lxdude
Member
I had an OM-1 for some years when they were still made, and I never found it particularly robust. I also knew someone who had an ME and MX, and they weren't as solid as other cameras of the era, internally or externally. By contrast a friend had a Nikkormat and treated it in a way I wouldn't have dared treat my Olympus. These things are always subjective, but the fashion for smaller SLRs didn't always translate into utility. They are the kind of cameras that encourage the use of a case, which kind of defeats the object if size is the overriding factor.
Well yeah, a Nikkormat was built like a truck. But if reasonable care is taken, the MX and OM-1 hold up fine. The MX is very reliable--Pentax did a good job of shrinking the Spotmatic/KX down into such a compact size. My cameras are not pristine, but none have taken a bad hit, either.
Kind of like say, a Honda Civic. They don't feel anywhere near as solid as a big car, but they can take a lot of abuse and keep going. Very reliable. But in an altercation with a big car or a solid object, they would probably fare worse than the big car.