No camera is as durable as a hammer, and it seems some people consider that hammers wear out too quickly.
When I was shooting only film, I carried Nikon FM & F, Leica M4-P & M6TTL everywhere. Tossed in the bag on the back of the motorcycle, in rain, in snow, in wind, Summer heat, Winter cold. All worked just fine, all needed occasional service.
I had a Nikon SP for a while: it needed service just as often as the M4-P. Which was, that is, once or twice in the three-some years I owned it. Nothing unusual.
My current Nikon F plain prism a friend found, sans lens, sitting in a box in his basement. He gave it to me. I had it stripped, thoroughly cleaned, lubed, and the mirror/shutter adjusted to spec. Cost me $275 total. I have a 28mm, a 55mm, and a 600mm lens for it, use it every so often. I've had it for ten years now: it works beautifully.
My current M4-2 I purchased in 2012. Body only, it cost me $700 and I had the viewfinder/rangefinder cleaned, lubed, collimated, and adjusted for accuracy for another $100. The shutter measured out as slightly off at 1/500 and 1/1000 sec by .3EV across the frame ... needs a shutter service (new brake) but wasn't bad enough to be worth the cost yet; I'll have it done someday. It's required no service whatever since then, still works exactly the same.
But no film camera in my hands today gets the same amount of use that they did 25 years ago. Except for my Polaroids, of course. And they've been 100% reliable. 😀
Set your expectations correctly, buy a good camera at a fair price, have it serviced per what it needs, and don't treat it like a hammer. It'll last a long time and be reliable.
G
