New(er) SLRs: where's the weight??

I've owned Minolta's original Maxxum camera since 1985, and it's done very well for me. The only things I want that I don't have are spot metering and faster auto-focus, so there's no huge need for me to even upgrade the thing.

However, when my lady friend went asking about buying a used Pentax K1000, she actually went with an AF Pentax that came in a killer package deal with case and 28-90 zoom. What really impressed me the most was how LIGHT the SLR was! (And not only that, a good 35mm point/shoot cost about the same!) I then tried a Canon EOS, and it, too, was very light. I was thinking plastic lens elements and plastic camera bodies...but apparently they still use glass, and now titanium in the camera and/or lens bodies.

I'm still not itching to upgrade too much (I have three lenses for my own Maxxum), but for reducing the weight, it is a little more tempting. I'm just curious where they're cutting corners to make these things so light! The weight of my Maxxum, carrying it around usually with the 28-85 zoom attached...it's literally a pain in the neck sometimes.

I inherited Dad's Canon AE1-Program (and the 70-210 zoom) and it's about the same weight as my Maxxum system. Considering getting a used 28-80-ish zoom FD mound Canon lens for that older camera, only so I could load two cameras with different film. But since I can get a newer Maxxum body fairly cheap, and it probably will fit my existing Maxxum lenses, I'm tempted to eBay the Canon and get a Maxxum.

Decisions, decisions...

 

I'm a Nikon man, but you are right, my new N55 is so much lighter than an old F4. I am very happy with the point and shoot cameras that Nikon makes, but my father uses a Canon that does not have the same metering system, I am not so happy with it. As far as weight, now adays lighter is better.

 

I believe that most of the lightweight modern bodies are composite polycarbonates and that the use of Titanium and Magnesium is very limited.

Although I have used a rangefinder for everything up till now I have been getting the itch recently to try my hand at Astrophotography, Wildlife and Macro (from the sublime to the ridiculous ) so needed an SLR and plumped for a Canon T90. Some of the Canon FD glass is mighty fine indeed an in terms of system range only Nikon had a wider range of options.

All the best - Andrew