why do you care...

[back alley]

...about camera longevity?

so many discussions about having a camera that will live on forever, one camera vs. another...will i be able to get it fixed in 20 years etc.

how many other things do we fret so over?

certainly not cars as they have a planned for date of demise.
houshold appliances? razors?
things cheap or expensive.

we seem obsessed with having a camera that will last 50 years.

i don't get it.

joe

 

[fishtek]

Mechanical timepieces. I've got a couple dozen watches, dating to about 130 years. There are certainly cameras that enjoy a long life. Both can be repaired, but need a qualified technician, and sometimes someone who can make parts. None of my cameras are over, maybe, 50 years old, and the repairs on these pieces seem to be more costly, relative to replacement cost, than do the watches.

I very much appreciate that old mechanical things can function, even if I can't personally repair 'em.

One more factor would be that I can't afford to replace either cameras OR watches...

Regards!
Don

 

[Ducky]

I've wondered that myself. I can understand the desire to see real craftsmanship survive, but I can't worry about it. Besides, I'm turning 73 in a month so just about everything will last me my lifetime.

Maybe there's a place I can go to be CLA'd, now that would be interesting.

 

[FrankS]

It just seems that in today's world, there are very few things that you can still buy any more that aren't disposable and built without planned obsolescence in mind. But there are choices in the field of our passion, our hobby, that are different, that are built to last, made more expensively out of metal instead of plastic, and designed to last or at least be repairable, etc. I'm going to choose the higher quality tool, even if there were no difference in the final results. For me, photography is a process and it's not just about the pictures. I prefer to use wel build and designed woodworking tools as well. But that's just me. YMMV and I'm not going to attack anyone who thinks differently on this.

 

[waileong]

In the US, there's a tradition of the mother giving her bridal dress to the first daughter to be married, right? And adjusting to fit, if necessary?

Do you get that?

If you do, you can draw parallels. I don't know if you intend to give the cameras to your children, but if they can last 50 years, you'll certainly have the chance (assuming you have children).

And even if you don't, you can be sure that your Leicas, if properly CLA-ed, can still work 50 years from now.

It's not an obsession per se, but it's a key selling point of certain items, like Patek Philippe watches, grand old houses, etc.

 

[sjw617]

It helps us rationalize spending a few grand on something that fits in the palm of your hand?
To try and fool ourselves that this will be the only camera that I will ever need to buy? It will last forever.

 

[back alley]

maybe it's my age and general state of health that has me wondering these things...even discussions about will film be around in 20 years. if i was 30 or 40 i'm thinking it would matter more to me. but i buy new film cameras without much thought to will there be film in 10 or 20 years. at 57with a bad heart i'm doin' it now while i can.

about the watches, i also like watches for the history they can hold. i have an old railroad pocket watch that is so cool. i took it to an old jeweler who works on r.r. watches and he showed me the markings on the inside cover that indicate when the watch had been serviced. i guess as a watch used by a railroader it needed to be serviced every 18 months or something like that. this was maybe 30 years ago when i got it. still runs like a ...clock😉

 

[chrish]

fountain pens? safety razors? bicycles? these are all things that i hope will last me 20+ years.

le creuset cookware, and her kitchen-aid mixer, are things my girlfriend probably hopes will last that long too.

 

[back alley]

i hadn't thought about handing it down to another.
i live alone, have little family left alive, hmmmm, now you have me thinnking along other lines.

 

[photogdave]

It's an aspect of the cameras I use that I appreciate but I don't obsess over it. I like the fact that my Rolleiflex was built in 1951 and works perfectly today. I'm not worried if it will work in another 50 years, but it probably will.
It's also a case of "they don't build 'em like they used to" (I can't get digital versions of many of the cameras I use except the M8 which is out of my price range) and maybe a minor obsession with fine mechanical craftsmanship.
I also drive a 1982 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia. I want it to last forever too because there is no longer any vehicle like it currently being produced. And the closest equivalent is way out of my price range.
Hmmm....M6 is to M8 like Vanagon is to Eurovan!

 

[akptc]

It takes some of us a good decade to really master a piece of equipment, so it's a good thing some of it will last that long 🙂

 

[kshapero]

I collect old coins. i like things that are mechanical. That are built to spec. I like things that do or could connect to the past. So I wouldn't feel so lost in this world of plastic.

 

[Bingley]

It just seems that in today's world, there are very few things that you can still buy any more that aren't disposable and built without planned obsolescence in mind. But there are choices in the field of our passion, our hobby, that are different, that are built to last, made more expensively out of metal instead of plastic, and designed to last or at least be repairable, etc. I'm going to choose the higher quality tool, even if there were no difference in the final results. For me, photography is a process and it's not just about the pictures. I prefer to use wel build and designed woodworking tools as well. But that's just me. YMMV and I'm not going to attack anyone who thinks differently on this.

What Frank said.

I think it is cool to be able to take photos using gear that is older than I am (and I'm only a couple years younger than Joe). And it is a comforting thought that maybe this same gear will be around for my daughter to use (if film is still around, but I think it will be). MelanieC uses her father's M3 (and uses it well) ... and I think that's very cool. 🙂

 

[photobizzz]

Before being in the military I was a mechanic (cars) and can appreciate mechical excellence and longevity (although there are few cars that will last 50 years) but with a camera, although the thought is nice I dont buy them for longevity, more for functionality. But if I hit the lottery (I dont play) I am sure I would be buying Leicas left and right. I guess for me it is a question of what is in my budget, and how much camera I can get for my money.

 

[Leighgion]

I think for most people it's a conceptual thing and that not many of us really expect to keep the same camera for 50 years. Still, there's a lot more appeal in buying a machine that could outlast you, even if it's not likely to be a practical issue. It's a poor feeling to buy a machine that you absolutely know you'll have to replace in a few years.

My Nikon FE, FE2 and Olympus XA are probably all over twenty years old. I bought all three used this year and they're going strong. I don't really think about what they might've been doing before they came to me, but it's a good feeling that I got old cameras that could get a whole lot older in my service without failing.

 

[photogdave]

Also knowing that you're not contributing to the landfill every few years is a big plus!

 

[MikeL]

...about camera longevity?
so many discussions about having a camera that will live on forever, one camera vs. another...will i be able to get it fixed in 20 years etc.
how many other things do we fret so over?
we seem obsessed with having a camera that will last 50 years.
i don't get it.
joe

What the heck else are we going to talk about?😉

I think people are drawn to things that last, even if it's just in their heads. Regardless, it's just another appreciation people can have, and maybe not yours. If it makes people happy, why try and apply reason?

 

[amateriat]

fountain pens? safety razors? bicycles? these are all things that i hope will last me 20+ years.

le creuset cookware, and her kitchen-aid mixer, are things my girlfriend probably hopes will last that long too.

Your GF has Le Creuset too, eh? Good on her. (She likely understands your "stuff" better as a result.)

Funny that you (and Joe) also mention razors. Over a decade back, I got tired of shelling out what I thought was a King's ransom for allegedly fancy triple-blade razor cartridges (Gillette Mach3 being hot at the time). With a little hunting, I tracked down a nice German straight-edge razor (a Pumaster, for the shavegeeks out here, and I know they're here), and thus started my whole wetshaving adventure, even though all I cared about was a better and more cost-effective shave. I didn't realize there was a whole damn subculture blossoming around this stuff. The Pumaster got trashed while moving from one abode to another, unfortunately, so now I navigate my whiskers with a pair of Merkur double-edge razors that will likely outlive me. (Never mind the high-quality, dirt-cheap DE blades, and the far-better shaves I get as a result.)

Which (finally) brings me to cameras. I like the idea of a camera hanging around long enough for me to actually get seriously familiar with it (thank you, Andy). This takes good engineering, which frequently gets confused with technological embellishment. The last camera system I had before my Hexar-based setup lasted me nearly ten years. I'd like to think that what I have will last at least as long (about four years left on the clock here), hopefully a decent stretch longer. "It's the practicioner, not the tool" is a common refrain, but a lot of these people fret loudly over whether their printer/ink/paper/computer/operating system is "good enough." I've sorted all that other stuff out; what I want is a camera that's hardy enough to stick around long enough to be second nature to my hands and mind's eye, and for the last handful of years I think I've found it. The tools are important insofar as you find what works best for you and stick to it, rather than set off on a Quixotic quest for some fuzzy definition of "the best."

Get it. Use it. Show what you've done with it. Rinse. Repeat. For as long as you can.


- Barrett

 

[jky]

maybe it's my age and general state of health that has me wondering these things...even discussions about will film be around in 20 years. if i was 30 or 40 i'm thinking it would matter more to me. but i buy new film cameras without much thought to will there be film in 10 or 20 years. at 57with a bad heart i'm doin' it now while i can.

I agree with you, Joe, but for the rest of us...why not do this not just at 57 with a "bad heart", but rather at 20, 30, 40, etc...? Heck I'm 30yrs old, but all it takes is a guy not checking his rearview mirror while backing out of his driveway as I grab the mail....😱

Regarding the OP, camera longevity is a little *note "little"* important to me partly because of the memories that I have with them. Like when I accidentally flung my Nikon SLR 8-10ft on asphalt to find that it still worked like a charm- the dent on the prism always reminds me of that particular day...🙂

 

[amateriat]

maybe it's my age and general state of health that has me wondering these things...even discussions about will film be around in 20 years. if i was 30 or 40 i'm thinking it would matter more to me. but i buy new film cameras without much thought to will there be film in 10 or 20 years. at 57with a bad heart i'm doin' it now while i can.

Roger that. I turn 52 tomorrow (Friday). Mortality is...something.


- Barrett