My new camera

SUCKS.

I am not complaining about the lack of a view finder- though I would prefer to have one. I'm not convinced I will ever master the art of composing an image using two eyes. Maybe they just don't look in the same direction...

And, I'm not complaining (today) about the sarcastic remarks the camera makes about fuzzy images. Or, even the fact that images that it doesn't tell me are fuzzy- ARE. How does this function work? It has to be malevolent.

What I'm bitching about here is the fact that ever since I changed the batteries the VERY FIRST TIME the flash hasn't worked. It doesn't matter if it is set to AUTO, or red-eye, or ON- damn you- ON. It doesn't matter if I choose to shoot in "scene" mode and select a type of scene where flash is employed. The flash doesn't fire and the photograph is appropriately underexposed.

Yet- not fuzzy? What's with that Mr. New York Nikon??

Then, randomly the flash fires. Boom. Yet still- it must be out of sync because the photo is underexposed still.

Geesh.

I found a web site for Nikon Asia... that includes Australia. I wrote them. I sent along an example of a photo on which the flash did supposedly fire. At least we saw a pulse of light leave the camera...even if it didn't then bounce off the subjects and onto the receptor.

And, what, pray tell, did Nikon say?

"We think it is F#**ed; if it is under warranty you should mail it back to its country of origin."

Alas, somewhere between the time we bought it and the resulting laps around Manhattan and Queens and New Jersey and then Brisbane the receipt has been lost.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know. I think I'm going through a pretty rough spell here. I hope the planets align soon so I can throw off all the bad cameras and viruses.