John Mustarde wrote: Hi John,
> PDML threads often find reasons why digital may fail to please, or > speculate on why it must be an inadequate medium, or find a dozen > other faults with it - but the simple fact is there are many thousands > of satisfied digital camera users. I have found the threads in the last week have made me feel more confident about the resilience and durability of DSLRs. > > And there is no army of users out there complaining their digicams are > failing right and left due to cheap and shoddy electronics. Possibly not - but I know so many people who bought a digicam who loved it for the first month and have left it to hibernate in a cupboard ever since. > > The newest tank - Canon 1Ds - has like 78 gaskets and very rugged > construction - giving it a good chance for durability under harsh > usage. The Canon 1D and D30, plus the various Nikon/Kodak/Fuji > iterations have proven to be reliable in their short history, if my > avid reading of all things digicam has been accurate. I find that all the more reassuring to DSLR buyers. > > I would actually welcome the time when DSLRs become "consumer > electronics. " They will get to a mature point of their market cycle > wherein the manufacturing and electronic bugs have been through at > least one improvement cycle. At that time, the cost of manufacturing > will come down and be reflected in a lower selling price (or more > features for the same price point.) This is exactly what is has been > happening for a couple of years in the digicam market, and starting to > happen now in the DSLR market. Two points from this: We are all here because we enjoy our Pentax equipment. As the bulk of market sales are P & S digital and disposable cameras, we represent a very small part of the market. Any camera is a luxury item - you don't need to own one, and people here really take care of their camera equipment. One rather poor example coming up, but think of the concept, not the example (although it would be funny in real life). How long would a washing machine last if we lavished the care and attention on it we do our cameras? Not washing as well as it did, so had a person, dedicated to that machine to give the machine the equivalent of a camera CLA regularly, and replace parts before total failure. Bizarre. I think a lot of what we expect out of machinery is proportionate to the amount of care and attention we bestow upon it. In this example, very few get excited by that machine, and it works hard until it fails. I know I wouldn't treat my camera like my washing machine....do you see my point though? > > However, much to my annoyance, Pentax is absent from the DSLR market. > They need to get a first DSLR out, so they can start working on the > improved model. I'm still waiting. Maybe next year? Malcolm
