I think my dad's concern is just how long can a system last. This
all started with his attempt to find a bellows. We went though 3 in
our search and all had age problems. He doesn't want to switch just
for the sake of switching, but to ensure that he doesn't wake up one
day to find oil all over his aperture blades and camera not working.
I may be over-simplifying matters, but he is asking a fundamental
question: can we trust the OM system and lenses to be there 10
years from now? I think so, but it is a concern given the age it is
now.
-Bill Clark
My experience is that few systems stay around very long. One almost
has to anticipate all your usage of the system and then buy
everything you think you will need while it is available. Then cost
becomes an issue. Also, age and amount of use is a factor. Unless
your dad is really young maybe something that lasts forever is not
really an issue. ( I am fast approaching the age that a point and
shoot may outlast me. :-) ) You might check the availability of a
range of lenses and accessories for older manual focus designs and
you will note that OM availability is probably the most extensive.
An additional consideration is that one is currently able to get
reliable service on professional OM models that were discontinued
almost 20 years ago and there are currently new OM models available.
Chances are that even if OM3Ti/4Tis were discontinued today you could
probably get them serviced into 2020. One might check around for
models from other manufacturers that were discontinued 20 years ago
and see how you do finding a service facility. It may give you an
indication. I have a friend who switched to a new Pentax because he
could not find anyone to work on his C*non AE1 and the manufacturer
no longer supports it. He is not very happy with the P.
There is an additional factor to consider. I shudder, but it is
possible that digital technology will finally outstrip film. Already
there are people on the list whose everyday camera is a digital
model. Perhaps within the next 10 years. How sad to think of
replacing the Oly stuff with another expensive film system that may
be shortly outmoded.
--
Winsor Crosby
Long Beach, California
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