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Do they make cameras to last?
- Thread starter jwolf6589
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My main cameras are a Nikon D810 from 2010? and a D810 from 2014.
Replacement has crossed my mind not for any fear of failure but to take advantage of improvements offered by the D850.
In fact, in 2018, the aperture stop down lever broke in my D800. It went to Midwest Camera Repair, and for $350 or so they fixed that, did a general service, and dropped in a new shutter for good measure. The old one was at 150K, which is getting iffy on that shutter. They actually reset the count to zero on it, so I know exactly how much I’ve used it.
I have 1999 Nikon D1s that work perfect for the 50 shots the battery lasts(I do have a wall adapter). I have 90s Kodak DSLRs(a collecting interest of mine) that work perfectly, but they are also built on indestructible Nikon F5 bodies.
I use Nikon F2s a lot, and have ones spanning the entire 1972-1980 production run. A 1959 Nikon F had remained elusive for me, but have managed 1960 and most of my Fs are also fine, meters included.
My Hasselblad is from 1960.
I’m hoping to grab a nice mahogany/brass barrel lens quarter plate the next time I’m at my favorite camera store back in Kentucky. Yes, I will use it.
Replacement has crossed my mind not for any fear of failure but to take advantage of improvements offered by the D850.
In fact, in 2018, the aperture stop down lever broke in my D800. It went to Midwest Camera Repair, and for $350 or so they fixed that, did a general service, and dropped in a new shutter for good measure. The old one was at 150K, which is getting iffy on that shutter. They actually reset the count to zero on it, so I know exactly how much I’ve used it.
I have 1999 Nikon D1s that work perfect for the 50 shots the battery lasts(I do have a wall adapter). I have 90s Kodak DSLRs(a collecting interest of mine) that work perfectly, but they are also built on indestructible Nikon F5 bodies.
I use Nikon F2s a lot, and have ones spanning the entire 1972-1980 production run. A 1959 Nikon F had remained elusive for me, but have managed 1960 and most of my Fs are also fine, meters included.
My Hasselblad is from 1960.
I’m hoping to grab a nice mahogany/brass barrel lens quarter plate the next time I’m at my favorite camera store back in Kentucky. Yes, I will use it.
You wouldn't have a D810 from 2010 because it wasn't released until 2014. 🙂 The D800 was released late 2012.
But I do have a Nikon D700 that still works great (other than now crappy batteries) that I bought January 2011. It is still one of my favorite cameras, and I will never get rid of it.
You have only taken 290 photos? I might do that in 30 minutes.
Sorry, D800 and I couldn’t remember exactly when it came out(I bought it used).
I had a D700 and wish I’d kept it. It’s all the build quality of the D800, etc but just a really great handling camera. As you said, batteries are starting to be a problem(I have others that use the EN-EL3e).
yes i don't miss my d800 at all. but you will pry the d700 from my cold dead hands!
290 + shots counting the ones I have deleted. I try and make my pics count rather than just shooting into thin air. I am a creature of habit and the film days where it costs money per shot.
Isn't that (the D700) the camera that you gave to your son as a Christmas gift one year? Of course that still keeps it in the family.....
The D800 was my first “good” DSLR and there’s no reason why I couldn’t still use it as my only.
The D810 is nicer but there’s no one stand out feature that makes me like it better. Yes it’s sharper thanks to its lack of an AA filter, but it’s rare I can make use of that. I didn’t appreciate how loud the D800 is until I had the D810. The massaged ergonomics do make a big difference, but there again it's not a killer stand-out feature.
I love the D3 sensor, though, which is part of what makes the D700 so great.
I didn't hit the proper "reply" that would include the appropriate quote earlier and another post came along in the meantime. Oops. Anyway, Molly wrote in response to my query about the D700: he gave it back to me 😂
Well, then, that's OK, as it's still in the family!
. I never had a D700 but friends did and some of them still do, as it really was / is a terrific camera. Hang on to yours and enjoy!
Well, then, that's OK, as it's still in the family!
. I never had a D700 but friends did and some of them still do, as it really was / is a terrific camera. Hang on to yours and enjoy!
I started as a Canon shooter with the 30D. I quickly outgrew it and moved to the 5D Mark II. I liked it at the beginning (full frame really suited me) but after a year or so it started to have focus issues, and it soon became apparent it was a model issue, not a specific body issue. So I moved to the Nikon D700 and it was like a revelation happened when my images were consistently sharp. Every once in awhile I miss the skin tones of Canon, but since I don't shoot many people any more it's not a huge deal for me.
"Do they make cameras to last?"
No product out there is made to last, but to sell. Now, if you never use the product and store it properly the way collectors do, I could last for a very long time.
No product out there is made to last, but to sell. Now, if you never use the product and store it properly the way collectors do, I could last for a very long time.
Referring to the OPs PowerShot camera. The vulnerable point of this style of camera are the very tiny servo motors that extend and retract the lens, change focal length, and control focusing. They kick in every time you turn the camera on or off. Eventually one of these will probably die leaving you with a very light doorstop. The servos on more expensive lenses that mount to camera bodies are more robust and if they fail, you only need to replace that one lens.
I have a Nikon 300mm f/4D AF-S that I rolled the dice on and bought cheap a few years ago for a specific reason.
The first generation Nikon "Silent Wave Motors" don't have the best reputation. Of this generation lens, I've had the 300mm f/4 and 17-35mm f/2.8, but the 28-70mm f/2.8 and 80-20mm f/2.8 AF-S are all of this same generation. Nikon hasn't had parts for these in years-these are roughly ~2000 era lenses.
I bought my 300mm f/4 with it squealing badly. My 17-35mm f/2.8, which I'd prefer to not tell the story of why I no longer have it, did the same. I've been told that some lenses will have their focus motor die soon after they start squealing, while others will squeal for years with no signs of slowing down.
My 300mm continues working just fine. The 17-35 I'm sure would have worked fine also had...other factors...not led to its demise.
A decade old and my D800s are doing great.
Definitely built to last as I have worked mine hard.
Definitely built to last as I have worked mine hard.
And especially the person behind the camera making the photograph. Far more important than camera body or lens.
My D7000 is over 11 years old and still works flawlessly. My X100s died last year after 8ish years of service. However, my favorite lens, my 80-200 mm zoom is essentially dead. I’d be willing to have it repaired, but they can’t any parts for them anymore. To be fair, the lens is 25, 30 years old.
Is the zoom lens dead because of scratched or fractured glass? Or something to do with the shell and zooming mechanism? If the latter, a watchmaker or jeweler might be able to repair. If the former, it’s done.
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All electronics arent supposed to be used by normies beyond a decade.
I wouldn't be that hang up about it.
Yep. I sent a Canon dSLR (5D mk IV) for cleaning and checkup, and Canon service preemptively replaced the shutter, which was still working but past spec — not what I wanted, as the old shutter still worked, but oh well.
Discovered another sabotage feature in my little Fuji XP90. Six years in, the camera is still doing exactly what it did when new. The current generation has made zero improvements to sensor, or optics. Zero improvements to image quality. The new version will go considerably deeper and there are some minor software improvements mostly at the movie end but nothing that makes me want the latest and greatest version.
However now when I swap out the battery I lose date & time, and whatever custom settings I have set at the the time of the swap. I can live with losing D&T. That is easily fixed in GraphicConverter, but losing the settings is quite frustrating as it usually takes me about 10 minutes to get things back to where I want them to be. The cause of this is most likely a small capacitor that has lost its capacity to maintain voltage long enough to make the swap.
Long story short I am looking to sell this camera and will probably replace it with the Olympus TG6. Overall the image quality is supposedly noticeably superior to Fuji.
However now when I swap out the battery I lose date & time, and whatever custom settings I have set at the the time of the swap. I can live with losing D&T. That is easily fixed in GraphicConverter, but losing the settings is quite frustrating as it usually takes me about 10 minutes to get things back to where I want them to be. The cause of this is most likely a small capacitor that has lost its capacity to maintain voltage long enough to make the swap.
Long story short I am looking to sell this camera and will probably replace it with the Olympus TG6. Overall the image quality is supposedly noticeably superior to Fuji.
Sorry to hear this. The internal battery is dead by the look of it - the one that keeps the “life support” systems working while you swap batteries. A repair centre could swap it but I wouldn’t trust the water resistance after that. Yep in built obsolescence
Depends what kind of cameras you're talking about. Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Sony, etc. all make good camera models that are meant to last years, with excellent build quality and features. But they and other manufacturers also make point-and-shoot cameras (the kind you use) that are not meant to last for years, that are not made with the same standards and features, so they can be sold at a lower price point and sell to a different kind of customer.
For years, camera manufacturers have sold bridge cameras between their "pro" or "prosumer" models and their point-and-shoots. These have smaller sensors and features that attract consumers as a step up from a P&S.
But phones have eaten into the camera market. P&S cameras like you have were the first to feel the pinch. Lots of people don't want to buy a Powershot or Coolpix when they already have a phone that produces quality images. The camera companies know very well what's selling and what's not selling, and they're not going to keep spending money on manufacturing & marketing P&S models that there's little demand for any more.
So one day you may find that there are no P&S cameras still being sold that you like. In that case, you'll need to either use your phone or buy a bridge camera with a crop sensor. Canon, which you like, makes several models.