Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/11/08
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]There's only one type of electronic component that can reasonably be expected to deteriorate in an electronically timed shutter. It's the capacitor or capacitors that govern speed as a function of discharge rate. Most vendors used premium quality caps in this area and they should last a good 50 years in good climates. When they finally go bad they can be replaced for pennies. Resistors may go off value but that's rare in a shutter application. Some of the old Germanium transistors may become unstable affter some time but I think camara makers all used super stable silicon transistors. Also, modern shutters have quartz crystal instead of capacitors for speed control. IMHO an electronic shutter can easily outlive a mechanical one because it's mechanically simpler and and when infrequent electronic failures do occur the components are cheap and readily available. While it makes sense at first, defending the mechanical shutter as more reliable in the long term than the electronic one is like like claiming that an old adding machine is more reliable than a pocket calculator. It isn't. See Ya Javier Robert Appleby wrote: > >>>> > Date: Wed, 08 Nov 2000 09:45:36 +0100 > From: Axel Schwieker <axel@baer.rwth-aachen.de> > Subject: Re: [Leica] mechanical shutters > Message-ID: <3A0912B0.76DE0205@baer.rwth-aachen.de> > References: <3.0.32.20001107142257.006d11a4@box4.tin.it> > > Robert Appleby wrote: > > > > Is there any advantage to a mechanical shutter except for the battery > > independence? > > The advantage of a fully mechanical quality shutter is, besides its > battery independence, that it can be repaired by any skilled technician > even after decades. If the electronics break after 20 years or so you > are usually left out standing in the rain. > > Axel > <<<<<< > > Axel > Twenty years is a hell of a long time. Will I be using the same camera in > twenty years as I am now? I don't think so. > My observation was a practical one: the electronics do actually seem to > handle the horribleness of certain environments better. I'll take it six > months at a time, or eleven (my longest trip to anywhere). > Rob. > > Robert Appleby > V. Bellentani 36 > 41100 MO > Italy > tel. (+39) 059 303436 > mob. (+39) 0348 336 7990 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com