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Practically speaking, if your camera survives the first few months without failing the electronics are solid and they will more or less last indefinitely. Watching the shutter slam open and closed in slow motion really emphasizes how much abuse such a tiny and delicate part really endures. In the video below you can see how the mirror swings up out of the way, and the shutter opens and closes to allow light to land on the digital sensor. Between the two of these devices the mechanical shutter is radically more delicate and prone to failure over the life of the camera. The two largest (and most important) moving parts are the main reflex mirror (the mirror that allows you to look through the lens from the viewfinder and that swings up and out of the way when you take the photo) and the shutter.
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Why the Shutter Count MattersĭSLR cameras, like the SLR cameras they replaced, have very few moving parts. Note: The techniques outlined in this article can be used to check the shutter count on mirrorless cameras, like the compact Nikon 1, as well as DSLR cameras. Read on as we explain why the shutter count of a DSLR camera matters and how to check it. If the camera is just sitting there and you're not using it for fear of wearing it out, then your purchase would be really going to waste.You wouldn’t buy a used car without checking how many miles were on it, and you shouldn’t buy a used DSLR without knowing how many clicks are on the shutter. If you're just shooting, you should consider this getting value out of your purchase. This is generally not a do-it-yourself repair.īut, I encourage you to not worry about this too much, unless your intention is to take many time-lapse sequences or some other special case. But note that these are just estimates based on averages - it's perfectly normal for a shutter to develop a problem much earlier, or to last much longer.Īs for what happens when it dies, well: How much does it cost to replace a DSLR shutter? In the case of a used older-model camera, probably more than you spent in the first place. You can see How many actuations are "too many actuations"? for some information on just how many clicks a typical shutter mechanism is good for (depending on the model, between 50,000 and 400,000). The camera shutter is a mechanical part, and like all things in the universe, subject to eventual failure.
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