>I have seen many Spotmatics >which have died, and I know while it would be true to say that we won't know >how long any camera will last until it reaches the same vintage, my guess is >that the fewer mechanical parts a camera has to wear out, and the more >modular it is in construction, the longer it will be around.
The only thing I would add is that from my experience with increasingly electronic as opposed to mechanical devices repair becomes impossible when the custom 'chips' are no longer made. These chips are usually made out-of-house and the company that makes them may stop production when new models appear. You may argue that the same is true for mechanical cameras but these tend to simply go out of alignment with wear and can be adjusted. When something finally breaks, a good repairman can often find a way to fix it, even if it means fashioning a custom part. To answer the original question. I don't like battery dependance. I borrowed a N***N 801 with 35-80 in fact I was offered it free! I played with it for a while but it felt like plastic, it made attention grabbing whirring noises, it wouldn't let me take a shot when I wanted because it decided otherwise, it wound on after each shot (more whirring noises), it re-wound the film at indiscreet moments (prolonged whirring noise), it failed to focus too often (accompanied by repeated whirring noises), it weighed a ton, partly because it needed four (or possibly six - can't remember AA batteries) to wake up. I could see that there can be advantages and things have probably improved since the 801 and if/when Pentax bring out a decent DSLR it will probably be plastic etc. and I will probably get one to run alongside my LX's/MX/KX... Hey! I enjoy focussing. I enjoy considering the exposure. Call me mad but I even enjoy winding on and re-winding... question answered. Anton _______________________________________________________________________ Freeserve AnyTime, only �13.99 per month with one month's FREE trial! For more information visit http://www.freeserve.com/time/ or call free on 0800 970 8890
