Canon one series shutter life

[TomazK]

Hey everyone, I am new to posting on the CR forum, but have been following it awhile now.

This is a question/rant post about my Canon 1ds mark3. I bought the camera in 2008 and it is indeed a great camera, with high resolution, good AF and the like. The problem that I have with it is that the shutter seems to have died on me. And that is after about 20k pics. And that is what pisses me of, Canon states that the shutter on a one series is good for 300k+, but this is less than 10%.

I am from Slovenia, where Canon has a poor presence in terms of service and all, so this will probably cost me around 300EUR(=370USD), as the guarantee period is over.

I guess I am writing this post to vent a bit and to ask if anyone has had similar problems with a one series camera and if you have any ideas what to do(instead of paying the 300eur).

Any ideas EU users?


Thanks
Tomaz

 

[briansquibb]

What were the symptoms?

 

[TomazK]

white stripe on the top end of the frame with high shutter speeds and large apertures... the problem becomes less visible with smaller apertures and slower shutter speeds...

 

[briansquibb]

white stripe on the top end of the frame with high shutter speeds and large apertures... the problem becomes less visible with smaller apertures and slower shutter speeds...

Sounds more like a sticking shutter - will be interesting to see what they say

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Shutter life is dependent on a number of things, the high count is for images taken over a short time. It also follows a bell curve, the figure you see is just the center point of the curve. Some die after 5K and some last for a million cycles.
Heat, humidity, bumps, and age all take their toll. Canon will probably not want to warranty it after 4 years of use, but isn't there a euro warranty for 5 years?

 

[TomazK]

Shutter life is dependent on a number of things, the high count is for images taken over a short time. It also follows a bell curve, the figure you see is just the center point of the curve. Some die after 5K and some last for a million cycles.
Heat, humidity, bumps, and age all take their toll. Canon will probably not want to warranty it after 4 years of use, but isn't there a euro warranty for 5 years?

thanks for the clarification.. I am aware that 4 years is a long period, but am frustrated that I only have 20k clicks and Canon claims 300k...

Regarding the warranty, in the EU normally you get a 2 year warranty.

Thanks for the answers though.

 

[MarkWebbPhoto]

The 1Ds MK III doesn't have a reliable shutter. My 5D MK II has well over 300k actuations and my 1D4 does as well and I haven't had any problems whatsoever with those bodies. I had a 1D2n which had the sticking shutter and it would have a white streak across the middle and this was a common issue with that body as well.

I think Canon fixed the issue at around the time of the 5D2 so my advice would be to grab a newer body. Lets hope for a 1DXs or something with more megapixels for studio.

 

[wickidwombat]

Didn't brian from the digital picture .com say he had his shutter replaced 3 times on his ds mk3

 

[bdunbar79]

Didn't brian from the digital picture .com say he had his shutter replaced 3 times on his ds mk3

Yes but it was the earliest releases. Canon fixed the problem a year after the 1Ds3 was released. Anything after the first batch shouldn't have the issue. But, who knows if you have the 1st, 2nd, 80th batch?

 

[TomazK]

The 1Ds MK III doesn't have a reliable shutter. My 5D MK II has well over 300k actuations and my 1D4 does as well and I haven't had any problems whatsoever with those bodies. I had a 1D2n which had the sticking shutter and it would have a white streak across the middle and this was a common issue with that body as well.

I think Canon fixed the issue at around the time of the 5D2 so my advice would be to grab a newer body. Lets hope for a 1DXs or something with more megapixels for studio.

It seams that replacing the camera might well be the best(most expensive solution). But I am not getting a 1DX as I don't need it. The new 5D mark3 looks very very good from my perspective... I'll probably wait for Photokina and see, though..

 

[Bosman]

The 1Ds MK III doesn't have a reliable shutter. My 5D MK II has well over 300k actuations and my 1D4 does as well and I haven't had any problems whatsoever with those bodies. I had a 1D2n which had the sticking shutter and it would have a white streak across the middle and this was a common issue with that body as well.

I think Canon fixed the issue at around the time of the 5D2 so my advice would be to grab a newer body. Lets hope for a 1DXs or something with more megapixels for studio.

It seams that replacing the camera might well be the best(most expensive solution). But I am not getting a 1DX as I don't need it. The new 5D mark3 looks very very good from my perspective... I'll probably wait for Photokina and see, though..

Shoot i paid more than that for my 1dm3, $300 is a bargain, what are you thinking?

 

[TomazK]

[/quote]
Shoot i paid more than that for my 1dm3, $300 is a bargain, what are you thinking?
[/quote]

Hey Bosman,

just the repair for the shutter is around 400$(300EUR), so its not cheap, especially when you expect a shutter to be operational for 300k clicks
I'll have the shutter fixed anyway as I need a camera to use while I decide what to do

 

[Bosman]

Shoot i paid more than that for my 1dm3, $300 is a bargain, what are you thinking?
[/quote]

Hey Bosman,

just the repair for the shutter is around 400$(300EUR), so its not cheap, especially when you expect a shutter to be operational for 300k clicks
I'll have the shutter fixed anyway as I need a camera to use while I decide what to do
[/quote]
I hear ya man, it must have been a faulty shutter mechanism on your camera from the start.
According to Canon Professional Services I took over 343,849 photos on the 1dm3 camera i sent in in 2010, so how many shots over was it actually??. The mirror, shutter and lever assemblies were shot! Hence the $730 bills to repair my Canon EOS 1D Mark III. I wish i had CPS gold but $400 a year...

 

[TomazK]

Shoot i paid more than that for my 1dm3, $300 is a bargain, what are you thinking?

Hey Bosman,

just the repair for the shutter is around 400$(300EUR), so its not cheap, especially when you expect a shutter to be operational for 300k clicks
I'll have the shutter fixed anyway as I need a camera to use while I decide what to do
[/quote]
I hear ya man, it must have been a faulty shutter mechanism on your camera from the start.
According to Canon Professional Services I took over 343,849 photos on the 1dm3 camera i sent in in 2010, so how many shots over was it actually??. The mirror, shutter and lever assemblies were shot! Hence the $730 bills to repair my Canon EOS 1D Mark III. I wish i had CPS gold but $400 a year...
[/quote]

Oh well, life is not cheap Thanks for the info and help though And I think after 4 years it is about time to spoil myself a little bit with a new toy

 

[briansquibb]

The new shutter on my 1Ds3 cost £224 including the full service. Well worth it

 

[Bosman]

Shoot i paid more than that for my 1dm3, $300 is a bargain, what are you thinking?

Hey Bosman,

just the repair for the shutter is around 400$(300EUR), so its not cheap, especially when you expect a shutter to be operational for 300k clicks
I'll have the shutter fixed anyway as I need a camera to use while I decide what to do

I hear ya man, it must have been a faulty shutter mechanism on your camera from the start.
According to Canon Professional Services I took over 343,849 photos on the 1dm3 camera i sent in in 2010, so how many shots over was it actually??. The mirror, shutter and lever assemblies were shot! Hence the $730 bills to repair my Canon EOS 1D Mark III. I wish i had CPS gold but $400 a year...
[/quote]

Oh well, life is not cheap Thanks for the info and help though And I think after 4 years it is about time to spoil myself a little bit with a new toy
[/quote]
Whatever excuse you can come up with to upgrade I'll stand behind.