[Hawk66]

How long would you expect an average DSLR to last?


The reason I ask is because ive just been drooling over a top flight Canon DSLR, the EOS 1DS MkII, and in the spec it says something about its durability being an impressive 200,000 shutter cycles. Its looks to be built like a tank, so I was wondering how many cycles something like a 30D would last for. The next question is, and im sorry if its a daft one! but once you reach around that level and the shutter gives up, is it game over for the camera or are these serviceable items?

Thanks


Hawk66

[Steve]

You can usually check the rated shutter cycles on the major cameras on there respective web sites and the life span is just an indication. Some will far exceed the stated numbers while other (as with all electronic or items with moving parts may fail before they reach there 'number'. I know that Canon will replace the shutter mechanisms in their cameras if they fail before they reach there rated number (even if out of guarantee) and afterward they are serviceable items too...so if that problem arises they do not become an expensive paper weight

Just for a little extra info, all Canon DSLR's keep a record of the number of total shutter actuations they perform and Canon (or their respective service agents) have service software that can retrieve the number...always handy to know

[Steve]

Incidentally..200000 shutter actuations will take you quite some time to achieve

If you say 10 shots each and every day...that would be 20,000 days or 54.79 years

I think by then you will want ‘new technology’ anyway

[Soupdragon]

I'm currently using a 300D and that's seriously old for a DSLR.
If the shutter fails however, it will not be worth the hassle/cost to replace it as the camera is three years old.
So I would expect a professional spec camera to last much longer than that.

[Hawk66]

Originally Posted by Steve

Incidentally..200000 shutter actuations will take you quite some time to achieve

If you say 10 shots each and every day...that would be 20,000 days or 54.79 years

I think by then you will want ‘new technology’ anyway

Fair point

[abirkill]

From memory the 20D and 30D are rated to 100,000 actuations, and the 350D and 300D are rated at either 20,000 or 50,000 actuations, depending on what source you read.

But remember that this is a MTBF (mean time between failures) figure - if the camera fails at 100 shutter actuations but is out of warranty, don't expect Canon to fix it. I've seen figures in the region of $200 (in the US) for shutter replacement, so with a 300D you might choose to upgrade to a 400D if it fails, but with a 1DS MkII it'd probably be worth stumping up the $200 (or equivalent UK pricing).

Edit: Actually, I see Steve says Canon will replace a failed shutter if it dies before the rated figure - is this true even if the camera is out of warranty?

[Les Meehan]

How come you never had this kind of question with film camers? In my 25+ years in this game I don't ever remember this being an issue on film cameras. I wasn't aware that the shutter technology, although now more 'electronic', was really that much of an issue.

As has been said, except for 'failure' of the shutter which could happen the day you buy a camera, this isn't something you should need to concern yourself with as it is more than likely you will have replaced the entire camera for the latest whistles and bells long before the shutter wears out naturally.

[abirkill]

There are plenty of reports of shutter failures on film cameras - the mechanism (in semi-modern cameras) is basically the same, although the durability of it will obviously depend on the quality of the part (and hence the cost of the camera)

I suspect part of the reason was that only the professionals and real enthusiasts would shoot 20,000 shots on a film camera - amateurs wouldn't like the cost of purchasing and developing ~600 films. As such the failures were a lot rarer than they are today, where a rank amateur such as myself can easily take 20,000 shots in two or three years.

[Les Meehan]

Of course you are correct. For some reason my tiny mind seemed to have forgotten that with digital there are no film/dev costs and that everyone seems to be producing vastly more exposures than ever before (not necessarily better images though ).

In that scenario, as you point out, it is quite likely that shutter failure due to exhaustion is going to become more of an issue than it was in the film days for 'aficionados'.

Thanks for putting me straight

[Rob Barron]

The 30D is not rated at 100,000 but 200,000 actuations, just like the 1Ds Mk II and was one of the marketing figures Canon used to encourage user upgrades.

As has rightly been said, these are mean figures, average figures, and although a very very nice man down at one Canon service centre might repair one for free outside guarantee, I think that would be a rarity. Don't get me wrong, I love Canon and have been a Canon man for donkey's years but I have used Canon Service Centres plenty and have rarely found them to give anything for free unless that really have to. That said, every single service I have ever had done by a CSC has been top notch work and any repair has gone on to give years of service. Frankly I would rather pay for top quality service than to get it back for little money but the repair not done properly or whatever.

BTW, who said the 300D is seriously old? My friend takes tons of photos and sells them through one of the best agencies and she uses not a 300D but a D30, the oldest of the DSLR range for the 'enthusiast'. Mind you, you had to be one hell of an enthusiast.... it cost £2,500 I seem to recall! You can pick those up very cheaply nowadays but despite the claimed AF problems and so forth with those old ones, my friend wouldn't part with hers if you offered her half the price she paid for it! It is working as good as it did the day she got it, albeit with two services, not to repair anything but just to give it a clean up and ensure it was all working fine. It has the original shutter and I can assure you she is much closer to 200,000 shots than 100,000. The figure of 54 years at 10 shots a day is absolutely right.... but she takes closer to 250 shots if we average out over each and every day! That means in just five years she must be close to 500,000 actuations! Even at half that she is doing pretty well.

So I wouldn't panic over how many shots you are taking, you'll get plenty out of your shutter and if you have an expensive one and have to pay £150 for a new shutter, pay another £50 for a clean and another £50 for an overall check and service.... for £250 you will have a DSLR that is like new! I pay hundreds of pounds a year to keep my car running in good order so I expect to have some running costs for the one machine in my life that I seriously could not live without.... my camera!

Cheers,
Rob

[Steve]

Originally Posted by abirkill

Edit: Actually, I see Steve says Canon will replace a failed shutter if it dies before the rated figure - is this true even if the camera is out of warranty?

Originally Posted by Rob Barron

As has rightly been said, these are mean figures, average figures, and although a very very nice man down at one Canon service centre might repair one for free outside guarantee, I think that would be a rarity.

This is quite well known and widely reported on some other sites. As long as Canon doesn't suspect user abuse of the camera and it is under the quoted shutter actuations for that model (obviously by a reasonable amount and not by 10 or 100 ) then Canon have and do replace the shutter mechs for free. I have to add that the cases reported seem to be within the first 12 months AFTER the warrantee has expired.

As far as I can tell it has nothing to do with a nice man at Canon's service centre

[Markulous]

Having ignored this thread (successfully 'til now), I can no longer resist. Someone once said that the EOS 1DS MkII was so solid you could use it hammer nails in............... since I think that's all any Canon is good for, I thought I'd share that little anecdote!