Why the Shutter Count Matters DSLR cameras, like the SLR cameras they replaced, have very few moving parts. The two largest (and most important) moving parts are the main reflex mirror (the mirror that allows you to look through the lens from the viewfinder and that swings up and out of the way when you take the photo) and the shutter. Between the two of these devices the mechanical shutter is radically more delicate and prone to failure over the life of the camera. In the video below you can see how the mirror swings up out of the way, and the shutter opens and closes to allow light to land on the digital sensor. Watching the shutter slam open and closed in slow motion really emphasizes how much abuse such a tiny and delicate part really endures. Practically speaking, if your camera survives the first few months without failing the electronics are solid and they will more or less last indefinitely. The shutter, however, is like the engine of a car and eventually it will reach the end of its lifecycle and fail to actuate properly. At this point the camera is rendered non-operational and you’ll either be paying for an expensive repair (easily $400-500) or if you’re a very brave do-it-yourselfer you can typically find replacement shutters on eBay for around $100 (but you’ll be responsible for taking apart your sophisticated and tiny-part-packed camera and conducting the repair yourself). In light of how catastrophic and expensive a shutter failure is it’s worth both checking the shutter count both on cameras you own (to get a rough estimate of how much life is left in the camera) and on used cameras you’re considering purchasing (after all a premium camera at rock bottom prices isn’t such a deal if it’s 20,000 shutter cycles past the average failure point). Let’s look at how you check the shutter count and what to do with the data you find. How to Check the Shutter Count There are several ways to check the shutter count of a camera and all of them rely on either having access to the camera, access to an image created by the camera, or both. Fortunately many manufacturers embed the number of shutter cycles/actuations in the EXIF data of the pictures produced with that camera so you can examine a recent photo taken with a given camera and see how many clicks are on the shutter. Checking with CameraShutterCount.com It’s because of the aforementioned EXIF data that the handy website works across so many camera models. You can upload a picture to the site, the site will read the EXIF data, and fire back not just with the shutter count but the life cycle of the camera (based on the manufacturer’s estimated shutter life for your camera model). You can check the bottom of the main page to see if your camera manufacturer/model is listed as a confirmed working model. Canon Eos Software For MacEven if you don’t see your camera listed it doesn’t hurt to upload a picture and try it it out. Manually Check the EXIF Data While the CameraShutterCount website is convenient you may be unable to use it (because your manufacturer is unsupported) or you may not wish to use it (because you don’t want to share any image data with a third party). In such cases you can manually search the EXIF data of a sample image using a wide variety of EXIF-related tools. New Software to grabbing EOS Shutter Count. Beginner's Guides Getting Started In-depth testing Latest Camera Reviews Beyond the. Tutorial on how to get shutter count on recent Canon EOS camera. EOS Utility is an application that brings together functions to communicate with the camera. These functions include downloading and displaying images, remote shooting, and camera control for each setting. For download instructions follow the steps below. Have your camera's Serial Number ready before you begin. Download Instructions • Select your model on the left side of this page. Once you arrive at the product support page follow these instructions. • Select the “Drivers & Downloads” tab • Select the “Software” tab • Find the “EOS Utility” and click the “SELECT” button • File description will open and click “I have read and Agree to terms” message once you agree the download button will turn red and you will be able to click and download the utility **Note: If EOS Utility Software is not listed. Download the “EOS Digital Solution Disk Software” This download contains EOS Utility among other software for your camera. **Note: “EOS Utility Updater” is only an update, not the full software. Only download this if you have EOS Utility already installed on your computer. ![]() Eos Count SoftwareShutter Count Number is important – A DSLR’s shutter will eventually fail Just as with any piece of mechanical equipment, a camera has a lifetime that is based on the number of shutter actuations otherwise known as shutter clicks or the shutter count. Sooner or later, your DSLR’s shutter will wear, slow down and eventually stop functioning. At this point, you may either need to have the shutter replaced or purchase a new camera.
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