"For the same reason, plastic is replacing brass in cheaper cameras. Plastic
costs a lot more than brass, but it requires no machining (ie, hand labor)
at all! It pops out of the mold and is screwed to the camera. (I wouldn't be
surprised if the mount is actually part of the body in some cameras.)
Industrial plastics are tough, but they will wear faster than stainless
steel. No pro photographer who's always changing his lenses would ever buy a
camera with a plastic lens mount."
I'm of the opinion that stainless is the best material for a lens mount, as
it is durable. Chrome plating a brass mount could be durable, like the
chrome plating that is used on the internals of certain piston aircraft
engines. I would want to have ultimate confidence that a camera manufacturer
would give the same attention to quality as engine manufacturers, however.
Plastic mounts are another thing entirely. Look at the camera with them.
Camera manufacturers research shows that on bottom end SLR's that are sold
with a wide range zoom most always have the same lens mounted for life.
Think about the folks you know that have a Rebel or N(F)65, and got a 28-
whatever zoom with it. How many own another lens? If never used, the
polycarbonate mount will do just fine.
Bill Pearce
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|