Shutter Activations - should we be concerned? There have been many threads about the number of shutter activations on UHH. The question I ask myself is why is this so important? In the...

Malcolm B Loc: Leicester (UK)

There have been many threads about the number of shutter activations on UHH. The question I ask myself is why is this so important?

In the days of manual film cameras, as far as I am aware, there was no way of knowing how many times the shutter on a secondhand camera had been activated, and there was a thriving market in secondhand cameras.

So why are we now apparently so concerned about shutter activations? Is it simply because we now have the means of counting them or is there some flaw in modern shutters that they only have a limited life?

I had manual film cameras from about 1965 and went through a succession of upgrades until about 6 years ago when I got rid of all of them (bad mistake there!), but I only ever bought secondhand cameras and I never had a single problem with any of them, Canon A1s, T90s and Mamiya 645s.

Should we really be concerned about the number of shutter activations when buying secondhand cameras, or is it a ploy by the manufacturers to get us to buy new because they tell us that the shutter is only good for X thousand activations?

dooragdragon Loc: Alma , Arkansas

Malcolm B wrote:

There have been many threads about the number of s... (show quote)

Perhaps we all need to go n have our shutter fluids changed every 3000 shutter releases , what ya think lol

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Think of it in terms of vehicle odometers. Back when they were analog and rolled over and started anew at 100,000 miles, no one ever knew for sure exactly how many miles a car may have on it. Now that digital odometers go to 9,999,999 miles, there is seldom a question as to how much wear a vehicle may have. Information is the key to making informed buying decisions.

haroldross Loc: Walthill, Nebraska

I don't think any of my film cameras ever came close to any of my digital cameras in number of shutter actuations.

I can remember taking a couple of hundred photos at an airshow. Now it would probably be 2 or 3 times that easily.

I think that digital cameras allow for me to be a little more creative with what I shoot. In the days of film, I was very careful to shoot only what I felt would come out. Since digital photography, the cost per shot is next to nothing, so I do a lot of experimenting. The instant feedback usually gives me another chance if something is not quite right.

lightchime Loc: Somewhere Over The Rainbow

I think everyone prior to this entry is correct.

But something has changed from the past. I am one of those ho does not put many activations on my camera. I will never get close to the expected life expectancy. .

I am a deliberate shooter. But there are those among us who brag about a thousand captures in a weekend.

Considering cameras do have a mechanical point where they break down, it is nice to have an idea of usage before purchasing one used!

JR1 Loc: Tavistock, Devon, UK

Why oh Why do people bother.

NO one in the days of film cared and I never ever had a camera pack up.

60D shutter box replacement £120 inclusive, 7D £155 inclusive, big deal

JR1 Loc: Tavistock, Devon, UK

MT Shooter wrote:

Think of it in terms of vehicle odometers. Back when they were analog and rolled over and started anew at 100,000 miles, no one ever knew for sure exactly how many miles a car may have on it. Now that digital odometers go to 9,999,999 miles, there is seldom a question as to how much wear a vehicle may have. Information is the key to making informed buying decisions.

My Scenic dashboard failed, Renault replaced it at 50k but could NOT set the dashboard to that, I was told when you next bring the car in we will make an entry in the book, take a guess and tell us how many extra miles you did :)

DaveHam Loc: Reading UK

The shutter actuations quoted by most manufacturers is the tested shutter mechanism life - it is intended to give users an idea of the sort of work the camera can handle. It is not an absolute value at which point the shutter will cease to function.
With the Nikon D700 I managed twice the published number of actuations before I had shutter failure, and it cost me about £120 to get a new shutter installed. One D200 I had did nearly 300,000 actuations before I sold it and it is still going strong on the original shutter, that is three times the stated life. On the other hand my first D3 had shutter failure at about 50,000 actuations, which was replaced under warranty.
If you are buying used equipment the number of actuations is a guideline for the point at which the shutter mechanism may need changing.

strikerazde Loc: Phoenix, AZ

In the world of electronics there is a MTTF (Mean time To failure) Some use MTBF (mean time between failure) this is just the expected time when failure is likely to occur. If a manufacturer rates their shutter at 150,000, then in their tests that's the average time when it failed. if you reach that point your on borrowed time. But the way they test and the way you use it in real life are vastly different, and as others have said you can get double the expected life, or only half of it. Its a crapshoot.

Picdude Loc: Ohio

I agree with Haroldross and Lightchime. With a film camera that was going to cost for each print that was processed, good or bad, you tended to snap a lot less pictures. Even if you did your own processing. With the ability to QC your shot immediately after taking it, or change the angle of the shot 2-3, or more, times at minimal to on cost, Most people snap way more shots than they ever would with film (the good or bad aspects of this is, of course, another discussion). And as Lightchime pointed out, there is a mechanical aspect to this that now comes into play - you really can't get something for nothing.

phdoef1

The reason that I always ask the seller about # of shutter actuations is because shutters do die and being digital they are not as sturdy as the mechanical film cameras which last pretty much forever. What a dream.Most mechanical things outlast digital. A shutter is expensive to replace. I had one replaced on my Canon Rebel 300d kiss after about 4 years of use, not sure of shutter actuations. The cost was a little over $200.00. I bought the Camera brand new at a camera shop.. Now rather than new, I only buy used , cautiously and research alot.

Hypno Loc: Miami

How much does taking video increase the shutter count? On the EXIF no increase shows up. Is there an expected number of videos a DSLR can take? I am asking seriously. The Nikon 1 V1 is greast for video and I use on a regular basis.
Also mirrorless cameras should a have higher shutter life (no need to flip a mirror).

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Hypno wrote:

How much does taking video increase the shutter count? On the EXIF no increase shows up. Is there an expected number of videos a DSLR can take? I am asking seriously. The Nikon 1 V1 is greast for video and I use on a regular basis.
Also mirrorless cameras should a have higher shutter life (no need to flip a mirror).

The shutter does open to take video, but not at a timed speed so it is not counted as a "trip".
Mirrorless makes no difference to shutter life as the shutter still has to trip when the button is pressed to take the image. Shutter and mirror are two totally different items.

mikemilton

You know, shutter replacement isn't even that expensive. I suspect you would grow out of (or at least technology would obsolete) virtually any body before the shutter fails.

I've been shooting digital since the mid-80s and DSLR since the first Canon (the 30D). I have about 25k images (perhaps 25 portfolio worthy). That isn't near the limit for even a single camera (I've had 6 DSLR bodies). Oh and BTW, the 30D is still going strong - my son uses it.

DWNJ Loc: Northern New Jersey

I recently purchased a refurbished camera from Canon & I was interested in how much the camera was used befor the refurbishment. I found out that it was very low as I had been using the camera for about 3 weeks be for I got the count. It was 850. Now I suppose that counter could have been reset when refurbished, so it probably is all a waste of time.