How long do cameras usually last?

[AgentDrex]

Well, it is less than a month since I got this Canon Rebel and I have hit that shutter 7,698 times...256 photos a day on average...ten every hour (in a 24 hour frame, obviously I sleep) ...I'm addicted...how much longer before I need to learn how to do my own shutter servicing???

 

[tnvol]

Well, it is less than a month since I got this Canon Rebel and I have hit that shutter 7,698 times...256 photos a day on average...ten every hour (in a 24 hour frame, obviously I sleep) ...I'm addicted...how much longer before I need to learn how to do my own shutter servicing???

wow. You are taking a bunch of pictures. lol

 

[misstwinklytoes]

That is a crazy amount of pics! Way to go! I've had mine since June and I'm not even up to 4k.

 

[smlblk396]

don't have that much to shoot around here or maybe not looking in the right place..

 

[skieur]

Technically the LCD screen can go at any time and that would make it difficult for you to still use the camera. Chips and processors also have an unpredictable life span. Bottom line is that most digital cameras will become obsolete, before they break down.

skieur

 

[Aayria]

don't have that much to shoot around here or maybe not looking in the right place..

I don't remember who it was..but somebody on these forums recently had a great piece of advice down that alley. (Feel free to give credit if anybody can remember who it was..)

They suggested taking your camera and shooting anything you could find from a unique perspective in your own bathroom for at least an hour. The sink, the floor, the shower faucet, odds and ends..whatever you can find.

Then, going outside to the park, the yard, or anywhere outside the house where you might find people...and seeing just how much more creative your eye can be in spotting things to shoot.

I didn't try it personally, although I did shoot lots of inanimate objects around the house and garden. Even that was a huge help, and it's an exercise I've started doing before every "big" shoot to sort of warm up my eye.

 

[AgentDrex]

That would have been Derrel, doesn't that just sound like something he would pull out?

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...-go-out-shoot-need-help-finding-my-thing.html

 

[IgsEMT]

If you're doing this professionally, then on average every 3 yrs you should be changing your bodies...
let's say average wedding 1000 frames, you have 52week => 52k x 3 yrs = abouts 150k.
As was mentioned, most camera manufacturer's today claim that their camera's will give you over 100k actuations.
So back to the point, many pro photographers (in this case I'm referring to wedding/event/portraits photographers) change their bodies around every 3 yrs.
Good Luck

 

[tnvol]

The shutter started locking up on my D300 tonight. It locks up during a shot and "Err" flashes on the top screen. I can press the shutter button a second time and it finishes the actuation and the Err message goes away, but does it again when I try to shoot again. Has anyone else had this happen? Does it sound like my shutter is dead? It's only a year old. No idea how many actuations are on it.

 

[yiplong]

Technically the LCD screen can go at any time and that would make it difficult for you to still use the camera. Chips and processors also have an unpredictable life span. Bottom line is that most digital cameras will become obsolete, before they break down.

skieur

Technically the world can end any time. There are endless list of calamities that can strike at any moment, but don't lose your sleep.
Technically, you are wrong about the chips and processors. Mathematically speaking, these equipments are known as "memoryless system", meaning at any given time, they are as reliable as when they are brand new.

 

[IgsEMT]

The shutter started locking up on my D300 tonight. It locks up during a shot and "Err" flashes on the top screen. I can press the shutter button a second time and it finishes the actuation and the Err message goes away, but does it again when I try to shoot again. Has anyone else had this happen? Does it sound like my shutter is dead? It's only a year old. No idea how many actuations are on it.

Call Nikon,
I had similar on one of my bodies - called them up and they repaired it. It wasn't a pretty experience but it worked out ok at the end.

 

[tnvol]

The shutter started locking up on my D300 tonight. It locks up during a shot and "Err" flashes on the top screen. I can press the shutter button a second time and it finishes the actuation and the Err message goes away, but does it again when I try to shoot again. Has anyone else had this happen? Does it sound like my shutter is dead? It's only a year old. No idea how many actuations are on it.

Call Nikon,
I had similar on one of my bodies - called them up and they repaired it. It wasn't a pretty experience but it worked out ok at the end.

I'll be calling today. Thanks for the info.

 

[tnvol]

Called Nikon this morning and started the process. They told me to remove the memory card and the battery for 24 hours to see if that fixes the problem. lol

 

[skieur]

Technically the LCD screen can go at any time and that would make it difficult for you to still use the camera. Chips and processors also have an unpredictable life span. Bottom line is that most digital cameras will become obsolete, before they break down.

skieur

Technically the world can end any time. There are endless list of calamities that can strike at any moment, but don't lose your sleep.
Technically, you are wrong about the chips and processors. Mathematically speaking, these equipments are known as "memoryless system", meaning at any given time, they are as reliable as when they are brand new.

Well, if you want to get practical, I have seen an LCD screen go on a 2 year old camera and another one go on a year old handheld device that I owned, so as I said their reliability is not predictable. I also know colleagues who have had issues with sensor problems and one whose DSLR "died" on him.
"Communication" between the charged battery and the camera or flash too, for that matter can easily break down or end abruptly.

So, sure you take the risk but even consumer's reports doesn't rate the long term reliability of any chip or processor electronics very highly.

skieur