shutter cycles

[pakosouthpark]

trying to understand a bit of the technology here - Why these have a life expectancy?
I mean 150 000 shots is not thaaaaat much.. i know that it can go beyond that number but also it can happen to never reach those numbers. does canon replace the shutter after it dies? did film SLRs had this life expectancy as well?

[Synomis192]

Think of a camera shutter like a door.

Doors open and close, just like a shutter when it lets in light. Eventually the hinges that the doors are on will either break or become loose due to use or abuse.

Shutters that go past the shutter-expectancy do last for a quite a while after said expectancy but all shutters will fail after prolonged use.

Canon does replace the shutter but it does cost quite a lot (I think it cost about $150-$200).

150,000 shots is actually quite a lot. If I'm not mistaken you have a 7d because of that high shutter count.

I've had my T1i for about 3 years. I've shot for many different scenarios from low-light choir shows, to sideline danger zones for high school football games. The shutter life on a T1i is roughly 50,000 but my shutter count is only 29,765. (Magic Lantern said so...)

I wouldn't be worried at all. 150,000 is a very long life expectancy for your shutter. You are a lucky one haha.

Film SLRs do have a shutter life as well but I don't know how long they lasted or how to replace a shutter, even do I am an owner of a film SLR camera

[Mt Spokane Photography]

It was never a issue in film days, 150,000 shots would bankrupt you with developing and printing costs, shooting 100 images for a wedding was a lot.  Photographers were careful to get just the right poses.
 
Now, it costs nothing to take 500 or 1000 shots, my wife and I have taken 2500 of some events.  This means that for busy photographers who take 2000 or more a week, that adds up to 100,000 a year, often more. 
 
For enthusiasts, 2500 shots a year is often a figure I've seen, but even 10,000 a year is a lot for a non professional.  If you are using a camera so heavily, lots of things will wear out besides the shutter, its a very low cost per exposure.  If a 1000 dollar camera is used for 150,000 images, it costs 3/4 cents a shot, and even then, the camera will have some used value.

[Marsu42]

I mean 150 000 shots is not thaaaaat much..

It isn't if you do dicy macro shots, focus stacking, exposure bracketing or high fps shots a lot to get the moment. I'm now @80k of my 100k 60d cycles, and hope it will go way beyond that. I have failed to get some statistics about how long the shutter really works on xxd and xxxd models, so if anyone can give a prediction, I'd be obliged.

[wickidwombat]

i've heard of quite a few 40Ds with over 300k on the clock on original shutter

[gmrza]

I mean 150 000 shots is not thaaaaat much..

It isn't if you do dicy macro shots, focus stacking, exposure bracketing or high fps shots a lot to get the moment. I'm now @80k of my 100k 60d cycles, and hope it will go way beyond that. I have failed to get some statistics about how long the shutter really works on xxd and xxxd models, so if anyone can give a prediction, I'd be obliged.

oh, and beware when buying a used body from a time-lapser 

[pwp]

When I retired my 5D classic it had close to 300,000 on the clock and still worked like new. A 20D had similar high mileage. There are plenty of 1-Series out there in the hands of sports shooters with over a million actuations. My 1-Series bodies are nowhere near those numbers but they'd be way past Canon's advertised life cycle.

The shutter count from Canon is very conservative. Some shutters will collapse before the spec time and others will exceed it 10 fold. It's like any mass produced mechanical item. Some die young, some seem to live forever.

PW

[neuroanatomist]

For enthusiasts, 2500 shots a year is often a figure I've seen, but even 10,000 a year is a lot for a non professional. 

I shoot over 10K shots per year.  The only things that keep my shutter counts down are that I have two bodies, and the relatively slow frame rate of the 5DII.  At 12 fps, I'm glad the 1D X has a 400K rating!

[viggen61]

Canon does replace the shutter but it does cost quite a lot (I think it cost about $150-$200).

That's all? Consideing that - when the time comes - replacing my 7D will likely cost more than $2,500, a few hundred for a replacement shutter isn't all that bad!

I'm just a dedicated amateur, but my 18-month-new 7D is rapidly closing in on 20k shutter activations. If I could get the birds to sit still, though... 

[Marsu42]

That's all? Consideing that - when the time comes - replacing my 7D will likely cost more than $2,500, a few hundred for a replacement shutter isn't all that bad!

It's different with less expensive bodies like my 60d - the price of a new body is about €800 and going down, esp. when the 70d will be out. For picking up a screwdriver, Canon service in Germany seems to charge about €200, and with a new shutter the replacement the resulting cost might be as much as 50% of a brand new camera with warranty... correct me if I'm wrong and replacing a shutter is much less expensive than a lens repair job.

[pakosouthpark]

well i dont have a camera at all at the moment, but trying to get a 2nd hand 5d II so have to pay attention to the shutter cycles number. Also i want to do a lot of time lapses so this number at 150k shots is not that big for me! might look into a brand new 5d ii..

[Astro]

shoot timelaps and 150000 is not a huge number.

[agierke]

i just had my shutter explode on my 5Dc last fall. canon replaced it and cleaned the whole camera for $200.00. well worth the price!

final shutter count was 186,000 on a 150k rated shutter.

[pakosouthpark]

shoot timelaps and 150000 is not a huge number.

+1 it goes really fast..

[helpful]

I am really confused by this thread. Are you all trying to tease each other or what?

Someone said 10K a year was a lot. Someone else mentioned 2,500.

Both of those are way under what I shoot per month, and I just do photography as a "full time" job after my regular full time real job. My total for the year so far is 428,374. Over 50% of them are keepers, i.e., used and/or delivered.

I hope that you are kidding.

Or maybe I am just doing too much for my clients. Would they really be happy with 100 photos from a wedding?

Update: for comparison, my numbers were 4,000+ photos per year using film, and I went half digital / half film between 2003-2006 and then I went all digital.