Canon EOS300 - getting tired?

[stevep944]

After a bit of help please guys..
I have an 11 year old Canon EOS 300d, which I mainly use for car show photos, only amateur stuff for our club website etc.
It's been a great camera but lately it seems to over-expose a lot of photos when the light is bright, and the flash seems to pop up too even on bright sunny days. Some photos don't seem so sharply focussed as they used to either.
Pictures are usually taken on full auto, with the standard Canon 18/55 lens.
Any ideas?
Do digital cameras gradually wear out?
Might it be the lens rather than camera? I'm not sure if the lens has been damaged as it got accidentally twisted slightly recently.

[Hub]

It is probably the camera (sensor). Lenses can need re calibrating or servicing sometimes, but the age of the camera it is probably that.

I recently replaced my 500d at 6 years old because like you the focusing didn't seem to be as sharp as it used to be, and anyway even if you got the entry level new Canon DSLR you really will notice a world of difference in image quality with the newer sensors and the newer version of the 18-55 lens - a great excuse for a new one!

[Simpo Two]

stevep944 said:

It's been a great camera but lately it seems to over-expose a lot of photos when the light is bright, and the flash seems to pop up too even on bright sunny days. Some photos don't seem so sharply focussed as they used to either.

Over-exposure might be sticking aperture blades in the lens.
Stop the flash popping up by putting it in Program mode.
AF issues might be the lens too.

Try another lens, if you have one or can borrow one.

[stevep944]

Cheers guys i do have a zoom lens I'll try that and see how it goes before looking at a new camera!

[RobDickinson]

Might be worth making sure nothing is obscuring the metering system, and the contacts to the lens are clean as well as the aperture blades are working.

The 300d is a very old camera now in digital terms, progress has slowed a lot recently but 300d->600d it moved very fast