Hi--

>I sent out a post to news but get no response, I know that you are a
>very experience user and hope you will give me some advice.
>
>I am a Nikon user, using F-601 and F-70, now I am looking to have a
>well-build body and I think FM2 is a good choice. There are three
>body finish - Chrome, black or titanium. I would like to know which
>one will last longer. A sales person told me the T version is a waste
>of money, it's worse than a normal one. How about the chrome and black?
>
>Is the chrome is really chrome? Or actually aluminum? I think the black
>one is brass with black paint; I saw an old black FM2 which brass was
>seen next to the black paint and it looked really bad.
>
>So, which one is better towards mechanical and chemical attacks? Which
>one will last longer and still looks good?
>
>Many thanks,
>Howard TAM
> howie@netvigator.com

In terms of durability, there are two issues: appearance and internal
wear. Regarding the second, I would recommend an F3 instead of the
FM2 (and it has a better viewfinder [easier to see, less linear
distortion, sharper in the corners, more accurate focus in the corners,
more accurate framing of what will be on the film]). If you still
want an FM2, the chrome version (chromed brass, with a few chromed
plastic parts) will look good the longest, unless the T version is
not painted (I think it is...). The black finish is not very durable.
If the camera is dropped, the brass will dent easily, absorbing some
of the shock, while titanium is VERY hard to deform (the camera brass
parts are easily bent with your fingers when removed from the
camera - the titanium parts can be hammered quite hard without
bending them).