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X100S power switch

Started Dec 27, 2020 | Discussions
hackmechanic Regular Member • Posts: 127
X100S power switch

A long time ago in a galaxy far away, I bought a Fujifilm X100s. September 4, 2013 to be exact. On July 17, 2017 Fujifilm replaced a broken on/off switch for me for about $255CDN. I say "broken" and not "defective" because I paid for it and they accepted no responsibility for it. That's about 4 years between getting the camera and having to fix it. Fast forward to December 2020 (that's now) and the power switch is starting to give me indications that it's about to fail again. It's getting harder to turn off and on which is what it did last time before it failed outright. And it's been about another 4 years.

Question is, it this normal for Fujifilm cameras? I've searched the forum and can't seem to find anyone else complaining about the power switches. The fact that I had one fail after 4 years and a second one on the verge of failing after another almost 4 years makes me think these things last for 4 years. Is that acceptable? Or is the common factor in this situation me? And I'm doing something wrong?

I'm not going to repair an 8 year old digital camera so I'm pretty much faced with replacing it with something else. I have full frame DSLR for when I'm pretending to be a serious photographer, but I've gotten really used to the 35mm fixed prime semi-compact format and I'm trying to decide that when this thing dies (and it feels like it might die any day now) should I get an X100V, or a Sony RX1whatever, or a Sigma DP 1, Ricoh GRiii, or some other decent, mid sized compact with a fixed lens of about 35mm or so, which I've found to be my sweet spot for a long time now.

I'm not the kind of guy to want the latest/greatest. I like my gear to work. I'm willing to pay more for something that works better/longer. I really want to like the Fujifilm X100(insert letter here) format but if I can only expect 4 years out of it before a nearly $300 repair then I'm inclined to pick up a D700 and a 35mm f/2 prime for less and deal with a slightly bigger camera for less money (heck, already own the lens) and a proven track record for reliability.

This is my second Fujifilm X100 series camera. I had the original and sold it after a year. I missed it enough to buy the X100s and I quite like the size/form factor. I like the manual interfaces. I like the picture quality I'm getting out of a nearly 8 year old camera. But I don't want to replace an off/on switch every 4 years. I'm loving everything about Fuji except being faced with a second repair bill on the same camera. I know it's an antique in the world of digital cameras, but I'm an antique in the world of human beings. We get along just fine. What would you do? Buy another Fuji? or be scared off by a second repair for the same thing?

 hackmechanic's gear list:hackmechanic's gear list
Nikon D750
Fujifilm FinePix X100 Fujifilm X100S Nikon D700 Ricoh GR III
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