-snip
A cost issue again really. No reason why camera electronics can be just as
reliable as my anchient and abused Fluke meter mentioned above. In fact,
when properly done, the electronics should be the least of your worries in a
modern camera design. The enclosure integrity and mechanical strength and
relibility are the real key. Cameras are making a transition from being
finely crafted instruments to being disposable consumer electronic junk.
This driven by cost constraints. I'm starting to hear rumblings in digital
forums that an E-10 shutter is only good for 20k cycles--I'm sure hoping
that is not true--if it is true then mine is 250f the way "worn out" and
isn't even a year old. Overall, the E-10 appears to be very well made...but
shutter failures that young shouldn't happen on a widespread basis.
Mike Veglia
Motor Sport Visions Photography
http://www.motorsportvisions.com
I think part of the disposability may be quite rational. Compared to
digital cameras, desk top computers are relatively stable technology.
Yet most businesses and many consumers discard them after 3 or 4
years because they are outmoded and no one wants a slow, old machine
that is not capable of running the latest software or hardware. CCD
technology is changing much faster than CPUs. Why spend the money for
a shutter capable of 500k cycles when digital point and shoots will
exceed the performance of your camera long before its shutter is used
up? I would venture that you will have enthusiastically replaced
your E-10 for a substantially improved one before the shutter has
three years of use.
Maybe when digital technology develops to the point that it is
limited by lens resolution and things slow down, perhaps longevity
will again become a selling point.
--
Winsor Crosby
Long Beach, California, USA
mailto:wincros@xxxxxxxxxxx
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