In article <41q1i0$har@news.uit.no>, paalj@ibg.uit.no says...
(much deleted)
>Is there a conspiracy from the camera manufacturers providing us with >plastic crap, or am I becoming paranoid? Do modern lenses feel cheap, >but is in fact better than ever?

I, too, have wondered if AF was an opportunity for manufacturers
to degrade the quality of materials (and cost of production) while
appearing to offer something new and better. I must say that I
like AF about as much as the loose, rough, flimsy plastic lens
mounts - and refuse to buy them unless the desired lens is only
available in AF. (But, alas, the camera manufacturers are catching
on to my tactic, and are now offering those new and wonderful optics
only in the icky [a technical term] plastic barrels - yuck!)
Hope this helps.