Noob question on shutter actions

Squawk

Squawk

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James
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Hey guys. At some point in the not too distant future I will be investing in my first digital SLR. Money being a bit of an issue I am going to be looking to purchase second hand and see if I really do have a genuine interest or just a passing fancy in photography.

Buying a used camera obviously has implications and the one that stands out to me (as a noob) is simply the ammount of use the camera has had. How many shutter actions would a typical camera (think Canon D20 or 350D) be expected to undergo before it starts getting to a stage where it may exhibit problems? Is the problem likely to be with the shutter itself or with the sensor, that kind of thing?

My best guess would be that 40-50K shutter actions should be fairly trouble free, so I'm thinking I should aim for sub 20k shutter actions, and ideally sub 10k.

Does this seem reasonable. Any advice very welcome.

Squawk

Oh, and feel free to steer this discussion miles off topic if there is something else I should consider.
 
most cameras these days have shutters 'tested' until at least 100k (and i think the pro models are 'guaranteed' to somesuch number?), so even 50k should be fine.

to me, if you get a chance to try the camera in person before buying, it's more important 'what sort of circumstances' has it been used... e.g. you could find a camera with 10k actuations, which has been taken for a couple of 'safari trip holidays' & especially if it's a lower-end model, there may be issues with dust & sand. on the other hand, you can find examples with high actuations which are fine. checking for 'sensor dust' is one thing which may help here

So, I wouldn't obsess about getting a camera with sub 10k actuations (my d50 is around 75k and not a trouble in sight) - 20k, 30k etc. should be just fine.

Do also have a check that the lens is in good shape - quite often the cheap ones may break before the camera does.

good luck
 
I sold a canon 1dmkII a last yr with over 180 thousand clicks. The buyer is well happy wiht his camera and the amount he uses it will mean its a few years before he worries about replacement.
 
Well I've had my 350D for about 5 years now and probably taken about 20k shots with it all completely trouble free.

I've had one computer for at least 8 years, again trouble free and another one (Dual core) for 18 months, also trouble free.

It certainly seems that most respected manufacturers make goods that last extremely well.
 
Thanks for the tips guys, that certainly puts a new perspective on things.
 
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