I'd put it on the net and ask $500.00USD for it.

It only cost $399 new list price. I found it in the film camera bin at a thrift store for $1. The display folds in and is concealed and it's about the same dimensions as the newer film cameras.

Any thoughts about why it was <...in the film camera bin at a thrift store for $1...>?

Visine^® gets the red out, too.

Maybe the battery is weak, or not making a good connection...

or a simple white-balance adjustment ...

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/A80/A80A.HTM

I've had one of the newer versions of that camera for a while, the A570is. It's a great little camera, though it tends to eat batteries so I made an aux power supply for mine.

It may be that the camera is set to the wrong lighting mode. If you haven't already tried this, try putting the camera in manual mode, then step through the adjustment options for ambient lighting. I'd try the 'Daylight' setting first; but if that doesn't fix the problem try one of the other options. My model includes adjustments for Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Underwater, and Custom.

If you don't have a printed copy of the manual, you should be able to find a copy to download from Canon's website.

it tends to eat batteries

I had that problem with a point-and-shoot camera--a cheapie. I suspect yours is not a camera problem. At least in my case it was a battery problem; I was using rechargeables, figuring that I could recharge rather than buy new ones. However, the batteries pooped out extremely quickly, and I try not to use the view screen. The solution was to switch battery types--I have had very good luck with lithium batteries. They are quite a bit more expensive, but last a long time. The only problem is that, when they decide they are done, they die quickly--always have a spare set.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wrTXgTJJyE

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-CCD-UNIT-Repair-Parts-Canon-A80-Digital-Camera-Lens-/220938078230?pt=Digital_Camera_Accessories&hash=item3370ef8816

It might be working just fine.

How can you be absolutely certain that the sky hasn't actually turned purple at the moment of capture?

The only time I saw the sky turn purple was when I found a pair of sunglasses at a rock concert in the park. I popped them on my head and suddenly everything was this bright magenta. I was so mesmerized I almost walked into a tree.

I fiddled with the white balance and tried different lighting settings and the best I could get was doing outdoor shots with the incandescent setting but there was still a hint of purple even everything was a cold blue.

It's common. Follow the links in post #10, and you can have a new camera for about $15.

I have a different camera with a different intermittent problem and the advice proffered on various forums worked for me and might work for you.

The most frequently suggested solution that worked a treat was to simply knock it against a hard surface.

I went ahead and ordered the CCD. The video was helpful in showing what to do.

My first digital an HP and I would get about 50 shots to a set of alkaline batteries. It was another yard sale find. The display didn't work so I wouldn't know what my pictures looked like until I got home and downloaded them. Kind of like a film camera. Recently someone gave me a ten year old Nikon. It has lithium-ion batteries and a charger and they hold up pretty well. But it's a fairly complex camera, quite large, about the size of an SLR and with about as many functions, including a lens cap(!?).

What I used to do was carry a film camera while riding my bicycle. I would put fast film in it and if I saw something while I was riding along I would just point and shoot. I got some good over-the-shoulder back shots of my friends following me on their bikes. They made nice presents. Film developing just got too expensive. I still have a carton of film.

Many times I'll dig into something on my own. About the thing I couldn't fix was a remote control to a Sony VCR. The would never work after I tried to service them. Any other remote would work just fine after cleaning but not Sony's. But now the point is moot, VCRs are obsolete, and I replaced the Sony with a JVC from a yard sale to play videotapes. Plus I bought a combo DVD/VCR recorder and a separate DVD recorder.

Would you believe that I still have a Beta VCR that still works. It had low hours when I bought it, I haven't used it much, and I wanted to burn some old family videos to DVD. I hadn't used it in years but it was still in the stack all plugged in and ready to go. I had to check my connections to see which input to use and then I was good to go.

I also discovered my Macrovision filter box that I used with VCRs works with most DVDs but then my computer has software that'll do the same thing but not always. Sometimes I have to resort to whatever method works. Good old trial and error.