How many pictures are too many?

[barney bear]

Random question I know but is 40,000 shutter count a lot on a dslr? I have no idea what they are capable of before the pictures start degrading and I'd be interested to hear from some members who know what they're actually talking about, unlike myself

[LotusLC]

You sound like an expert Tony because i have not a clue what you are even talking about....

[hawker]

have seen dlsr for sale with 250000 releases 40,000 is not a lot

[Rocket]

I think a general DSLR expected shutter life is maybe 100,000 to 250.000 depending on model but they may well go on long after that.

I know one of the Sony mirror-less was expected 500,000

My old Pentax 2010 model was coming up to 30,000 last Christmas. Then I got my new one and the Pentax has retired.

[barney bear]

Originally Posted by lotuslc

You sound like an expert Tony because i have not a clue what you are even talking about....

Not got a clue Gary, I'm looking at getting Sophie to buy me a camera for my birthday though but I don't want one that's taken a million pics already

[barney bear]

Originally Posted by hawker

have seen dlsr for sale with 250000 releases 40,000 is not a lot

Originally Posted by Rocket

I think a general DSLR expected shutter life is maybe 100,000 to 250.000 depending on model but they may well go on long after that.

I know one of the Sony mirror-less was expected 500,000

My old Pentax 2010 model was coming up to 30,000 last Christmas. Then I got my new one and the Pentax has retired.

Great stuff, thanks gents

[clf]

How long is a piece of string?

There are a number of factors to consider. 15 years ago, pro models were expected to last between 100 and 150k actuations. Keeping in mind, that photographers were transitioning from film, so were accustomed to being conservative with their shutter finger. Pro film cameras were expected to last at least 100-150k. Now however, we all can be a bit free with the button, so manufacturers had to develop them to be more resilient.

When the Canon 30D was announced, Canon disclosed (and made it part of the its literature) an expected 100k (over the50k for the 20D it replaced) shutter count life cycle, but not guaranteed lol. It was the first time they released such figures for their consumer cameras. Prior to this, the general rule of thumb was 25k to 50k for a consumer model But since consumers especially, would have been less conservative, it became a selling point.

In my experience it was down to either lack of use, or careless owners that caused issues. The lack of use, meant the grease within the mechanism would dry out and become sticky, and cause the blinds to 'trip over' themselves sometimes jamming.

The careless side involved dust and dirt to become trapped in the blinds with the same result. You also had the stupid ones, (cant think of another word) who poked the blinds looking below or lifting the mirror. :doh:

This website gives a rough idea what to expect, for Canon.

Pro cameras after around 2010 would be around 200k. A Canon development tech told me that the 1Dx was expected to last around 300k, but likely to go on at least 500k.

My advice would be, pre 2008 expect 50k shutter count, and as Paul has mentioned above, 100k after that. But like a car, go by the general condition of the body as an indicator of how it has been looked after, as well as its use. A high shutter count will also mean high use of the sensor. (Canon cameras with high use, tended to suffer from metering problems in bright areas, before shutter problems, early Sonys/Minoltas from sensor issues, and Nikons too, with sensor issues - they used to use Sony sensors).

Anything with dents or scrapes, avoid. These could possibly have jarred something inside.

Buying a used DSLR, I would switch it to P,AF on, ISO to auto,(after, again like a car, checking all functions and buttons work) shoot to a dark area, then quickly shoot towards a bright area. Doing it quickly will let you see how quickly the camera reacts, with both metering and focus. Check that there are no strange colours in the bright and dark areas. Blacks and whites may turn grey depending on how much black and white are in the shot, but that is generally to be expected. (shooting an all black or all white scene, they should display as grey when using auto exposure). the next test using a clean lens, preferably a telephoto lens. If a zoom, zoom to its max, switch to manual focus, and focus to infinity. Turn the exposure compensation up to +1 and set the aperture its minimum (the max number) . Rest the camera on a counter, and have a plain white sheet of paper about a foot away. Set the timer, and shoot. Magnify the image on the display, and scroll around it. This will display how dirty the sensor is. Remember a sensor can be cleaned relatively easily, even with a rocket blower, however, sometimes there will be dirt stuck to it, which will need to be wet cleaned. If it has a built in cleaning system, try it and do the test again. This generally shakes dust off, but not the likes of pollen or grease. Not a big problem, but a bargaining chip if you need one.

I know this is more info than you requested, but reminded me of my time buying used equipment for both myself and Jessops.

EDIT, got me looking into this a little more, another interesting website

and database

[coolcat]

Originally Posted by barney bear

Not got a clue Gary, I'm looking at getting Sophie to buy me a camera for my birthday though but I don't want one that's taken a million pics already

I've got a very nice (low ish) shutter count Canon 7D Dslr still up for sale Tony

Here......

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...d.php?t=235425

[Kennyeth]

Shutter counts don`t always tell you the "state" of the camera. I have seen cameras with a low shutter count for sale cheaper than the same model with more...like 15,000 against 80,000, it`s the condition and how it has been cared for. The D80 I bought from Frazzle was a low shutter count, I think it was about 9,000 and in excellent condition too, always try to go for that standard if you are buying used.
Ken.

[barney bear]

Originally Posted by clf

How long is a piece of string?

There are a number of factors to consider. 15 years ago, pro models were expected to last between 100 and 150k actuations. Keeping in mind, that photographers were transitioning from film, so were accustomed to being conservative with their shutter finger. Pro film cameras were expected to last at least 100-150k. Now however, we all can be a bit free with the button, so manufacturers had to develop them to be more resilient.

When the Canon 30D was announced, Canon disclosed (and made it part of the its literature) an expected 100k (over the50k for the 20D it replaced) shutter count life cycle, but not guaranteed lol. It was the first time they released such figures for their consumer cameras. Prior to this, the general rule of thumb was 25k to 50k for a consumer model But since consumers especially, would have been less conservative, it became a selling point.

In my experience it was down to either lack of use, or careless owners that caused issues. The lack of use, meant the grease within the mechanism would dry out and become sticky, and cause the blinds to 'trip over' themselves sometimes jamming.

The careless side involved dust and dirt to become trapped in the blinds with the same result. You also had the stupid ones, (cant think of another word) who poked the blinds looking below or lifting the mirror. :doh:

This website gives a rough idea what to expect, for Canon.

Pro cameras after around 2010 would be around 200k. A Canon development tech told me that the 1Dx was expected to last around 300k, but likely to go on at least 500k.

My advice would be, pre 2008 expect 50k shutter count, and as Paul has mentioned above, 100k after that. But like a car, go by the general condition of the body as an indicator of how it has been looked after, as well as its use. A high shutter count will also mean high use of the sensor. (Canon cameras with high use, tended to suffer from metering problems in bright areas, before shutter problems, early Sonys/Minoltas from sensor issues, and Nikons too, with sensor issues - they used to use Sony sensors).

Anything with dents or scrapes, avoid. These could possibly have jarred something inside.

Buying a used DSLR, I would switch it to P,AF on, ISO to auto,(after, again like a car, checking all functions and buttons work) shoot to a dark area, then quickly shoot towards a bright area. Doing it quickly will let you see how quickly the camera reacts, with both metering and focus. Check that there are no strange colours in the bright and dark areas. Blacks and whites may turn grey depending on how much black and white are in the shot, but that is generally to be expected. (shooting an all black or all white scene, they should display as grey when using auto exposure). the next test using a clean lens, preferably a telephoto lens. If a zoom, zoom to its max, switch to manual focus, and focus to infinity. Turn the exposure compensation up to +1 and set the aperture its minimum (the max number) . Rest the camera on a counter, and have a plain white sheet of paper about a foot away. Set the timer, and shoot. Magnify the image on the display, and scroll around it. This will display how dirty the sensor is. Remember a sensor can be cleaned relatively easily, even with a rocket blower, however, sometimes there will be dirt stuck to it, which will need to be wet cleaned. If it has a built in cleaning system, try it and do the test again. This generally shakes dust off, but not the likes of pollen or grease. Not a big problem, but a bargaining chip if you need one.

I know this is more info than you requested, but reminded me of my time buying used equipment for both myself and Jessops.

EDIT, got me looking into this a little more, another interesting website

and database

Some excellent tips there, thanks very much.