gordonl (07/02/82)
About a year ago, a columnist in Modern Photography (the one who takes SLRs apart for the 'how its built' column) discussed camera reliability. He agreed that 'modern', lightweight cameras with a lot of plastic, such as the Canon A series, won't last as long as some of the much heavier 'battleship' models. However, he points out that he estimates the Canon A1 as good for 3000 rolls before repair, wheras the Nikon top-of-the-line would probably be good for 6000 rolls. This is undoubtedly meaningful for a professional photographer, but at one roll a week (my own average) we're talking 60 years MTBF vs 120 years MTBF! In otherwords, for any but near continuous use, the modern lightweight designs are every bit as good as heavier-duty models. Of course, some brands and models may still be lemons... gordon letwin ~p