slow pictures and damaged card pins

it is a little hard on batteries but not as voracious as some of the reviews state. turning the preview off for most pix really made a difference in the battery life as did shortening the post-view time. the lcd is, apparently, the culprit. rechargeable batteries have always been a requirement in our house so i can't speak to those carrying loads of them.

it does take quite a long time to actually shoot a picture, however, and that can really interfere with a shot that's set up to take advantage of a crowd parting, kids doing something really cute or other semi-spontaneous activities.

my REAL issue is that the camera's pins that fit into the flash cards have bent and our retailer (CompUSA) has denied repair under their extended warranty plan. they say, that's "normal wear and tear". has anyone else experienced pin damage?

we've liked the pictures that we've taken, though we found the owner's manual a little hard to follow. i don't know that i would buy another one of these.