selling camera, and also that it’s the same camera that several of Bella’s friends have. Bella’s at that stage where it is critical to be as much alike her friends in every way possible.
We got the 6.1 mega-pixel Cybershot for $229. We also had to get a new memory stick, because the new Cybershots don’t accept the old memory sticks that I have, instead they need the memory stick pro duo. A 2-gig memory stick cost $80!! I was already clutching at my heart at the money I was forking over and I still got convinced to buy the all-inclusive warranty for three years for $120. Basically if anything happens to the camera, the screen, or motor, it is repaired or replaced for three years. Considering my last camera hardly lasted that long, I figured it was a safe bet. I also figured that this would be the household camera (since I’m unlikely to pull out my old mammoth but reliable Canon…) and that I was splitting the cost with my folks.
But after a few weeks, the Cybershot was really letting us down. At the store we thought the shutter lag was caused by the regular flash and the red-eye reduction flash, but it turned out that no matter what we did, the camera delay seemed unbearably slow.
So out of curiosity I walked into a Ritz Camera store last week and started quizzing another sales guy. This guy told me that the Cybershot and Nikon were pretty comparable, but that the Nikon had the least amount of delay for any 6.1 megapixel camera in the store. And he had a deal to offer me…
Long story short: We got the Nikon and returned the Cybershot to Best Buy (I paid the 20% restocking fee). The Nikon cost $249, but…
The Nikon Coolpix is pink (and therefore Bella was agreeable to the change).
There was great sale going on for the SD memory cards (standard camera memory): a $60 1-gig card was on sale for $40 and had a rebate for $20, so we paid $20.
That was a great deal. I wish now I had bought more.
We also got an HP $100 photo printer for free ($100 rebate). 
A free $80 winter coat (Bella gave it to her dad and he was thrilled – don’t ask why she makes that sign with her fingers in every picture – I don’t know). 
Wait, there’s more! A free camera case (big and useless)… 
and finally, $280 worth of photography classes. And I got conned into buying the insurance again. So, in the end, I spent the same amount of money but it felt like winning the lottery to come home with all this stuff.
I know, I’m a SUCKER!
[Ritz blows. Turns out that all the rebates come back in the form of gift cards!!]
