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Re: [OM] A medal for the mettle of metal

Subject: Re: [OM] A medal for the mettle of metal
From: Walt Wayman <hiwayman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 11 Jul 2002 11:12:45 -0400
Long, long ago, back in my TV journalist days, at a crime scene, while
writing some notes, I laid a Bell & Howell 70HR on the top of a police car.
 (For those who may not know, that was a three-lens, 16mm, spring-driven
motion picture camera, with absolutely no automatic features of any kind.) 
While I was so occupied and not looking, the cop whose car it was suddenly
took off, and I could only watch as the camera tumbled off the top, skidded
across the trunk, hit the pavement and rolled and bounced a good 35 feet or
so down the street.

One of the three lenses, a 10mm Angineaux, was trashed, but except for a
scrape or two, the camera, which was made of good, sturdy metal, came out
unscathed and worked fine.  In fact, six months later, in February of 1965,
it was one of two I took on assignment to Vietnam, and it never missed a
beat through nearly two years and a few thousand feet of film under some
really crappy conditions.  It got a few more scrapes and dings along the
way, and the last time I saw it, it was still working.

Anything plastic then was considered cheap and shoddy, except maybe a
Corvette, which everybody was going to buy one of when they got back in
country, or the stock of an M-16.  Today?s plastic stuff is much better,
but, if given a choice, I?ll take metal, thank you.

Walt

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