Beginner Second hand shutter count?

Terrry

Terrry

Messages
23
Name
Terry
Edit My Images
No
When buying second hand DSLR camera, is there a rule of thumb in regards to shutter count? Such as X shutter count per X years or anything similar?

There are a lot of second hand cameras around with a huge variation of pictures taken and years (some are 17k in 3 years, while others might be 5k in 7 years).

I'm relatively new so just wondering if anyone had any pearls of wisdom they might share?
 
shutter count is a bit like miles done by a secondhand car.
As you have noticed there is a huge variation because not everyone uses their camera in same way. So for example a professional might rack up 20K easily in a year. But someone who only takes shots on their holidays will probably rack up 1K in a year.

For me shutter count is only useful to tell me how much shutter life is left in a camera. Most cameras these days are rated to a minimum of 100K shutter life and professional bodies go higher. Also a lot of cameras increasingly have fully electronic shutter (or electronic first curtain shutter) which means you won't get a proper count anyway... (my camera shutter count is probably near 10K but half of that is taken fully electronically so I have actually only used up 5K of the mechanical shutter life)

Not that the shutter will break down as soon as it reaches this number but that's its life expectancy (I have seen ones break earlier and ones go on much longer). But you can have it replaced at a cost.
A better judge of a camera condition is how clean its sensor it, was it dropped/bashed etc, does have lots of marks or scratches, where did it live (eg: on shelf in a room or in a desert tempest) so on and so forth.
 
Last edited:
So for example a professional might rack up 20K easily in a year
Click to expand...

And the rest, did you miss a zero off at the end?

I had the same model of camera, one failed at 17k and the other was still going strong at 76k

Can only ever be a guide same as wear on grips and finish worn off buttons, would stay away from pro type cameras that are well used looking
 
nandbytes said:
... Also a lot of cameras increasingly have fully electronic shutter (or electronic first curtain shutter) which means you won't get a proper count anyway... (my camera shutter count is probably near 10K but half of that is taken fully electronically so I have actually only used up 5K of the mechanical shutter life)
.
Click to expand...

Now I might be a bit dim, but unless your shutter is both opening and closing to then allow an exposure with the electronic shutter, then your shots using only the electronic shutter would just be pictures of your shutter curtain.

If I have got this right, modern cameras are actually undercounting shutter actuations, because every time we activate live view we open the shutter, and these aren't counted.
 
Last edited:
depends on your camera I suppose. My camera is always in live view because its mirrorless
 
nandbytes said:
depends on your camera I suppose. My camera is always in live view because its mirrorless
Click to expand...
Then every time you switch it on, you activate the shutter (you'll hear it open)
And when you take a shot, the shutter closes, then opens for the exposure, then closes and reopens for live view.

Except where it's using the electronic shutter.

Unless you can explain to me how the sensor is showing you anything with the shutter closed :thinking:
 
The only time I'd really be concerned about shutter count would be buying a pro camera with astronomical numbers, anything else is barely worth a mention provided as above the camera shows no signs of misuse or distress.

I can shoot a couple of thousand shots in a weekend, but then nothing for months. I've got a camera that's over 10 years old, but hasn't been used for most of that time, frankly it's worth more to me as a reserve spare than it'd ever be worth to someone else. I've considered having it IR converted, but I can actually buy a converted camera for the same money so it really is valueless, and has probably got less than 10,000 clicks on it.
 
Shutter count may give an indication of the amount of usage, but unfortunately doesn’t give any context of usage, one may have taken a 1000 images on a sunny afternoon while another may have taken 100 on a beach in the rain, so make sure you look at all of the signs of wear on the camera like shiny surfaces, worn or peeling grips, scratches dents ect to try and gauge the life the camera had. I bought a second hand 5D Mk3 last October and Lightroom says I have taken 13017 pictures with it since then, that’s only 4K short of what the previous owner had on 3 years.

It is also worth remembering that with most modern DSLR you can have the shutter replaced if you need to, it will cost a few quid but will most likely be cheaper than a new body.
 
Could anyone help,I'm trying to find the shutter count for my canon 5d mkiii prior to upgrade.thank you in advance.
 
Royroy1111 said:
Could anyone help,I'm trying to find the shutter count for my canon 5d mkiii prior to upgrade.thank you in advance.
Click to expand...

I googled and found this "
"The only way to get an accurate shutter count, or actuations- on Canon EOS DSLR bodies is to have the Canon Factory Service Center provide it. They need to have the camera on hand in order to run the test to get an accurate measurement on your camera's shutter.


If you would like to send in your camera to have this service performed, please use our web site where you can set up a repair online. "
 
Royroy1111 said:
Could anyone help,I'm trying to find the shutter count for my canon 5d mkiii prior to upgrade.thank you in advance.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure where you're based but there's always London Camera Exchange whom can verify and give you a life remaining % for a couple of quid. They aren't just based in London, they are all over the UK.
 
Phil V said:
Then every time you switch it on, you activate the shutter (you'll hear it open)
And when you take a shot, the shutter closes, then opens for the exposure, then closes and reopens for live view.

Except where it's using the electronic shutter.

Unless you can explain to me how the sensor is showing you anything with the shutter closed :thinking:
Click to expand...

Certainly on my Nikon D810 when the electronic first curtain shutter is enabled, the camera always has the shutter open (ie if you take the lens off and raise the mirror - there's the filter pack over the sensor). When you take a shot though, the *rear curtain* closes to end the exposure, the shutter resets, and finally the first curtain opens again, ready for the next shot. So the same shutter actions, in the same order,happen, just with a different "rest state". So the shutter activation count is unaltered by using the electronic first curtain on a D810. Other cameras may operate differently....
 
nandbytes said:
shutter count is a bit like miles done by a secondhand car..
Click to expand...

its nothing like that actually.. its a guide thats all.. never seen a car come wiht a milage guide :)
 
tijuana taxi said:
would stay away from pro type cameras that are well used looking
Click to expand...

why? does an amatuer get theres cleaned and serviced every year from the manufacturer to make sure its in tip top condition.. change the shutter when it gets near the guide and so on..
 
KIPAX said:
why? does an amatuer get theres cleaned and serviced every year from the manufacturer to make sure its in tip top condition.. change the shutter when it gets near the guide and so on..
Click to expand...

Same as I wouldn't buy a used reps car that had done the clock and more over a couple or so years.
Yes they are serviced, but every part has had a lifetimes wear in a short space of time and if they are so great why are they got shot of?
 
tijuana taxi said:
Same as I wouldn't buy a used reps car that had done the clock and more over a couple or so years.
Yes they are serviced, but every part has had a lifetimes wear in a short space of time and if they are so great why are they got shot of?
Click to expand...
Do they get scrapped? No. People buy them, and get a bargain. Then they replace parts as they fail.
 
Bobsyeruncle said:
Do they get scrapped? No. People buy them, and get a bargain. Then they replace parts as they fail.
Click to expand...

I'd rather not have a worn out seat where some fat old reps car bound arse has wrecked it.

Not for me thanks, but if you think its a bargain, go for it
 
tijuana taxi said:
I'd rather not have a worn out seat where some fat old reps car bound arse has wrecked it.

Not for me thanks, but if you think its a bargain, go for it
Click to expand...
Fair enough, but what's that got to do with buying an ex pro camera ? You worried the fat barsteward has been sitting on it? :p
 
Bobsyeruncle said:
Fair enough, but what's that got to do with buying an ex pro camera ? You worried the fat barsteward has been sitting on it? :p
Click to expand...

Probably not sitting on it, but a stinky old pap smoking and getting chip gob grease all over it is more likely.:eek:
 
tijuana taxi said:
Probably not sitting on it, but a stinky old pap smoking and getting chip gob grease all over it is more likely.:eek:
Click to expand...

A strange view of 'pro photographers'.

I'm not sure most of em are paps, or have personal hygiene issues. In fact most of the ones I know are smart, clean and professional. And as @KIPAX says have cameras serviced regularly and look after them much better than amateurs (oddly because their livelihood depends on them).

For every charming amateur with OCD spending more time cleaning their gear than shooting, there's a twitcher crawling through dewy undergrowth wiping his lens clear with his t shirt.
 
Phil V said:
A strange view of 'pro photographers'.

I'm not sure most of em are paps, or have personal hygiene issues. In fact most of the ones I know are smart, clean and professional. And as @KIPAX says have cameras serviced regularly and look after them much better than amateurs (oddly because their livelihood depends on them).

For every charming amateur with OCD spending more time cleaning their gear than shooting, there's a twitcher crawling through dewy undergrowth wiping his lens clear with his t shirt.
Click to expand...

Think there may have been a bit of humour intended behind the stereotyping ;)

Not so i'd want a used camera from a wildlife pro who has lived in the woods for a week or more either, not many bogs with wash hand basins there :eek:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top