Wear and tear on camera - video vs. still photos
Curl
Loc: Toronto, Canada
I understand that the camera manufacturer rates the camera for a certain number of shutter actuations similar to the way a tire manufacturer will estimate the number of miles you should be able to put on the tire...
I also understand that video does not require any significant shutter actuation counts.
My question is: if a camera has been used mainly for video, and has very low shutter actuations, is it considered to still have a lot of "life" in it or does the use of a lot of video somehow depreciate the camera in a different way?
The way I look at it is that wearing a camera out would provide the excuse for a new one!
Shutter count is the way of keeping track of the number of times the shutter and mirror have been activated, whether its by video or stills. Shutter "life" is an average life expectancy of those components only. It does not tell you how that camera was treated in other ways.
As for tires, burnouts and high speed skids as well as lockup braking severely limits the mileage expectancy. Similar camera abuse can shorten the shutter life and overall life expectancy of a camera also.
oh how I long for the days when much less was said about shutter counts. i'm sure they were replaced in the film days. my take, if you make a living with a camera or shoot that much, you'll spring for a new shutter when needed. if not you'll probably not wear one out.
mcveed
Loc: Kelowna, British Columbia (between trips)
You could wear out the shutter, the mirror mechanism or the auto-focus motor (on older models). The shutter count indicates the amount of wear the shutter and mirror assembly have. The shutter count and the age of the camera (how current is it) are the usual criteria for assessing how much "life" is left in it.
Curl
Loc: Toronto, Canada
Thank you for all the responses. Allow me to rephrase my question: Does the use of a lot of video somehow depreciate the camera in a way other than shutter count (assuming that they aren't dropping the camera or scratching it while taking the videos) ?
How important is shutter life? If a camera has a rating of 100,000 and you shoot 50 shots a day, every day thats around 5.5 years.
If you are shooting a lot of video, 50 activations would be a lot in one day.
Further, it costs, from what I have heard, $200-$300 to replace the shutter.
I just cant get excited about shutter count, unless I am buying a used camera.
Curl wrote:
I understand that the camera manufacturer rates the camera for a certain number of shutter actuations similar to the way a tire manufacturer will estimate the number of miles you should be able to put on the tire...
I also understand that video does not require any significant shutter actuation counts.
My question is: if a camera has been used mainly for video, and has very low shutter actuations, is it considered to still have a lot of "life" in it or does the use of a lot of video somehow depreciate the camera in a different way?
I understand that the camera manufacturer rates th... (
show quote)
The camera will wear out quicker taking stills than when shooting video.
Shutter count is one of the variables to look at when purchasing used cameras. But just as important is how the camera was used. Astrophotography can be very taxing on the camera sensor as is using the DSLR for long videos. My DSLRs all seem to get quite warm when doing extremely long exposures and long videos. I try to do most of my astrophotography during the winter months to avoid overheating the camera. As the sensor gets warm, I tend to see more noise in the files.
This is from my experience with the Canon 5D MK III, 7D and now the 7D MK II. I have not taken my photos with the 7D MK II since I just received it.
Curl
Loc: Toronto, Canada
Thank you, everyone, for your replies.
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