Camera Shutter Life Expectancy Database: feel free to chime in

We've seen all sorts of unscientific testing with regard to digital cameras, and while getting your facts straight about megapixels and dust-sensor effectiveness is just dandy, how's about knowing how many clicks your trusty shooter has left? An online database has apparently been created to track this very statistic, and while manufacturers will typically give you an estimate, we all know it's the real-world results that count. The site lists a smorgasbord of cameras and allows users to chime in and inform the world how many clicks their snapper has survived, and while we wouldn't lay our money on your device necessarily living up to the standards set by others, it's a fair judge nonetheless. Go on, we know you're curious, give the read link a visit and toss your experience on up to keep the data flowin'.

[Via Core77]

[mike @ Jun 11th 2007 8:56AM]

in the case of SLRs it's important to understand that the shutter is not part of the camera but rather part of the lens...

[Thursday @ Jun 11th 2007 9:04AM]

Uhhhh, no it isn't. . . The Aperture blades are part of the lens, but the shutter is in the camera, and for the most part always has been (with the obvious exception of Medium and Large Format Leaf shutters)

[craig @ Jun 11th 2007 9:33AM]

"in the case of SLRs it's important to understand that the shutter is not part of the camera but rather part of the lens..."

The shutter is part of the camera body and it's not really important to understand that. The lens IS part of the camera.

"...and most cameras have a built in AF motor that can turn the lens as long as it has the proper contacts.."

Once again, camera bodies and, no, only a minority have that. Contacts are used when the motor is in the lens. When the motor is in the camera body, a mechanical device actuates the lens.

"An AF lens without a motor is still a good lens, now its MF."

Any lens or body with a broken AF motor needs to be replaced and those parts are not prone to failure. Digital bodies become obsolete far sooner than such pieces wear out. Shutter lifetimes are typically only a concern for photo pros.

A photography site this is not. Engadget is posting meaningless swill to sustain its revenue stream and many who post are demonstrate their lack of knowledge on the subject. Go to dpreview for photography information. There are other gadgets for Engadget poorly.

[mike @ Jun 11th 2007 9:48AM]

you're all are talking about the shutter release button, which is indeed on the camera, but shutter (as in the blades that control the exposure) is in the lens. calling them "aperture blades" is amateurish.

[BrandonLehman @ Jun 11th 2007 10:57AM]

No, the actual physical shutter is in the camera body in front of the image sensor and behind the viewfinder mirror. This is not the same as the aperture blades which are in the lens. The aperture blades control the depth of field and help control the amount of light that reaches 'the shutter'.

When you take a picture with an SLR, the aperture blades slide into place, the mirror will flip up and the shutter will release then close.

At no point will any aperture blades ever completely close, they reduce but can not *cut off* light.

This is why you have two controls. Aperture priority and shutter priority. One gives you control over depth of field, and the other over motion, be it long or short.

to recap.

Aperture blades != shutter.

[Dave @ Jun 11th 2007 6:40PM]

Brandon and Craig are correct. DSLRs use a Focal Plane Shutter, which runs right in front of the sensor. You can see this shutter if you flip the mirror up; it's right behind the mirror. Most, if not all, DLSR camera have a special sensor cleaning mode that you have to use to open the shutter in order to be able to clean the sensor.

Medium and large format cameras, like Hasselblad, Bronica, etc., don't have their own shutters; these are built into the lenses that these cameras use. These are called Central Shutters and can be a leaf or a diaphragm mechanism. These cameras, and their lenses tend to be quite expensive; digital bodies tend to start around $10,000 and up.

He Who Wouldn't Mind One Of Those 30+ MegaPixel Cameras.

[SoulJah @ Jul 6th 2007 2:20PM]

Oh god, that's pretty hilariously misinformed, and the funny thing is that you still think you're correct. Go read up Wikipedia before spouting these gibberish.

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Jun 12th 2007 4:34AM]

"mike @ Jun 11th 2007 8:56AM

in the case of SLRs it's important to understand that the shutter is not part of the camera but rather part of the lens..."

I can tell that Mike obviously does not know the difference between aperture and shutter speed.

[xtian @ Jun 11th 2007 9:12AM]

that site is pretty getto, and the submissions can be all fake. Saw two posts with 8 million shutter clicks... yeah... right...

and yes, the Shutter and the Mirror are both in the body for SLR. If anything dies in the LENS, it is probably the Autofocus motor if anything.

[Thursday @ Jun 11th 2007 9:16AM]

I've found the aperture blades usually will go before the motor (and most cameras have a built in AF motor that can turn the lens as long as it has the proper contacts). An AF lens without a motor is still a good lens, now its MF. A lens with slow or broken aperture blades is next to useless (unless you always shoot wide open)

[Thursday @ Jun 11th 2007 10:08AM]

"you're all are talking about the shutter release button, which is indeed on the camera, but shutter (as in the blades that control the exposure) is in the lens. calling them "aperture blades" is amateurish."

The Aperture blades (they are blades, have a look in a lens sometime) are not the shutter. What you are describing never would have worked with film photography. The shutter release button does 3 things in an SLR. 1) Stops down the aperture blades to the set aperture. 2) raises the mirror 3) Opens the shutter for the preset length of the exposure.
For yours to work, you would have to focus and compose your shot with the aperture blades completely closed so that no light would reach the film/sensor (i.e impossible, unless you don't need to see). The opposite is true in fact, the shot is focused and composed with the aperture at its maximum setting (i.e. f/1.4).

[Jordan @ Jun 11th 2007 11:30AM]

Man, Engadget, people are so hard on you.

I found this article and the site it referred to extremely interesting.

Thanks for posting it! Don't let people get you down. Just like product reviews, the only people who seem to speak up is those who are negative. There are a ton we silent types out here who love ya.

[Jordan @ Jun 11th 2007 11:32AM]

Oh man, I had some grammar errors due to editing without re-reading. Now I am going to get blasted too! Oh well.

[Deadturtle @ Jun 11th 2007 11:54AM]

Hmm... seems rather arbitrary. No way to verify that the number of shutter actuations are indeed what is on the body. Someone posted their *ist DS had taken 8 million clicks... thats taking a picture every 10 seconds for 971 days, non-stop. Ok so the DS came out in 04, assuming Peter got the first model off the line (a pre-production model from the announce date of Sept. 2006) he would have finished his 8 millionth actuation in March of this year. Wow, I wish I could do that, course I'd never have time to process even a fraction of my 8million pictures, but hey, thats me.

How do I verify this information? How do I separate the defective models that may have had a bad shutter (or an inexperienced user) from the cameras that just died?

Good premise, weak implementation.

And I can't even begin to think about some of the comments about the shutter above, makes my head hurt.

[optV @ Jun 11th 2007 12:09PM]

For the record, most of the people correcting the first post are correct---on DSLRs the shutter is in the body of the camera---however, for the record there are many cameras in which the shutter is in the lens (google: "leaf shutter" or "electronic leaf shutter" vs focal-plane shutter). These cameras are primarily medium format cameras (although all large format lenses have leaf shutters attached as well).

[optV @ Jun 11th 2007 12:11PM]

The advantage of an electronic leaf shutter BTW is that a flash will sync at any shutter speed.

[fadetowhite @ Jun 11th 2007 4:34PM]

Either way, this post is not talking about those types of cameras. The link is very basic - the cameras listed are all cameras that contain shutters inside the camera body.

I knew when I bought my Rebel XT that it had only 20-30k clicks in the shutter. But now that I've had it for two years, I'm starting to realize that's not a hell of a lot of pictures.

If I take 400 pictures a month (which is a fair average), my shutter may only last 5.2 years (assuming ~25,000 shots for the lifetime). Then again, it should only be a $200ish repair to replace it if it dies.

[Keith Wakeham @ Jun 11th 2007 12:11PM]

Wow, guess we know some people have no idea whats the difference between a shutter and a aperature. A little knowledge in the hands of an idiot is flamebait.

Shutter is the part that flips up and down. The reason that people are concerned is because it moves.... a lot... and all we ever get is vague estimations

In the past year I've put about 12000 on my D50, then two weekends ago another 4200. I was in talking with my nikon dealer and suggested that I get an extensive warranty because when it fails it will be a pain. If i have the warranty I get a loaner camera, and if they can't repair I'll get bumped to a D80 (have to, drive motor in D50 means they can't cheap out to the D40).

Well most people are buying Dslr's because they are the "in thing" in digital cameras so its no big deal for them. If your into photography seriously this is valuable. All I've ever heard are vague "well its Nikon so 75000-100000 actuations" or "well, its the entry model so only 40000 actuations".

So if your a consumer with a dslr you probably won't have to worry, an amateur photographer should worry, and a pro, well they have backup camera.

If enough people contribute then you get a better indication. I know I will, but can't help but wonder, people contributing that theirs still work don't seem to have any impact on the shutter death calculation.

[Tim Hughes @ Jun 11th 2007 1:22PM]

I believe that these statistics are flawed. Reported "clicks" assume shutter failure and do not take into account that the cameras may have failed for other reasons.

[tekdroid @ Jun 11th 2007 2:08PM]

all statistics are flawed :)

...and just wait 'til 'special interests' get to them.
:)

[Graham @ Jun 12th 2007 7:49AM]

At work we recently starting using a Nikon d40x, but unfortunatly it died the next day. Had only taken around 150k photos too. :-(

[Tervel @ Jun 14th 2007 12:45AM]

There's already a Nikon hater trying hard to skew the statistics:

http://www.metrohotspots.com/Kris_hater.JPG

He listed some 8 Million (that's 8,388,607) clicks with a Canon D5 and still no failure, then went on the Nikon D200 and listed 2 clicks and failure... I would have at least used a different names so it's not so blatantly obvious.