Hans, you must have missed at least two messages where I said that my MZ-S is undamaged and unblemished after falling from a shelf two metres above the ground onto a (thinly-carpeted) concrete floor and I note that Alan recalls them too! One of my grand-daughters later knocked over a table on which it and the PZ FA28-105 were sitting, causing a small dent in the filter on the lens and still no other problems.
In the nature of things, the degree of damage caused after impact depends upon the degree of flexion of the casing, and whether or not any internals are in direct contact with the impact point. Also you must take into account whether the impact force is concentrated at a point or spread over a larger area - too many variables to focus on simply the type of material under consideration. Practical experience surely suggests that plastic (or polycarbonate) is very resistant to impact damage, but will crack if it runs out of room to flex: metal will dent but will resist penetration better than other materials, and is not good at returning to it's original shape. I would be reasonably certain that _all_ camera manufacturers have undertaken extensive research to determine which is the best material to provide: Economics of manufacture, including supply costs Ability to be formed into complex shapes Strength for purpose Cosmetic characteristics (not necessarily in that order) This argument can surely now be laid to rest? John Coyle Brisbane, Australia ----- Original Message ----- From: "Hans Imglueck" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2003 11:33 PM Subject: Re: *ist D was not production type :-( > Heiko wrote: > > >ACK. And I'm quite sure that a well made plastics body is as endurable > >as those modern "metal" bodies. > > > >Cheers, Heiko > > Hi Heiko, > > that's also my opinion. The durability of metal bodies is much > overestimated and plastic in the same way underestimated. Plastic > can damp away many shocks whereas metal will trasmit it to > the underlying electronics. Concerning durability I see no much > difference between a MX body and a ZX/MZ-5. I got a MX with a bump > (which is quite common) and has also a MZ5 with > a crack in the plastic. Both of them are working nicely. > > But I am quite sure that if a MZ-S and a MZ5 are falling down to solid > ground from about 1.5-2.0 meter both of them will be damaged. So > what is the benefit of magnesium bodies? Or will someone proof to > me, that his MZ-S will survive such a fall? > > Regards, Hans. > > > > > _____________________________________________________________ > 23a mail > >
