In a message dated 7/11/2002 Joe Gwinn writes:
<< It's all a matter of intent and design. One can do a cheap camera in any
material. Likewise, expensive. >>
Exactly.
<< Fluke has one guaranteed to survive a ten-foot drop, so it probably is
designed for fifteen feet. These VOMs are expensive... >>
My late 1970s Fluke 8020b keeps plugging away, looks terrible, but still
tickin' Great products, excellent materials choices, design and production.
Cost is secondary to reliability and performance.
<< It's all a matter of intended market and design intent. Use of plastic
or any other material is neither here nor there. >>
True. High end professional bodies are built to be rugged and reliable.
Anything less now is absolute garbage engineered and built strictly to a
cost target set as low as possible, like virtually all mainstream
(dispoable) consumer electronic garbage.
<< And of course, the real problem with modern cameras is that the ever more
complex electronics fails for no obvious reason, making the camera
economically unrepairable. >>
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
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