the life of a shutter

[panocho]

recently, I decided to go for a second hand D100 to start in the dark side (precisely the one without dark room, actually!). Some of you may remember I posted here asking for help to confirm my decision on a D100 over a D70 (which all of you preferred, by the way).

the thing is that I started the process of buying it. It is a process, indeed, since at second hand dSLR's one has to take a lot of care, I am afraid.

Now, my question/comment has to do with what I assume is the most important aspect to take into consideration -taking for granted that every part in the camera functions properly. That important aspect is the shutter: how many times has it been fired?

With film cameras that was hardly an issue, unless you bought used equipment from pros; the rest of the mortals wouldn't have shot as much as to "kill" the shutter, since film was (is) expensive and one had to limit the shoots. Now the problem at digital is that shooting is free: one photo taken costs as much as one hundred (unless you print them). That makes some non-professionals shoot as crazy (I once read somewhere one amateur having shot 12.000 times in only one weekend!!! )

So the issue comes: may the shutter in the camera you're buying be next to die? and what is the expected life of it?
Somewhere I read that amateur bodies (D70, for instance) are expected to last for about 50.000 shots. Semi-pro's (D100, D200) shouldn't be expected to die before 200.000 (Nikon gives these numbers for the D200) -the numbers, by the way, are only expected averages; then your camera may not reach them or easily go even far above them.

The comment goes for those who consider buying second hand dSLR's: keep it in mind.
And the question, for me, is: does anyone know whether the shutter on the D200 was anyhow upgraded form that in the D100 so that I shouldn't expect the 200.000 shots average life? I didn't find any information on the D100.

By the way, this point adds to my posted list of D100-preferred reasons!

 

[Alex_B]

I managed to kill a shutter on my film Canon EOS ... cost me around 200 USD to get the shutter replaced.

so a dead shutter does not mean a dead camera.

 

[Mike_E]

Hi Panocho, I would expect the D100 to have the same shutter setup as the semi-pro film camera when it was made. (F100) you should expect 150k-200k and more if it was handled with care (bouncing, jarring and grit are also causes of shutter failure)

mike

 

[panocho]

I managed to kill a shutter on my film Canon EOS ... cost me around 200 USD to get the shutter replaced.

so a dead shutter does not mean a dead camera.

I know you can replace the shutter with a new one, and that's important to know, indeed. The problem comes when we talk about second hand cameras, as it is my case: if within a few months after getting the camera you have to pay for a new shutter, then the second hand bussines is not worth it anymore and you might as well get a brand new one from the beginning.

 

[panocho]

Hi Panocho, I would expect the D100 to have the same shutter setup as the semi-pro film camera when it was made. (F100) you should expect 150k-200k and more if it was handled with care (bouncing, jarring and grit are also causes of shutter failure)

mike

thanks for the reply, Mike

yes, that's exactly what I guessed. And, as I said, a very important advantage over an amateur second hand body. For the reasons I explained, it might easily become a definitive advantage, since we're talking about digital.

 

[Alex_B]

I know you can replace the shutter with a new one, and that's important to know, indeed. The problem comes when we talk about second hand cameras, as it is my case: if within a few months after getting the camera you have to pay for a new shutter, then the second hand bussines is not worth it anymore and you might as well get a brand new one from the beginning.

but that is a general problem with second hand gear. the former owner might have dropped it many times and hence the electronics are at the brink of failing ... or whatever else you can imagine.

there is always a risk when you buy second hand. and you have to decide if you trust the former owner, if he handled the gear with care or not. ask for the number of exposures.

 

[Mike_E]

Panocho, what is the price to rebuild a D100? When I was looking I strongly considered getting a body that was in good cosmetic shape and not working to have it refurbished. The trick is of course to find one that will total at or under the going price of a working used one.

mike

 

[panocho]

Panocho, what is the price to rebuild a D100? When I was looking I strongly considered getting a body that was in good cosmetic shape and not working to have it refurbished. The trick is of course to find one that will total at or under the going price of a working used one.

mike

that's a good point, but I have no idea how much could it cost

 

[Mike_E]

The should be glad to answer your questions. Take names if they aren't.

http://www.europe-nikon.com/flashmap/support.html

Worth looking into.

mike

 

[Groupcaptainbonzo]

That of course is the risk with buying second hand. You don't know what has been happening to the equipment before you got there. You just have to bite the bullet and go with you best guess instinct....