Shutter life?

[fionndruinne]

I know Nikon rates their shutters for averaged total actuations, and their lower-priced models aren't nearly as high as the higher-end ones. Has this ever really been an issue? I know there are some D50s still kickin' out there, so it seems like the shutter can last a good long while. I'm just curious because I've never actually heard of someone's shutter wearing out.

And, if mine does anytime in the nearish future, I'd have to say the D80 would be my preferred upgrade. I like the sturdier build (by the way, is the D80 build on par with the D90?). As for the D90, I'm going to wait on a video and live-view equipped camera until both features are further refined from what we've got.

[K1W1]

You used to see reports form D70 owners regularly about 100,000+ clicks but I think that now that new cameras are coming out so regularly many people simply don't own them long enough to get to really high numbers. The people who do are often pros or at least semi pros and to them the camera is a business expense that just gets replaced when it reaches the end of it's economic life.

[Rooz]

my d80 was around 60k and my d300 is about 40k now. i know someone who's d3 shutter shit itself after 200k and it was replaced cos it was only 9 months old.

[fionndruinne]

What was Nikon's prediction for D70 shutter life, anyone know?

I am also curious as to whether manufacturers are taking shortcuts with their budget-end models for precisely that reason, as most owners will upgrade long before they really break their cameras in.

[K1W1]

What was Nikon's prediction for D70 shutter life, anyone know?

In those days the speculation (and it was only speculation) was that the consumer DSLR's (silver shutter release button) were built to 50,000 clicks and the pro bodies (black button) were 100,000 clicks.
I think Nikon made a big thing about the D90 being "tested" to 100,000 clicks when it was released.
The reality is that all these things are fairly arbitrary and just statistical averages. You and I may buy identical cameras from the same shop on the same day with consecutive serial numbers. I mistreat mine and get 150,000 clicks without a problem, you look after yours and have failure at 25,000 clicks so Nikon say the average is 87,500 clicks but at the end of the day what does it matter except I'm happy and you are not.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Not so true K1W1. One of the more predictable things in engineering is fatigue analysis. You can design for a number of stress cycles (shutter activations) and pretty much reality matches the expected lifetime.

[Rooz]

photography is easy...just spend money.
lmfaooooooo

[K1W1]

Not so true K1W1. One of the more predictable things in engineering is fatigue analysis.

I realise that but I was just using a fairly straight forward example to illustrate the point that regardless of design or engineering things happen and there are always exceptions.
If we all cast our minds over all the threads and posts we have read on Photography forums which probably collectively are in the millions I suspect that there would be very,very few posts people can recall that relate to actual first person accounts of shutter failure. There are lots that speculate on the other hand.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Yeah you're spot on there it's the unexpected failures that get you not shutter wear. Caught straps, dropped bags, banged cameras, spilt beverages.

[ooverdrive]

So what happens it reach the extreme. Can we replace a dead shutter!

[erichlund]

So what happens it reach the extreme. Can we replace a dead shutter!

Two days ago, they replaced my wife's knee. That's way harder than replacing a mechanical part on a camera. They actually had her on her feet yesterday morning (not that she went very far, no marathons yet).

So, to answer your question, piece of cake.

[britkev]

... piece of cake.

Technically not a challenge, but with bigger better cheaper bodies coming along on an annual basis, whether it would be economically desirable to do so on a consumer DSLR is highly questionable.

[ooverdrive]

So how much uneconomic on consumer bodies

[Elisha]

if you want to pay about $200, Nikon, Sony or Canon can replace your shutter for you.

[Restoman]

We need to know what: confidence interval, standard deviation, and number in the test. One really important factor is that they ran every camera in the test to it's failure. In any case think about how these test were conducted, did the cameras get burned at 1:4000 second with endless power supply? If it can last for that long I trust it. Nikon makes great products and if you have a problem Nikon should stand behind it.

[K1W1]

So how much uneconomic on consumer bodies

Products built to last there expected life no built to last an infinite period.
Have you ever wondered why mobile phones all die when they are around two years old which just happens to be the typical contract length?
Same with cameras. Consumer level products are built to last a couple of years and that's all because the manufacturers know that consumers will be upgrading to the next or next plus one generation by that stage.

[Cyberwlf]

Yeah good ole built in obsolescence !

[wirehunt]

Products built to last there expected life no built to last an infinite period.
Have you ever wondered why mobile phones all die when they are around two years old which just happens to be the typical contract length?
.


Shit, I'm doing good to get 12 months out of one, in fact that's never happened.

[herc182]

mine is around 16004 (by "Around" I mean "precisely" according to Opanda)...

Hmmm...that is not that much! Better get HDRing...

Funny quote from a british magazine on HDR:

"One guy had his DSLR permanently set to autobracketing so he could HDR every scene. Whenever he hit the shutter button, it felt like we were under enemy attack and I kept looking for places to hide..."