Still waiting for word on my Canon EOS-1D Mark III digital SLR that was DOA from the factory service center Friday after a service "upgrade."

Technicians in New Jersey continued to work on it today and promised to overnight it back to me "as soon as the repairs are completed."

Hopefully that means soon. Hopefully it also means the camera that arrives will work.

Technical glitches seem to be more of the norm as professional level cameras get more complitcated and more features are added. I used Nikons as a pro for 40 years and my trusty Nikon F (purchased in 1966) never needed factory service and still works. An F2 needed work shortly after I bought it but I used an F5 for years without any problem.

My first digital SLR, a Nikon D1 purchased in 2000, started giving the "Error 99" communications problem after two weeks of use. Penn Camera in DC replaced it with a new one that worked without any problems. A D2H needed service just three months after purchase and the photographer who bought it from me when I switched to Canons in 2004 had to send it in six months later.

On the other hand, my two Canon EOS-1D Mark II bodies have worked without a hitch for the past three years and I've shot more than 10,000 exposures on each.