How low the (prices of) the mighty have fallen

[Marcus Ian]

<blockquote>

<p>One thing some people may be forgetting is that as a digital camera gets older it gets more difficult to repair.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>An excellent point, and even though the intrinsic durability of a CMOS and it's associated electronics are far far beyond that of nearly any mechanical film mechanism, the components that wear much more linearly (such as the shutter, mirror box, buttons, etc) are likely to be just as hard to find replacement parts for.... replacing a shutter button (for example) requires (typically) replacing the board it is installed upon (unless you are very very very good at soldering!), and that spare part is going to be hard to find... Of course, simply salvaging parts from other cameras is likely to be pretty simple.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>The weak link will likely be the proprietary rechargeable batteries. They are likely not going to work amazingly well in a couple of decades and replacements will be challenging to find.</p>

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<p>In the extreme long range you are probably right, but a handy photog can easily replace the cells <em>within</em> that battery, and those <em>cells</em> are standard sizes, and likely to continue to be manufactured in perpetuity... even 50yrs from now, a new Li-Ion <em>cell</em> should be easy to find. ... Alternatively, at the cost of decreased performance, most every single DSLR on the market has battery grips available, and they can be run off AAs.</p>

[david_john_appleton]

<p ><a href="/photodb/user?user_id=14630">Bob Atkins</a> <a href="/member-status-icons"><img title="Admin" src="/v3graphics/member-status-icons/admin.gif" alt="" /><img title="Subscriber" src="/v3graphics/member-status-icons/sub10plus.gif" alt="" /><img title="Frequent poster" src="/v3graphics/member-status-icons/1roll.gif" alt="" /></a>, Mar 23, 2013; 04:31 p.m.</p>

 

<p>>>>>>One thing some people may be forgetting is that as a digital camera gets older it gets more difficult to repair. You can repair a 75 year old Leica because any watchmaker or precision machinist could fabricate new mechanical parts for it.<br>

<strong>If the Digic IV processor</strong> in your (or my) EOS 5D dies how much longer do you think a replacement will be available (assuming it still is?). I'm sure Canon aren't making anymore and nobody else can. Probably most electronic repairs are board swaps rather than component swaps and I'm sure Canon aren't making circuit boards for older bodies either.<br>

Have you tried to get a VCR repaired today? Old technology nay work fine, but when it breaks you may have problems.<br>

Past the 5 year mark repairs can start to get tough and past the 10 year mark repairs may be impossible without canibalizing old cameras which have failed for a different reason.<<<<</p>

<p>My 5Dc has a Digic 2 in it :)</p>

 

[MathewDH]

<p>One has to look to the aging of all of the electrical components. Look at all of the old selenium cell cameras where the cell is dead. In a lot of cases it is due to leaving it on by not covering the cell from light. On the other hand just moisture and atmospheric exposure is attacking the cell connections. I am still paying for a camera rebuild from two or three Agfa Optima Reflex models to get one good working example. When it was done it carries the Canadian badge of Agfamatic Reflex. Very few of these twin lens 35mm cameras are in good working order.</p>

<p>Fast foward to now and the last 10-15 years of digital cameras. They are computers with lots of materials inside that are aging at different speeds. Component failure could come from many areas, including just a simple drop. I take care of my cameras so my Canon 300D, bought new in 2004, is still running. I shot today with it and a 24-70 F2.8 lens bought in 2006 used. If the camera keeps going for another decade, batteries and compact flash memory could get tough to find.</p>

<p>If I could afford it, I would buy a Canon t5i and have it converted to infrared to take advantage of the 18 mpxl image capture for both pictures and movies. Otherwise I will soldier on with my Canon 10D unto its death, or mine :-)</p>