Tet68survivor Loc: Pomfret Center CT

What is a reasonable life expectancy of DLSR cameras, either based on "Shutter Count" or other method! Just curious!

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Depends on your model. This site is a database of reported shutter count life expectancy for a wide range of cameras:

https://www.olegkikin.com/shutterlife/

Old Timer Loc: Greenfield, In.

Any where from about 150,000 200,000 clicks on the shutter count. This will very from model to model and from brand to brand. Over all for electronics, they seem well made and have little problems. I have a couple the are about ten years old and still in use as well as a couple of later models. There is other factors such as care and accidents that can come into play. The only problem I have ever had was recently when a focusing screen fell out, a twelve dollar repair done locally.

Tet68survivor Loc: Pomfret Center CT

Ah yes I should have specified, but it was a general question. I use the Nikon D5200 2 years old, in mint shape, and about 22,000 shutter actuations!

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

You ask a question that is almost impossible to answer, since it depends upon your criteria.

Depending upon the model, shutter count is typically between 50K and 400K actuations. Most are around 100k to 150k. Old school professional SLRs (Nikon F, Canon F-1 et al) were around 100k. Shutters can be replaced. So it depends upon you usage level. How many shots do you do per day, per week, per month, or per year? Do the math.

From a technology obsolescence perspective it is probably between 3 and 7 years, but for most people 5 to 10 years is more reasonable.

In the technology world, you may want to upgrade long before the product wears out or fails.

What are your criteria?

Tet68survivor Loc: Pomfret Center CT

OK! I am trying to decide, when that time comes, would it be better to upgrade or repair, of course it would depend on cost of the repair, and the condition of my camera at that time! Just trying to get a feeling for a smart decision. By the way I love my D5200, but see some exciting things available out there! Thanks for info!

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

There is no "pat" answer. I have seen camera shutter failures as early as 9000 actuations, but I also have a PJ customer whose gear I clean regularly and he has over 1.8 MILLION shutter actuations on an original Nikon D3S body. (His backup D3S has only 1.1 Million shots on it.) I personally have 286,000 shots on my own Nikon D800E body that I bought new when they were introduced, it has an estimated shutter life expectancy of 250,000. Yes, my D850 is on its way, but the D800E will live as a backup for many years I am sure.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

The site is very useful for older cameras that have a lot of reports over time. Newer cameras are going to skew toward short life expectancy since people tend to report here only after the camera has died or very early in its life if still working.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

Other considerations are do you need a back up camera? Can you afford a transition period until you are ready with the new one? This is more about your circumstances and decision processes than it is about cameras. How much stuff do you have wrapped around your camera? Lenses are one thing, so long as they migrate to the new camera, but things like batteries, battery grips and so on can expand the costs and overlap.

I'm doing this now, I found a very good deal on a refurb Canon 80D. It had close to 3000 clicks, but that's nothing for real intents and purposes in comparison to a 30% cost saving and 12 months factory warranty. Although I am a little cash constrained right now - sort of asset rich, cash poor for various reasons - I don't think that selling my old body, grip, and batteries would gain enough to offset having a backup.

Only you can decide, but getting enough information to inform your decisions is a good thing!

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

Your question is like asking how many miles will your car drive? YMMV...

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Shutter count is only one of many factors that affects the life span of a DSLR, and is not necessarily the most important factor.

Remember, your DSLR is essentially a complex computer. When a critical component in the circuitry goes bad, the camera stops working. As with all computers, you just never know when this will happen. A component that is faulty to begin with (during manufacture or assembly, for example) will likely fail sooner than later. The camera's design also plays a role - for example, frequent overheating of electronics can eventually cause damage to components resulting in permanent malfunction.

Of course it also depends on how you treat and care for your camera, and what environmental conditions it is exposed to, as this can have a cumulative effect on the integrity of the electronics and mechanical parts within the camera.

In my opinion, the best thing to do is to just use the camera until it dies and not worry too much about how long it will last or its shutter count. As with all computers, don't expect it to still work 20 years from now, because it probably won't. And avoid dropping the camera... the more fragile mechanical parts inside the camera (especially those of the shutter mechanism) don't like it.

Tet68survivor Loc: Pomfret Center CT

Thanks 👍👍👍

Bill_de Loc: US

Anything can break. Short of that happening your camera should last a long time. While I have newer cameras, the last images I posted were from my D300. A friend of mine is using an even older D2Xs. It's hard to say, but by the time your current camera wears out it might be time for a newer model.

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erinjay64

What is the sound of one hand clapping?

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

I went through two Canon Rebels in the years 2007-15 - total shutter count under 4500 - with processor issues. Anything can be fixed, but often its just not worth the bother and expense. With digital I'm back to where I was with film ... having a backup camera ready to go.