Not going there on the lack of reliability for metal cameras when dropped.
My "beater" is a seriously thrashed looking OM-2S I got off evil bay, for
only $80.00. I was the only bidder--it looked that scary in the photo. The
prism is caved in with a dent so big I am surprised the prism isn't cracked,
and the body brings a whole new meaning to the word "brassed." Guess what.
This body is every bit as reliable and gets exactly the same results as my
other OM-2S (which I bought new in 4/86) and my OM-4T (which is another very
worn and abused looking body that works quite well). I use it without
hesitation, but it is obviously a backup, and normally gets use in crappy
weather (read rain) when I take out gear I'm not afraid of writing off.
The E-10 body is metal for good reason. Build quality is exceptional. I have
heard of E-10s that were not only dropped, but dropped onto river rocks in
streams, got soaked, not to mention bashed, and still worked when they dried
out.
Obviously there are plastics that are superior to metals for just about
everything now, but the cheap plastic as typically used in cameras is not
the same as, say, a carbon fiber sailboat mast. (Nik*n does make a very nice
carbon fiber lens hood, BTW, for their 300/2.8...only costs something like
$400.00--for a lens hood!)
It really boils down to the mechanical engineering, not so much the
materials, and how the unfortunate victim takes a hit. As I have mentioned
here before, I was talking with a guy who dropped his Can*n 300/2.8 with EOS
1 body from about 4' onto cement. The lens was fixed by CPS (to the tune of
several hundred bucks), but the body casting was tweaked rendering the body
a worthless paper weight (and yes, this was a metal body--but a plastic one
would likely have shattered).
Features aside, given the choice between a D100 and D1X, I would take the
D1X any day.
Mike Veglia
Motor Sport Visions Photography
http://www.motorsportvisions.com
< 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 >
|