Cotty said he was hoping his Canon D60 would last 10 to 15 years with repairs. I hope my D100 is viable as long, but I doubt it.
Here's why. DSLRs are going to be manufacturer-repair only. Ye Olde Corner Camera Store can fix older mechanical cameras because they usually just need adjustment, or can use salvaged parts. They can sometimes fix electro-mechanical cameras, IF they can get parts. (This, BTW, is where I parted company with Pentax professionally--I was wearing out Super Program film advance gearing and Pentax wasn't making more. This was about 1994, 10 years after the Super-Program was introduced IIRC) But DSLRs have very complicated parts made in small quantities, and even the better camera repair shops aren't going to have the parts or the knowledge to fix them, so they will be factory or factory-authorized jobs only. What reason does Canon (or Nikon) have to support an older DSLR if the alternative is getting you to buy a new one? Nikon supposedly bulldozed an entire warehouse of F2 parts to get people to stop using their F2s and buy F3s. I've got an F2, and it's an orphan because parts are very hard to find. I've got two Nikkormat ELs and a handful of ME Supers and Super Programs which are in the same situation. All of these cameras are simple enough that if my repair shop doesn't need unique parts they can often get them working again--just adjustment, screws, etc. My LX is about to fall into this category, too. Another thing that drove me away from Pentax professionally is the hassle of getting the LX repaired. I'm building up enough Spotmatic SPIIs so that I'll have a collection of spare parts to keep the survivors going as long as I can get film for them. Spotmatics are simple enough that I might be able to get parts MADE for them, plus there were a couple million made so there are plenty out there to get parts from. DJE
