Interesting Failure Stats (Nikon-Canon)

Pookeyhead

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And so ends another academic year. Something we have to do each year is calculate running costs, and part of that is repair and servicing, and it usually throws up some interesting statistics. I did this last year too with similar results.

Students abuse cameras. Fact. So if you want to see how robust a piece of gear is, loan it out to students for a year.


Total Camera loans: 3274 ( 1686 Nikon and 1588 Nikon).

Repairs needed [body only]: Canon = 24. Nikon = 4

Does not include low end Dxxxx or EOS xxxD cameras as these are often written off if they fail due to low replacement body costs).

Breakdown:

Canon repairs required. 11x 7D, 7x 5DMkii, and 6x 5DMkiii.
Nikon Repairs required. 3x D7000, and 1x D800

7D: 8x shutter repairs required. 3x repair after being dropped.
5DMkii: 4x mirror repair, 2x repair after drop, and 1x shutter failure.
5DMkiii: 2x mirror repair, 4x unspecified electronic failure

D7000: 2x Repair after drop, and one shutter repair(economic write off).
D800: Battery door replacement.

2 years running where Canon are demonstrably less reliable.

Not intended to spark off a flame war, and I'll not be posting in this thread. If you want to argue amongst yourselves, go ahead, but this is just information some may be interested in when making decisions.

None of you will abuse your cameras like these get abused, so it's probably academic. All these cameras on the face of it are hugely reliable considering the use they get, and the abuse they get.
 
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...and alcohol.
 
Pookeyhead, Curious about the shutter repairs - what was the shutter counts (as in were these due to be replaced due to high counts anyway.! )
 
No data to hand, but the 7Ds are quite new, but heavily used... probably around 50K shots at a guess. This is just indicative information, and not a definitive test. The Nikons are just as heavily used though, so it's a rough comparison.
 
Take out the human element of "dropped" cameras and the d800 broken door from the equation and the figures are even worse for Canon
 
Gary Coyle said:
Take out the human element of "dropped" cameras and the d800 broken door from the equation and the figures are even worse for Canon
Click to expand...

16 nil to Canon, if my maths are right? Interesting figures though, for heavy use cameras. As mentioned, there must be some abuse in there, perhaps they dont like Canon and drop them for a reason.:D :exit:
 
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In a previous life I ran an undergraduate student teaching laboratory. I taught them how to use the equipment and supervised the tutorials. There were precautions one had to observe in order to avoid upsetting the equipment. Not serious damage, just time bringing it back into calibration and proper operability. The idea was that part of what they would learn was careful experimental procedure. Full operating notes with all these details were attached to every device.

No matter how carefully I taught them the precautions, and explained with demonstrations exactly why the equipment failed if you failed to observe them, we had a high failure rate we couldn't get rid of most of which was due to students simultaneously flagrantly ignoring more than one precaution. When questioned the attitude of the culprits was very commonly that they were in a hurry, they were students, this was equipment supposed to be used by students, so it should be tough enough to survive them ignoring the rules.

We ended up having to spend ten times the money buying equipment which could survive student abuse, and giving up the idea of teaching them careful experimental procedure.
 
Pookeyhead said:
And so ends another academic year. Something we have to do each year is calculate running costs, and part of that is repair and servicing, and it usually throws up some interesting statistics. I did this last year too with similar results.

Students abuse cameras. Fact. So if you want to see how robust a piece of gear is, loan it out to students for a year.
Click to expand...

Do you have a breakdown for Canon and Nikon lens repairs and write offs? Is there a similar trend.
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
Do you have a breakdown for Canon and Nikon lens repairs and write offs? Is there a similar trend.
Click to expand...

Similar, but mainly damage, not failure. We hardly ever get Nikon lens failure, but do get err99 codes from Canon lenses sometimes. Nearly always lenses being bashed into walls when the camera is on a shoulder strap though.
 
Graham W said:
I'd be looking at why so many get dropped. Are they lent out with straps?
I suspect it's a lethal combination of clumsy/distracted students and "It's not mine so I care a little less" syndrome.
Click to expand...

Doesn't everyone drop cameras occasionally?

A few on here have written about so doing..

Including me. :D
 
Most D4's I see look like they've been kicked around a concrete 5 a side pitch. Always impressive to see how much of a battering those things can take. My DF would probably explode at the sight of a kerb.
 
Sorry but referring to your original post "Total Camera loans: 3274 (1686 Nikon and 1588 Nikon)." Which one is the Canon stat?
 
If you see my 5d mk3 you'd think it's been mistreated. It's worn a lot of the paint off a bottom corner, and I mean a lot, just by rubbing against my clothes.
 
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