Hi Mike, IIRC, there's no difference in the bodies of the DS/DS2 and the DL/DL2, so my comments should be valid (as far as opinions go) for the S and the L series. I'm open for corrections, of course, since there's no L here with which to make a direct comparison.
It's been a while since I held a D, however, my recollection is that it felt a little more solid that the smaller siblings, but the feeling was illusory, IOW, I didn't get the impression that the smaller cameras were in fact less solid. Larger and heavier usually imparts a more solid feel, but, as a perhaps silly example, would a big, heavy, American car of the sixties fare better in an accident than a smaller, lighter current Toyota Camry? I think not. The S and L cameras all have the same metal frame to impart solidity and rigidity. The DS/DS2 doesn't feel particularly plastic to me, although the D has a more grippy feel - being larger and with more rubberized (if that's the appropriate term) surface area to grip. The battery door is solid on my camera, and was solid on the earlier one as well. I'd disagree with you on it being an accident waiting to happen. I've noticed no "flex" the camera's panels - actually, yours is the first comment I've heard to that effect. Can you be specific? A camera that flexes is of no use to anyone wanting to use it for masking photographs. Shel > [Original Message] > From: mike wilson > > From: "Shel Belinkoff" > > For my needs (I have a DS) the additional cost of the D wasn't worth it. > > The DS/DS2 has a number of features that even some D users would like, and > > the D has some features some DS/DS2/DL users might like. I sometimes > > wonder how many of the D owners would have purchased a DS had it been > > available at the time. Conversely, how many DS/DS2/DL owners might prefer > > the D now that they've had and used their cameras for a while. > > > > Shel > > Comparing the D to the DL2, the former has much better apparent build quality. The latter feels decidedly "plastic" compared to the former, which has more "weight" and weight and less flex in panels. The battery door on the DL2 is an accident looking for somewhere to happen, although that might be me being in "Hamfist, the barbarian" mode. Controls have a roughly similar feel.
