Hi all,
Someone said
"I simply find it absurd to even imagine that Pentax or any
other manufacturer (Nikon and the F100), would make a body out
of something that is in any way, less than satisfactory for a
pro caliber camera."
Once again we come back to definitions. My point in bringing in
comparisons to racing vehicles in the "body shell" thread was to
point out that "professionals" have different parameters to
"amateurs". If a machine disintegrates on the finish line after
winning the race - well, that's the price to be paid. It's
"done the job", the cost possibilities were factored into the
equation before the person decided to race and it was decided
that the cost was worth it.
Trying to carry this over into camera construction; how long
should a "professional" model last? One year in
photojournalism? With a 75,000 cycle shutter life this equates
to 40 films per week before significant repair/servicing.
Certainly two years would seem to be the maximum at this rate
for any current model. All well and good, but I suspect many
businesses would take the view that the camera had "done its
job" by then and get rid of it. (This is where the racing
engine analogy falls down somewhat - all other things being
equal, repair/replacement of the shutter and film transport
should restore the camera to full functionality)
Now if you were the design manager of a camera company, what
would your perspective be on a "professional" model which you
knew was going to be sold on after a few years at most by a
large proportion of your customers. Once they do that, it is
out of your ken and you are competing for repeat sales to the
original customer. Are you really going to build a body which
will last a decade or more, with all the associated cost? Or
will you go for the option which gives you a cost-effective
chance of lasting for the anticipated ownership of the buyer? I
strongly suspect the latter.
One of the reasons I like Pentax is that the level of
compatability between different models leads me to think that
they are more interested in the committed amateur (and we all
are, aren't we?) than the "professional" market. It would be
really disappointing for me if they moved away from that.
mike
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