THIS IS A GUEST POST COURTESY OF DANIELLE SULLIVAN PHOTOGRAPHY
Imagine one day you are photographing a photo session and all of a sudden your camera fails and quits working. You’re probably wondering what had happened. This could possibly be the result of your camera shutter’s life expectancy, where one day your camera has exceeded the amount of clicks per shutter.
Every DSLR has a shutter life expectancy. Think of it like a car where one day you are driving down the road and your car just quits. This could happen to cameras due to the life expectancy of its shutters.
Inside a DSLR is a shutter, a device in which it allows light to pass to the sensor in order to capture an image. So what is a shutter count? A shutter count is the number of times a shutter is activated, so in plain terms, the number of times you press your shutter button. It’s actually a very crucial number to know. Why? Because one day, your camera can fail. Camera’s are mechanical devices and eventually all things mechanical fail.
So, how can you find out what your personal Shutter count is for your own camera? Or even how to know what the life expectancy is on your specific model?
There are actually a few ways to obtain the information for your shutter count. One way is by going to camerashuttercount.com. Once there, click upload. Be sure to use a new image (must be jpeg small format). This image is also to be unedited.
Once you upload it will tell you exactly how many clicks your shutter has obtained. Example of mine below: (Whoahhhh!!! That number is high!)
Did you know you can also find this information right in Photoshop?
Its gives you the same results. Here is said Image
Then to find the shutter count information, all you do is click File>FIle Info>
Once there, a window will pop up like this: Click on raw Data: The Shutter count Number is highlighted
Interesting right?
So what Do you do now? How do you know what your actual life expectancy is on your camera? There is no actual number, just averages. You can obtain this information by going to http://www.olegkikin.com/shutterlife/. This is a database from real world internet users. All you have to do is enter in your specific camera make and model. It will give you real time data based on your make and model and averages of what shutter click their camera failed on. You can even enter your own specs. Mine are attached below. And I am a little heart broken as mine might be coming to an end real soon.
Ok. So what now? What do you do for preparation if your camera fails? Save! Save for either a new shutter, or extra camera body. Its crucial.
Create an account for “camera fails” or whatever you want to name it. A shutter alone could cost anywhere between $350-$500. And not having a backup camera could result in absence of work , so having money aside for “emergency purposes” could save you time as well as save your job. Who knows, you could be that person whose cameras life has reached its max. Consider investing in an extra camera body, and be on the road to preparation.