Whats with all the questions about Shutter Actuations?

BalSanghera

BalSanghera

Messages
1,241
Name
Bal Sanghera
Edit My Images
Yes
What is it about Shutter Actuations I am missing? I have seen loads of questions asking about Shutter Actuations but dont really know why it makes a difference... Am I missing something... Should I be worried about taking too many pictures with my trigger happy finger?

Since upgrading to the Sony A700 I have probably taken twice as much if not more pictures than with my Sony A350 in 2months because of the great continuous shooting at 5 fps... Is this a bad thing?

If theres a myth about Shutter Actuations can we clear it up here please :thumbs:
 
I think a lot of people, myself included, are worried that if we go overboard we'll soon have a shutter that dies on us. There seems to be a mythical figure of 100,000 that people tend to worry about. I guess it's the cost of replacing it if it does eventually go, it is for me anyway!
 
Would a shutter that dies be replaced under warranty? Im assuming if you take alot of pictures, reason most people buy cameras then it should be fit for purpose?
 
BalSanghera said:
Would a shutter that dies be replaced under warranty? Im assuming if you take alot of pictures, reason most people buy cameras then it should be fit for purpose?
Click to expand...

Indeed it may be repaired under warranty but at a guess it would have to be less than the predicted guide number, 100,000 - 300,000 etc.

I've just had a shutter die but more of that at a later date :'(
 
Tomas Whitehouse said:
Q: Would you buy a second hand camera that had spent the majority of it's predicted actuations? :naughty:
Click to expand...

I still believe people still get to hung up on this, it is only an approx number, look at how many cameras fail before that number and how many carry on going way past that number. Its not like the shutter gets to that number and just stops working, also people are never bothered about this on film cameras, plus there was no way of telling with film, I would just get on taking pictures and not worrying about how many sots you have taken.
 
BalSanghera said:
Would a shutter that dies be replaced under warranty? Im assuming if you take alot of pictures, reason most people buy cameras then it should be fit for purpose?
Click to expand...

If the camera was new and the shutter failed in the warranty period and below the shutter life for that camera, which does vary depending on the make and model, then maybe depending on the number of actuations the shutter has completed, however it may also be deemed as normal use then the answer will probably be no. As for 2nd hand goods, the 3/6 month warranty would probably not cover the shutter.

Depending on the model, shutter life goes from 50,000 - 250,000 actuations.
 
Because it gives a better idea of how much use and wear (but not necessarily the age) the camera has had....just like mileage on a car. I think it's fair to say that generally shutter count will correlate with scratches on body/condition, wear on the rubber grip, condition of LCD etc. It's not all to do with when its about to conk out...
 
Shutter actuations is very important for DSLR users as they do have to be replaced and this costs hundreds of pounds... No you cant get it done under warranty.. Also unless you ahve a backup then your going to be without a camera for a period of time...

You wouldnt pay a lot of money for a car thats done a 100 thousand miles... a car thats done 5 thousand is worth more... well thats same with a dslr and shutter actuations.

If your taking 100 pictures a month then dont worry about it.. if your taking a couple of thousand a week like me :) then worry...but not mega worry :)
 
Davec223 said:
I would just get on taking pictures and not worrying about how many sots you have taken.
Click to expand...

With all due respect Dave, your totally missing the point. No one is getting too concerned with shutter actuation count over their photography.

Knowing how many shots a body has taken can be extremely helpful if your buying a second hand system.

Let's say you were looking for a body and had a grand to spend, you come across one at a fair price and in good knick.

Q: Would you like to know how many shots it has taken?

A: Of course you would, your not stupid.

So, all the threads that are discussing actuations and how to determine them are not, as assumed - pointless. :)
 
KIPAX said:
Shutter actuations is very important for DSLR users as they do have to be replaced and this costs hundreds of pounds... No you cant get it done under warranty.. Also unless you ahve a backup then your going to be without a camera for a period of time...

You wouldnt pay a lot of money for a car thats done a 100 thousand miles... a car thats done 5 thousand is worth more... well thats same with a dslr and shutter actuations.

If your taking 100 pictures a month then dont worry about it.. if your taking a couple of thousand a week like me :) then worry...but not mega worry :)
Click to expand...

Exactly. :thumbs:
 
"Originally Posted by KIPAX
Shutter actuations is very important for DSLR users as they do have to be replaced and this costs hundreds of pounds... No you cant get it done under warranty.. Also unless you ahve a backup then your going to be without a camera for a period of time...

You wouldnt pay a lot of money for a car thats done a 100 thousand miles... a car thats done 5 thousand is worth more... well thats same with a dslr and shutter actuations.

If your taking 100 pictures a month then dont worry about it.. if your taking a couple of thousand a week like me then worry...but not mega worry "

the car metaphor is good...is there a diesel mercedes camera which outlasts all the rest if some can be considered petrol?
do dslr's have a shutter counter in the software
 
mrcrow said:
the car metaphor is good...is there a diesel mercedes camera which outlasts all the rest if some can be considered petrol?
do dslr's have a shutter counter in the software
Click to expand...

yes and yes... some dslrs have a far higher shutter count expectancy and some dslrs you can easy see the shutter count... unfortunatly like a diesel merc... these are not the norm :)

my 1dmkIII should go "round the clock" 3 or 4 times :)
 
Tomas Whitehouse said:
With all due respect Dave, your totally missing the point. No one is getting too concerned with shutter actuation count over their photography.

Knowing how many shots a body has taken can be extremely helpful if your buying a second hand system.

Let's say you were looking for a body and had a grand to spend, you come across one at a fair price and in good knick.

Q: Would you like to know how many shots it has taken?

A: Of course you would, your not stupid.

So, all the threads that are discussing actuations and how to determine them are not, as assumed - pointless. :)
Click to expand...

You are correct I would ask how many shots it had taken, I would then weigh this up against the asking price and consider if it was a fair price, but shutter count alone is not the be all and end all. I also did not say or assume that these threads were pointless, I just said carry on taking photos and dont worry about how many pictures you are taking, enjoy the camera.

I also pointed out that people were not worried about this with film cameras, I do not think I have seen a sales thread on here or anywhere else asking how many actuations a film camera had done, shutters be it in slrs or dslrs are the same after all.
 
dougiew said:
Silly question - where can you check how many shutter actuations your camera's done? Can you see on a 450D? I've looked through the menus and can't see it - is there a special utility for this?
Click to expand...

you can get software to shutter count a 1d and 1dmkII cameras but not 1dmkIII .. Dunno about other models...
 
KIPAX said:
yes and yes... some dslrs have a far higher shutter count expectancy and some dslrs you can easy see the shutter count... unfortunatly like a diesel merc... these are not the norm :)

my 1dmkIII should go "round the clock" 3 or 4 times :)
Click to expand...

thanks..mine has done around 80k and the motors in the lens focus are getting noisy...
 
I find for the most part shutter counts irrelevant.

The figure that is given for actuation life is a "mean". I could buy a camera today with less than 5000 on it and it could still fail tomorrow. Conversely, I could buy a camera today and the shutter is still fine 20 years later.

One of my film bodies (sold last year) was purchased new in circa 1980. Shutter has never been replaced.
 
PsiFox said:
I find for the most part shutter counts irrelevant.

The figure that is given for actuation life is a "mean". I could buy a camera today with less than 5000 on it and it could still fail tomorrow. Conversely, I could buy a camera today and the shutter is still fine 20 years later.

One of my film bodies (sold last year) was purchased new in circa 1980. Shutter has never been replaced.
Click to expand...

its all those gears that do it... or were yours electronic
 
PsiFox said:
I find for the most part shutter counts irrelevant.

The figure that is given for actuation life is a "mean". I could buy a camera today with less than 5000 on it and it could still fail tomorrow. Conversely, I could buy a camera today and the shutter is still fine 20 years later.

One of my film bodies (sold last year) was purchased new in circa 1980. Shutter has never been replaced.
Click to expand...


Thank you, my point exactley, I bet you were not asked the shutter count on the film body you sold last year either.
 
KIPAX said:
You wouldnt pay a lot of money for a car thats done a 100 thousand miles... a car thats done 5 thousand is worth more... well thats same with a dslr and shutter actuations.
Click to expand...

but then it depends on how the cars were looked after. a slightly older higher milage car thats been looked after and serviced regularly would be better than a younger low milage model thats been ragged to death.

to be honest its a bit like hard disk MTBF, its an average and completely pot luck.
 
car dealers look up mileage
what do camera dealers do...cosmetics or what
 
Tomas Whitehouse said:
Indeed it may be repaired under warranty but at a guess it would have to be less than the predicted guide number, 100,000 - 300,000 etc.

I've just had a shutter die but more of that at a later date :'(
Click to expand...
Send it back then not fit for purpose
 
Tomas Whitehouse said:
The prosecution rests m'lud. :bonk:
Click to expand...


Not at all Tomas, but when you selectively quote you can make anything say what you want. You even changed that quote to look like that was the end of a sentence when inactual fact it was not so thank you for miss quoting me. :thumbsdown:
 
Davec223 said:
Not at all Tomas, but when you selectively quote you can make anything say what you want. You even changed that quote to look like that was the end of a sentence when inactual fact it was not so thank you for miss quoting me. :thumbsdown:
Click to expand...

Oh for goodness sake, sort yourself out. :baby:
 
Okay so taking the argument that this is only a 'mean' figure to failure... so what the point is still the same. If I buy a camera with a mean time to shutter failure of 150k shots and it's already had 80k then statistically I'm purchasing a camera with a greater mathmatical probability of failure.

Bottom line, should people obsess - no. Should people ask and factor the answer into their buying decision - yes!
 
Shutters are the main moving part in the camera and are the item subjected to mechanical wear. Manufacturers give a mean time between failure, this being the rough average lifespan of the shutter before replacement is needed. Some will fail early, some will fail later, but its a rough guide based on the law of averages.

If you are thinking of buying a camera and the MTBF quoted by 'CaSikony' is 100,000 clicks, would you buy the one at 80,000 clicks or the other secondhand one with 5,000?

If you do a lot of event photography and need a sturdy camera, even when buying new, would you choose the one rated at 100,000 or 200,000 shutter actuations?

Whilst a warranty may cover such an eventuality, it may not, especially with older cameras, or cameras from overseas which may have a regional dependent warranty.

However, it doesn't mean a low mileage camera won't have been knocked around a bit, whereas a high mileage camera may have been kept clean and not been bashed about.
 
Tomas Whitehouse said:
Oh for goodness sake, sort yourself out. :baby:
Click to expand...


Tomas, we will have to agree to disagree on this subject, I still stand by what I have said re shutter counts I do not see them as the be all and end all.
My appologies for my little outburst, I have been stuck in hospital for just over a week waiting for an op and have been on morphine for that time so maybe a little sensitive at the moment. my apologies again.
 
gingerweasel said:
Okay so taking the argument that this is only a 'mean' figure to failure... so what the point is still the same. If I buy a camera with a mean time to shutter failure of 150k shots and it's already had 80k then statistically I'm purchasing a camera with a greater mathmatical probability of failure.
Click to expand...

Double :thumbs:'s Your on the ball today Ginger!
 
Davec223 said:
Tomas, we will have to agree to disagree on this subject, I still stand by what I have said re shutter counts I do not see them as the be all and end all.
My appologies for my little outburst, I have been stuck in hospital for just over a week waiting for an op and have been on morphine for that time so maybe a little sensitive at the moment. my apologies again.
Click to expand...

Hey no need for apologies Dave and I'm very sorry to hear of your troubles.

Indeed shutter counts are not a be all or end all and to be fair no-one has suggested they are either.

No hard feelings bud, take it easy and I wish all the best with your op. :thumbs:
 
Tomas Whitehouse said:
Hey no need for apologies Dave and I'm very sorry to hear of your troubles.

Indeed shutter counts are not a be all or end all and to be fair no-one has suggested they are either.

No hard feelings bud, take it easy and I wish all the best with your op. :thumbs:
Click to expand...


No hard feelings at all, I have a lot of admeration and respect for you, your work and opinions.
 
Davec223 said:
... I do not think I have seen a sales thread on here or anywhere else asking how many actuations a film camera had done, shutters be it in slrs or dslrs are the same after all.
Click to expand...

But with film cameras we don't take nearly so many pictures -- it is just too expensive and time consuming.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top