> If one day...I cannot buy a new camera body that > supports my investment, then I will feel betrayed.
Boz.... I hate to say this, but that day is pretty much here for me. Has been for a while now. Here's my big dilemma. I like buying bodies new, simply because I like to know there are no hidden problems, and I like to be able to replace a body immediately and with no hassle in case of loss. Plus, I like to know I have the latest in the basic technology--screens and light meters and such. Finally, I like to be able to find accessories. But the kind of camera I prefer is on life support. I've said it before--I like metal, manual, mechanical cameras. "Classic"-era SLRs. But the only company that's released one in recent years is Nikon. Much as I love my ES II, it's an antique. If it broke, or I dropped it, or it was stolen, it would take a lot of work to find a replacement. It has some peculiarities; it's outdated in some ways. It's o-l-d. I feel it every time I take it out of the house: it's not just a tool, it's a treasure. I keep coming back to the same conclusion: that I should just get an FM3a. If Pentax still made _one_ old-style metal-manual-mechanical SLR...one classic Pentax...but it doesn't. It's not like the FM3a is any great paragon. It's no modern F2 or Spotmatic or anything. It's kind of a cheap-ass, crappy example of the genre, actually. But it's the genre I prefer. And it's what's out there. Tough problem. So tell me what you'd do. Comments, jokes, opinions, sympathy, ridicule, from anybody, all welcome. --Mike
