Are Metal Mounts Better Than Plastic?

[Don Haines]

As for 'Weather Sealed', 'Rugged', 'Impact Resistant' and other such arbitrary terms, I think a better term would be 'Toddler Proof'. This term could easily surpass terms even as robust as 'Mil-Spec'! We all know that no matter how tough something is made and purported to be, 20 minutes with a toddler will usually provide a true test of the ruggedness.

So I suggest we insist on rugged standards that are truly easy to understand. 'Toddler Proof' and 'Firehose Tested' are both easy to understand and hard to fake.

.

Ok I know we walked on the moon and had poeples living in space, but come on, toddler proof... it's not even been put in science-fiction yet!

I'm watching a rerun of Star Wars - Empire Strikes Back as I'm working on stuff. Amazing how easily that futuristic crap is blasted to bits. Now if it were only 'Toddler Tested Tough'!! Obviously, they haven't achieved that level of durability in the future either and science fiction hasn't dared to assume so...

Realistic Sci-Fi would have four Jedi knights clustered around a pill bottle and trying to get the top off.. (Use the force Luke)... Danger... Excitement.... Child-proof lids..... A Jedi craves not these things...

 

[IMG_0001]

"Toddler Proof"... now there's an unobtainable standard.... good luck getting the peanut butter off of your sensor

I opine that kids have been screwed ever since DVD players came along; you could fit a grilled cheese into a VHS easily enough but now they're lucky if they can get a greasy tortilla in there!

Jim

You see, this is where we differ from kids, we have lost the capacity to believe it will fit in. Beliieve me a grilled cheese will fit in a dvd player.

And now, this really got me thinking, why are Canon lenses not made of grilled cheese and peanut butter. They could then claim their lenses to have a higher nutritonal value than the competing brands and I'm sure it could help wildlife and bird phootographers get closer to their subjects. It would be a situation where everybody wins!

 

[Jack Douglas]

Great thread - thanks for starting it!

Jack

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi Folks.
14 years in toolmaking taught me one thing, there are four levels to making things,
Fool proof, readily achievable,
Child proof, hard but not impossible,
Idiot proof, almost impossible but not quite, and with a high risk of striking a nerve or two,
Squadie proof, impossible.

Please don't get me wrong, I have a great respect for our service men and women, current and past, and I thank them all for their sacrifices, dad is a Normandy veteran for a start, but please, I have seen things done to the product I used to help make that defy belief!

Cheers Graham.

 

[Loswr]

"Toddler proof." Remember the old Pelican case 'forever guarantee'? The stated exceptions were shark bite, bear attack, and children under five.

 

[drmikeinpdx]

Interesting coincidence... I was working with a a fellow pro today. He recently got a 70D and an 18-55 STM for video. The first time he put the lens on the camera, the mount sheared completely off. Canon would not replace under warranty claiming abuse. He picked up another one on sale very cheaply and it works fine.

I got to try his 15-85. Now that is a nice sharp lens!

 

[sagittariansrock]

Can't resist sharing an anecdote here. My wife's two-year old nephew taught himself how to press the shutter and the playback buttons (after having watched me a couple of times) and was actually teaching his five-year old sister how to do so. Fortunately my 5DIII was mounted on a tripod held on by myself with both hands!

 

[IMG_0001]

Can't resist sharing an anecdote here. My wife's two-year old nephew taught himself how to press the shutter and the playback buttons (after having watched me a couple of times) and was actually teaching his five-year old sister how to do so. Fortunately my 5DIII was mounted on a tripod held on by myself with both hands!

Lovely anecdote. Having an adult acting as a watchdog to prevent toddler induced damage is a way of "toddler proofing" things I guess. I still prefer to let my 2 years old son use my cheap smartphone for playing the photographer game, but DSLRs do seem to attract the kids. My son always run to me and asks to see the photos on the back screen as soon as he sees the camera (or smartphone for that matter). I've read Neuro posting that kids are fast running and have unpredictable trajectories... well for my son that is only true as long as I keep my 60D stored. Otherwise, it is very easy to predict the trajectory, he aims straight at the objective with his finger pointing toward the middle of the front element.

 

[surapon]

Hi Folks.
14 years in toolmaking taught me one thing, there are four levels to making things,
Fool proof, readily achievable,
Child proof, hard but not impossible,
Idiot proof, almost impossible but not quite, and with a high risk of striking a nerve or two,
Squadie proof, impossible.

Please don't get me wrong, I have a great respect for our service men and women, current and past, and I thank them all for their sacrifices, dad is a Normandy veteran for a start, but please, I have seen things done to the product I used to help make that defy belief!

Cheers Graham.

Ha, Ha, Ha---Dear Graham---You make my day
"14 years in toolmaking taught me one thing, there are four levels to making things,
Fool proof, readily achievable,
Child proof, hard but not impossible,
Idiot proof, almost impossible but not quite, and with a high risk of striking a nerve or two,
Squadie proof, impossible. "

I love your Beautiful Words and Beautiful Thinking----Ha, Ha, Ha.
Have a great work week.
Surapon

 

[MLfan3]

thank you for sharing this, Roger is always great and maybe the smartest person in this business.

anyway, I think metal lenses/cameras are being overrated, my plastic 6D is as durable as supposed to be all metal the Sony A7R or the Nikon D800E or the 5D3.

and my rebel XTi lasted more than 7 years.

new gen engineering plastics are very tough with good amount of elasticity to it.

 

[sagittariansrock]

I've read Neuro posting that kids are fast running and have unpredictable trajectories... well for my son that is only true as long as I keep my 60D stored. Otherwise, it is very easy to predict the trajectory, he aims straight at the objective with his finger pointing toward the middle of the front element.

That's too funny!

 

[IMG_0001]

"Toddler proof." Remember the old Pelican case 'forever guarantee'? The stated exceptions were shark bite, bear attack, and children under five.

You are not supposed to put childrens under five in there my friend. I am sure this was also mentioned in the manual and I know you read your manuals (I'm pretty sure you could actually tell me on what page this was written ).

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi IMG_0001
That is just hilarious, gave me quite a laugh.

Cheers Graham.

I've read Neuro posting that kids are fast running and have unpredictable trajectories... well for my son that is only true as long as I keep my 60D stored. Otherwise, it is very easy to predict the trajectory, he aims straight at the objective with his finger pointing toward the middle of the front element.

That's too funny!

 

[Valvebounce]

Dear Surapon
Glad someone got a laugh from it.
Some funny posts on here gave me a chuckle. I think all metal construction has historic connotations of quality, that car sounds quality, the doors make a solid sound when you close them, the other one sounds tinny!

I believe engineered plastics are improving all the time, and a time will come when all plastic construction will trump all metal.

Cheers Graham.

 

[IMG_0001]

Hi Folks.
14 years in toolmaking taught me one thing, there are four levels to making things,
Fool proof, readily achievable,
Child proof, hard but not impossible,
Idiot proof, almost impossible but not quite, and with a high risk of striking a nerve or two,
Squadie proof, impossible.

Please don't get me wrong, I have a great respect for our service men and women, current and past, and I thank them all for their sacrifices, dad is a Normandy veteran for a start, but please, I have seen things done to the product I used to help make that defy belief!

Cheers Graham.

Hi IMG_0001
That is just hilarious, gave me quite a laugh.

Cheers Graham.

I've read Neuro posting that kids are fast running and have unpredictable trajectories... well for my son that is only true as long as I keep my 60D stored. Otherwise, it is very easy to predict the trajectory, he aims straight at the objective with his finger pointing toward the middle of the front element.

That's too funny!

Thanks,

I also like jokes about men and women in uniforms, but they are harder for me to catch. I can more easily relate to toddlers or idiots though. I have a lot of first hand experience in idiocy...

regards

 

[photo212]

thank you for sharing this, Roger is always great and maybe the smartest person in this business.

anyway, I think metal lenses/cameras are being overrated, my plastic 6D is as durable as supposed to be all metal the Sony A7R or the Nikon D800E or the 5D3.

and my rebel XTi lasted more than 7 years.

new gen engineering plastics are very tough with good amount of elasticity to it.

Any of the plastic bodies/lenses will last if you treat them with some kindness. I'm rather hard on my equipment. So I pay extra for the little extra durability. The report is not taking into account that someone with tougher equipment is tougher on the equipment. Someone carrying a porcelain camera/lens would be extremely gentle with it. If a few years later their metal camera broke but the porcelain camera was intact does that make the metal camera less durable or more prone to breaking? I think not.

You never see an Aston Martin stuck in a muddy field, but there those 4WDs covered in mud getting pulled out. Which vehicle is better off road?

 

[Sporgon]

my plastic 6D

The 6D can hardly be described as 'plastic'. The top plate is plastic as I'm sure you are aware. The rest of it is pretty much the same construction as the 5D mkii.

I mention it because your comment is misleading to anyone who may be thinking of getting a 6D.

What's interesting is that when you hold the two cameras together and tap the pentaprism housing it is impossible to tell any difference. However I've noticed that there are a couple of scratchy 'smears' on the top of the 6D now whereas the 5DII is still unmarked.

I agree with you the high quality polymers are suitable for these kinds of applications, and though I have no issues with the smaller L lenses being made from the stuff I'm a little twitchy about the top of the 6D being made from it. Maybe I feel the camera bodies take more knocks than the lenses.

 

[IMG_0001]

my plastic 6D

The 6D can hardly be described as 'plastic'. The top plate is plastic as I'm sure you are aware. The rest of it is pretty much the same construction as the 5D mkii.

I mention it because your comment is misleading to anyone who may be thinking of getting a 6D.

What's interesting is that when you hold the two cameras together and tap the pentaprism housing it is impossible to tell any difference. However I've noticed that there are a couple of scratchy 'smears' on the top of the 6D now whereas the 5DII is still unmarked.

I agree with you the high quality polymers are suitable for these kinds of applications, and though I have no issues with the smaller L lenses being made from the stuff I'm a little twitchy about the top of the 6D being made from it. Maybe I feel the camera bodies take more knocks than the lenses.

Note that it was either a plastic top cover or sticking an antenna out on the top for allowing wifi and *** signals in and out. Ahhh... compromises, compromises, when you get us.