[Pavel]

Stimulated by Nikon Rumors website, I decided to check out my shutter count using exiftool (a downloadable utility that shows the entire metafile in your RAW file) and compared it to the camera-specific stats on this website http://www.olegkikin.com/shutterlife/. @ 57 000+ clicks, my camera should still be good for another couple of years (things seem to start to go wrong with the shutter of D300 at around 100 000 clicks). Of course other things could go wrong. Still, this is a pretty durable camera, it seems. The bad thing is that i have no excuse to sell it.

Interesting - Nikon D3 - a pro camera seems to have a shutter with about the same life expectancy as D300, although the database is more robust for high click numbers. Also interesting - data for D700 suggest that the shutter is more durable than either D300 or D3 - i wonder if this is real or a survey anomaly.

Some other forums (using personal experience or anecdotal info) suggest that Nikons should last more than 100 K clicks and they may well. The database is built using voluntary data contribution and the people contributing the data may visit the sight and get interested because their camera failed.

[Zig]

Thank you Pavel; fascinating too.
Funnily enough, I was recently put off the idea of "crossgrading" from my 1DsMk2 dinosaur to the 5D2 by several factors, one of which was that the shutter of the 5D2 is nominally expected to last c 150K actuations. As my 1Ds2 is(again nominally) apparently good to go until 200K, it was a case of letting things stay as they are. This was certainly because I picked up a low-count model that only now has reached about a mere 15K.
I used a similar tool called EXIFRead.
By the way, with Nikon, are there any issues with certain models developing shutter issues well before their allotted time? I ask this,as I've heard nothing at all to say this is so! With the Canon "pro" models, there have been instances of "shutter bounce" developing when high-speed exposures are taken in the vertical format, giving a banding effect to shots(separate to any poor firmware issues concerning banding in the 5D2).
Anyway..fun fun fun all the way!

[Kombisaurus]

Analyzing EXIF data provides a terrific insight into shooting habits I find. I often discover trends about my shooting I wasn't previously aware of.
But as for the shutter actutions, I've never heard of any photographer wearing out the shutter of modern-day SLR simply through normal use. Personally it's not something I would concern myself much with any more than I might worry about "blowing the globe" of my 580EX speedlite through too many actuations. Of course a shutter can fail just like any component, but you just never hear of it happening, even in the entry-level models rated well under 100,000 clicks.

But if you happen to be unlucky enough for it to happen to you then a 5D Mk II OEM replacement shutter is approx $150 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/CANON-EOS-5D-MAR...0290209734) if you don't mind a DIY fix, or I've heard approx $375-$425 to have it fixed for you.

[matthew]

I had a shutter fail on my little Olympus E-510; it was repaired under warranty as the camera was well under a year old. It's one of those anomalies that skews self-reported surveys.

The D700 is rated for 150,000 actuations; the D3 family is supposed to be good for 300,000. That's only fair, since the D3 costs twice as much. Quite frankly, I doubt that I'll be able to wear out all of the cameras that I already own, let alone the ones that I'm yet to buy.

[Toad]

Speaking of Olympus, is that not an Olympus XA in your avatar? I have one of those kicking around somewhere. I used it happily for a number of years back in the days when cameras were not so disposable as they are now... Lovely little beast, even if a bit tricky to focus quickly.

[Pavel]

Matthew & Robert, Years ago, I bought my father the Olympus XA. I used it on occasion and thought it to be a great camera. My father loved it - very pocketable and no wory about loosing the lens cover.

[shuttertalk]

Great link Pavel, very interesting stats. My Canon 7D is too new to have any worthwhile stats (sample size is around 20) but I wonder what people's perspectives on longevity of cameras are.

I know that a good tool should be timeless but consumer electronics age so quickly in the digital age that using something from say 5 years ago (e.g. a Canon 30D) is increasingly rare. Things such as sensors, image processors, LCDs, get long in the tooth really quickly especially towards the bottom end of the market when things are built to a price. Cameras of old were designed around a format which remained fairly stable for literally decades (e.g. 35mm) and it's not unusual to find bodies from the 70s and 80s that are still in great working condition.

Even these days the old adage of investing in long term with quality lenses and shorter term with bodies might be in jeopardy with the new sensor sizes and formats. Ok, maybe I went a bit too far with that last statement but you get my drift.

[Pavel]

Julian, Nikon D300 (was announced in August 2007 and shipped in mid November 2007. I think that I bought mine 2007 or early 2008. I now plan an upgrade. I kept D70s for 4 years as well. I think that at the current pace, upgrading every 4 years or so to get the benefits of new sensors makes sense. At my robust, but not exceptionally high shooting rate of more than 250 photos/week is not enough in itself to wear out a quality camera in four years if the camera is not abused. I basically conclude that I wish to upgrade before the camera needs repairs (subject to any mishap, ill treatment or bad luck).

[matthew]

Rob, Pavel, that is indeed an original Olympus XA. If you can find the ones that you have kicking around, they're worth about $100 on eBay.

Since my avatars change whenever I have a new photo that I like, here it is in a larger version:

I know that a good tool should be timeless but consumer electronics age so quickly in the digital age that using something from say 5 years ago (e.g. a Canon 30D) is increasingly rare. Things such as sensors, image processors, LCDs, get long in the tooth really quickly especially towards the bottom end of the market when things are built to a price. Cameras of old were designed around a format which remained fairly stable for literally decades (e.g. 35mm) and it's not unusual to find bodies from the 70s and 80s that are still in great working condition.

I suppose I'm in a good position to answer that; the Olympus XA that I just bought is at least 26 years old, and possibly 30. It works fine, even after I dropped it three feet this afternoon. My Yashica GSN – my first rangefinder, and first film camera – was released the year before I was born. I had to replace the light seals on that camera (A $1 sheet of foam, and used one tenth of it) and buy an adapter for a new battery type (cost half as much as the camera, $10, but came with a spare) and now it works just fine. These fixed-lens rangefinders weren't high-end cameras when they came out, and perhaps they're the few hardy survivors of a much larger population, but I doubt that I'll be buying D70's or 50D's when I'm in the nursing home.

Here's my two old-timers together:



My Nikon F100 is generally considered a 'new' camera, and it's twelve years old. My oldest digital camera is the Olympus E-1, and it was released at the end of 2003, making it ancient. But the E-1 is one of those cameras that I do think will stay around for quite a while – possibly outliving the rest of the company's SLRs – because it really has become a classic. I suspect that the D700 is another camera that will turn into an old workhorse, but time will tell. In either case, though, they'll be used by people who make the effort to take on a different tool because they appreciate its differences, and perhaps with a tint of nostalgia, but not because they'll actually be competitive with what's out there in five years.

[shuttertalk]

I basically conclude that I wish to upgrade before the camera needs repairs (subject to any mishap, ill treatment or bad luck).

Agreed, and yes, that was where I was going - seems to be the reality in the digital / consumerist age, that our devices are designed/built with planned obsolescence in mind.

[Toad]

Nice post about the XA, Matt...