How to Find Your Camera’s Shutter Count
When you are looking to buy or sell a digital camera, it’s important that you know the camera’s shutter count. Sometimes it is also referred to as the shutter actuation count.
Typically, photographers will want to find a camera’s shutter count information when they are either buying or selling a used camera.
What is a camera shutter count?
The camera shutter count is the number of times the mechanical shutter of the camera has fired. As the shutter mechanism is activated, it will wear out over time. Different cameras have different life expectancies.
It’s just like if you were buying a car: you wouldn’t make a purchase without checking the vehicle’s mileage.
The camera shutter count of will not be affected by using the electronic shutter function. This is because the electronic shutter does not activate the physical shutter in the camera. This is also why the number of photos taken by your camera might be more than the mechanical shutter count.
The number in each photo’s filename does not indicate the shutter count, and instead, the information is a little harder to obtain.
But luckily it’s still relatively easy to do, and most importantly it won’t cost you a penny.
If you’re looking to sell your camera, make sure to read our top tips on how to get the best price for your equipment.
What is a good shutter count for a used camera?
The camera shutter count number will determine its value on the second-hand market. The higher the number of shutter actuations, the less desirable it is to someone.
The website Olegkikin.com has a database with the average shutter life expectancy for all sorts of DSLR camera types.
Cameras like the Nikon D5 and Canon 1DX Mark II are rated to around 400,000 shutter actuations. However, these are flagship bodies and the more affordable the camera, the less durable the mechanisms will be.
It’s safe to say that most DSLR cameras will have a life of around 200,000 shutter actuations.
Consequently, most people are looking for second-hand cameras that are around 50-60,000 actuations as a maximum.
Mirrorless cameras are slightly different, though. These cameras come with a much higher life expectancy, often at a shutter count of around 100,000.
How to find shutter count on Nikon and Pentax cameras
For Nikon and Pentax cameras, the shutter count is stored within the EXIF data of each raw photo.
All you need to do is take a photo and upload the file to the website myshuttercount.com.
It’ll then tell you exactly what number that particular photo is.
If you find that the above website is not working for your camera model, then you can also head over to camerashuttercount.com as they now support a wide variety of camera brands.
How to check shutter count on Canon
You can upload your photo file to camerashuttercount.com. It claims to work with a selection of Canon cameras, although it is quite possible some cameras won’t work with this method.
If this doesn’t work, then you’ll need to download a program called EOS Info. It works for almost any DSLR (although potentially not the 500D series, but the website suggests it is worth a try).
All you do is connect the camera to your computer via its USB cable and run the program. It’ll spit out a load of information, including the shutter count.
EOS Info will only work on Windows computers, but you can use the older 40D Shutter Count program if you are a Mac user. It will still work on other DSLR cameras too, except the 1D series.
Still not working? You’ll need to send the camera back to a Canon camera service centre, or an authorised Canon retailer, to check.
For some reason they’ve made life tougher when trying to extract this information!
Olympus shutter count
For Olympus users, you can find out the shutter actuation count through the camera’s menu. Just follow these steps:
- Turn the camera on
- Open the memory card door
- Press “PLAY” +”OK” at the same time
- Press on the dial, in the following order: up, down, left, right
- Depress the shutter release button fully
- Press up on the dial
You’ll then be presented with the shutter count.
Sony shutter count
Sony users can find out their shutter count using this particular website.
Just upload a file straight from the camera and you’ll get your shutter count easily.
Alternative methods
The website camerashuttercount.com works with a variety of different brands. If you have difficulty with any of the above methods, then it is worth also uploading a photo to this website to try and find your shutter count.
In conclusion
Buying a second-hand camera is a great idea. A newly purchased camera will have a zero shutter actuation number, but something with a few more miles on the clock will still be a great camera.
When you’re selling your camera, it is a good idea to be upfront about the shutter count of your camera. If you don’t state it in the item description online, you may find that some potential buyers immediately disregard your camera.
