Camera Maintenance questions

[SethAlbritton]

First I'm a newbie so don't think your talking to an expert or that I think I'm an expert.

Today, I just found out about the canon 5d mark II shutter life expectancy, BUMMER! I've been doing all kind of free or cheap shoots with two photographers and snapping twice every time I take a Photo. Has anyone had their camera break? How long did your camera last?

Do any of you guys send your camera to canon for maintenance and how often. Basically what are some things I should consider when taking care of my camera. Thanks for any help.

 

[tirediron]

I'm a Nikon person, so I have zero experience with Canon customer service. I wouldn't worry too much about the published shutter life expectancy of your camera. If the shutter does pack it in, it's usually not an expensive fix (~$400). Unlike my medium format gear, I don't normally send DSLRs in for CLA (Clean/Lube/Adjust), as there really isn't much that you can adjust on a modern camera.

 

[IgsEMT]

Here's my experience and w/o naming names...
Colleague 1: Canon 5dm2 has under 60k frames on it, was in repairs 3-4 times for shutter getting stuck and pc-plug not holding the cord in.
Colleague 2: Canon 5dm2 in repairs due to noise in sensor AFTER it came back from tuneups
Colleague 3: Nikon D3 - replaced shutter after 50,000 frames (its meant to go past 250,000 actuations).
Nikon D700 - completely replaced the camera by Nikon after it was showing noise at ISO 400 (camera went to repairs for over 3 times for THAT issue).
Me: Nikon D300s (1) - replaced hotshoe
Nikon D90 - replace shutter at 16k frames
Nikon D300s (2nd body) - replaced sensor after camera went in for cleanup/tuneup
Nikon d70s - replaced hotshoe
I have many more fellow photogs who had issue w/ cameras at one point or another. Point is, it happens regardless of what is "expected" or "tested" by manufacturer. Most people I know, including me, send bodies to manufacturer - at least they give some sort of guarantee for their product/repairs.

Good Luck

 

[2WheelPhoto]

Some cams have out of box failures.

Every product/brand/service has a failure rate, although in the corporate world six-sigma is our friend.

 

[gsgary]

If it's not broke don't fix it, never had any problems with any of my Canon's, i have an old 10D that has 180,000 + shots, 1Dmk1 god knows how many on that and a 1Dmk2 that just keeps going. If your scared of using your camera because you might wear it out it's time to change hobbies

 

[Big Mike]

The 'shutter life' rating on these cameras is not a life expectancy...it's an average rate of failure. It might last a whole lot longer or it might crap out much sooner.
And really, it's not something to be overly concerned about. Sure, it's a $2500 camera, but the cost to replace the shutter is probably around $400 for the parts & labor to have it fixed.

As for repair & maintenance...that's up to you. Most people probably don't send their cameras in, unless there is a major problem. But I know some pro photographers who send their cameras in for routine maintenance on a regular basis (yearly, for example). That is certainly a good idea if you count on these things to pay your bills and put food on your table.

Canon has a 'pro service' program. If you have pro gear (or have a certain value of Canon equipment) you can qualify to be in the pro program. The 5DII might qualify, I'm not sure. Supposedly, this program will give you faster service and other perks...but I've heard from a few photographers who thought that it's not really any better/faster than the 'regular' Canon service.

 

[gsgary]

Only maintenance i do is a bit of a clean, i usually spit on them and wipe them with a cloth when they get mud on them, 1Dmk2 has still got mud between the buttons from last year

 

[Derrel]

Most newer Japanese-engineered cameras are designed to work with absolutely ZERO in the way of clean-lube-adjust treatment. The Leica user's constant harping and lamenting about the need for a CLA, or the Hassle-blad 500C/M's need for yearly CLA and magazine tune-ups is an engineering/manufacturing/philosophical difference between European and Japanese camera engineering concepts. The old-school cameras of high mechanical precision (Leica,Hassy, for example) that used lubricants and lots of precision-fitted, tightly-mating metal parts and mechanical gear trains for things like synchronization and timing, have been engineered OUT OF Japanese-engineered cameras over the last decades, replaced by the idea of parts with much,much looser fit, and which are typically self-lubricating, for lack of a better term. Most of the Japanese-engineered cameras of the modern era have polymer parts that simply do not require oils or grease to function smoothly. Like gsgary said, there's virtually no "maintenance" required on a modern d-slr. The idea is that the thing will function right up until a component fails...it's not like a Leica or a Hassy that has a high degree of mechanical precision, and which needs regular cleaning, lubrication, and adjusting to work at its best...this difference is the way the Japanese camera industry has lowered prices...cameras are made of polymer parts, brass stampings, circuit boards, injection moldings, etc.,etc.. There's no need for "maintenance" per se with today's cameras. They will work right up until something fails.