Marty Forscher, the legendary camera technician and inventor, told me that the Nikon F2 was and is the most durable 35mm camera ever built. He said that if he were stuck on a desert island and could have only one camera, the F2 would be his choice. You could put up aluminum siding on your house using the F2 as a hammer.
I am not one to baby my equipment, after all they are simply tools, but I haven't used a camera as a hammer yet . Knowing the F2 can take a good bit of abuse is reassuring.
__________________
Mark Barendt, Ignacio, CO
"The photograph itself doesn't interest me. I want only to capture a minute part of reality."
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Occurs to mention that anything sparking at all-- say a chrome plated camera dropped on an industrial steel floor or truck bed could be fatal in an explosive environment. Now, I'm not 100% certain but strongly suspect that a chrome body would spark, even if the chrome is over plated over a brass or stainless base. This seems to me more dangerous in an explosive environment than a little 1.5V DC battery arcing at switch-on. (This is the reason for brass wrenches and hammers, no?).
One could choose a painted brass black body early F2, but even then, strap lugs are still chromed on most cameras.
Rules is rules and no one may challenge you if a specific prohibition isn't clearly specified, but personally I'd rather not blow up, than not break a rule.
All that said, the Pentax LX would be a great choice outside of the brand.
We are not to the point or possibility of using brass tools in our work. We use chrome all the time.
The color doesn't fix the issue. Black wrenches can spark just the same. Only truly brass tools fix the issue you bring up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pupfish
Occurs to mention that anything sparking at all-- say a chrome plated camera dropped on an industrial steel floor or truck bed could be fatal in an explosive environment. Now, I'm not 100% certain but strongly suspect that a chrome body would spark, even if the chrome is over plated over a brass or stainless base. This seems to me more dangerous in an explosive environment than a little 1.5V DC battery arcing at switch-on. (This is the reason for brass wrenches and hammers, no?).
One could choose a painted brass black body early F2, but even then, strap lugs are still chromed on most cameras.
Rules is rules and no one may challenge you if a specific prohibition isn't clearly specified, but personally I'd rather not blow up, than not break a rule.
All that said, the Pentax LX would be a great choice outside of the brand.
__________________
Mark Barendt, Ignacio, CO
"The photograph itself doesn't interest me. I want only to capture a minute part of reality."
Henri Cartier-Bresson
The Nikon FM3a is a top of the line full manual camera. It does use a battery but only for metering and can be removed. The FM3a can be a bit pricey for it's age but it is the best in it's class.
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The F2 has an "extended" "T" mode where the self-timer can be used to time the shutter. It allows up to 10 second timed exposures. The collar around the shutter release has a "T" setting that used the self timer to hold the shutter open. One of its more obscure features.
The Nikon FM3a is a top of the line full manual camera. It does use a battery but only for metering and can be removed. The FM3a can be a bit pricey for it's age but it is the best in it's class.
The FM3a has both electronic and manual shutter control, so with batteries installed, the batteries power the meter and the shutter. I purchased one because of that feature but have yet to use the camera without batteries. Any of the FM series in excellent conidtion would suffice. The newer the camera, the less possible problems. Good luck!-Dick
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