If you’ve ever sold a camera on Ebay before, you’ll be familiar with the term “actuations”. Prospective buyers will often write and ask you how many actuations your camera has on it’s meter and you may think “what on earth?!” Actuations (or shutter count) is the amount of photos your camera has taken. And this is an important number because your camera has a life expectancy, just like your car.
Yes, I did say that: Your camera has a life expectancy. This is a troubling thing for an avid photo taker to learn for the first time because it’s not something we know until we are told. Although it makes perfect sense that your camera, like anything, will only last so long.
The inner workings of a camera are delicate and fragile and made to withstand around 100,000 shutter releases. Canon says that their 5D mkII is good for about 150k and the 1D, 200k. But life expectancy isn’t something you’ll find on the specs of a camera you’re looking at buying, much like mileage expectancy isn’t on the price sticker of a new Ford Focus. No manufacturer of items can assure how long an item will last and to do so would be a bad idea on their behalf incase your particular unit didn’t match those expectations.
Just like with cars, the best way to know what kind of mileage people are getting out of their cameras is to get on forums and see what people are reporting. You’ll find a host of certain cameras died around the 30k mark, others 100k. Just get out there and read the chatter because the manufacturers don’t say much.
When I first heard that magic 100,000 number, I was disheartened and frightened for the life of my camera. Isn’t it especially true that we have a false sense of security with digital cameras? We think there is no end to the photos we can take simply because we aren’t tied to rolls of film. But sadly, this isn’t so. We do have to think before we go hog wild with a heavy trigger finger. Although 100k is a LOT more than it sounds, a professional can easily hit this mark within a few years.
The best comment I read while scanning forums for actuations information was this: “If your car could only do 100,000 miles, would you be driving it 1000 miles a day?”
Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips.
Actuations & Shutter Count – Someday our Cameras Will Die
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Jason, great comment, we sometimes forget about the days of film and having only 36 shots to get it right. I come form a film background so i know what its like to have only 36 shots before I had to change the roll. I like to put out a challenge to people who have never shot film to only shoot 36 shots and not check the screen for any of them. This is the closest most people will ever get to shooting film.
THE FRO
JaredPolin.com
I have long kept actuations in mind when out using my Nikon D300, which is rated for 150,000. One day when I took 600 shots trying to get a pelican just flying over the water I thought to myself, “this has not earned me any income, this is not paid work, and I did not get the shot I wanted anyway, think twice before doing such a photography project again!”
The 100,000 figure you’re quoting is not the life of the camera – it’s the life of the shutter. Shutter replacement is relatively (compared to the original camera cost) cheap and straightforward on pro and semi-pro cameras.
You seem to imply that the manufacturers want to keep this a secret – on the contrary – the specs. for most cameras will list the shutter life expectancy. For amateurs, it’s probably a figure few will reach before upgrading their cameras. For professionals, servicing and repair are just a normal overhead – like with cars.
Point and shoots dont have shutters in them, thats what causes the delay. The sensor is always exposed and has to switch from live view mode to record.
The shutter of my Samsung point-and-shoot camera stopped working after about 25000 shots, which I think it’s a pretty good number for a cheap camera.
I shoot sports and rack up quite a few exposures per event. I’ve never had a shutter die on me (knock on wood). But, as another post mentioned, I also upgrade to new generations before “using up” my allotted actuations. If mine were to go bad, I always have a back up camera and am prepared for the $200-$300 replacement cost. A bit like repairing the transmission on the 200k mile car!
some of the pro end Nikons like the D3S are rated for 300,000 clicks which is a ton. Keep in mind that if you get 3 years out of a pro body you probably are onto the next generation and ready to update at that point. I replaced my D3 with the D3S 2 years to the day exact day I bought it.
The high end cameras are bricks today, they will take a pretty good betting. On the other hand anything digital could stop working if you breathe on it wrong.
THE FRO
Jared Polin
Is there any certain way to know how many actuations your camera has on it? I could guess on mine but I would likely be way off. In my head my D40X should be hitting that 100,000 mark in the next year or two, but then, maybe I’m really overestimating.
At least now that I’m shooting in RAW I’m normally not taking that many exposures per motive, plus I’m more skilled than I was when I first bought my camera so I don’t have to go through as many “tries” to get the right show compared to how I was a couple of years ago.
Indeed – when I hit my shutter limits on my first 10D I learned to always bring a spare one on my vacations and that Canon replaces the shutter for $200. Not a life expectancy, more like the mileage you get from your transmission
if a car was deffinately going to fail at 100,000 miles yes, i would still do a 1000 miles a day if thats what my job required. What I wouldent be doing is spending £30,000 on my car….
the majority of items you buy have a expected life and this is set to the shortest life expectancy of any one componant.. Its the mechanical items that are at highest risk. things like microswitches. Again, you get what you pay for. you can buy a microswitch for as little as 20p but i would imaging it wont be as well engineered as a more expensive switch.. the solid state items should last indefitately….