What's Your Shutter Count?

<p>A re-visit to an 'old' question. If you participated in this thread: <a href="../pentax-camera-forum/00NSdv">http://www.photo.net/pentax-camera-forum/00NSdv</a>, remind us how many shutter actuations you had then, and how many you have now. If you didn't, post your count and maybe we'll do this again in a couple years.</p>

<p>Remember: File name is not an accurate way to count actual shutter cycles, especially if you use the digital DOF preview much, but there are other ways to mess it up too.</p>

<p>If you don't know how to check your EXIF to get a good count, there are a few threads in here on that topic (<a href="../pentax-camera-forum/00NvNG">http://www.photo.net/pentax-camera-forum/00NvNG</a> & <a href="../pentax-camera-forum/00PI30">http://www.photo.net/pentax-camera-forum/00PI30</a> for starters). I use a Mac, but I have XP on a boot camp partition that I run a few things on - one being Photo ME (http://www.photome.de/). Photo ME lists the number as 'Shutter Count.' If someone has a good utility for the Mac to check this number, post it here. I've got two K10D's, and I can't tell you which is which. Neither has ever had any service.</p>

<p>November 27, 2007:</p>

<p>K10D #1: 5154<br>

K10D #2: 4233</p>

<p>November 7, 2009:</p>

<p>K10D #1: 24, 918 (Now has a Katz Eye)<br>

K10D #2: 21,157</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Sounds like fun. I know I retired my K10D after some 42000 shutter counts and it took me dropping the camera off the peir in SantaMonica to do it in. Actually it only killed the shutter release button, but I do not know on my others. I will check when I get home.</p>

<p>Here is a creen shot from my most used K20D.<br>

<img src="http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp128/jgredline/Snap%20shots/ScreenShot008copy.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>I have no idea, Matt, and actually, I don't think I really care--should I? I may download that app though--looks like it might be useful. </p>

<p>On Mac, I just use the <a href="http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/">exiftool command line app</a> :<br>

exiftool 20091031-139.PEF | grep "Shutter Count"<br>

yields:<br>

Shutter Count : 2873<br>

...on my low-mileage K20D. My oldest body, the *ist DS2 has ~9715. I've shot the body in-between, the K10D, about as much as these two combined, 12149.<br>

Exiftool is also available for Windows, and can be used to both read & write EXIF information; useful for updating metadata like keywords. For example, I sometimes use a batch file/script to strip out certain keywords before uploading to the internet.</p>

<p>Just bought the camera (K110D) in August , as of November 6; I have 5056.</p>

<p>~Jack</p>

K20D bought late Nov 2008 (which replaced a mid-summer 2007 K100DS that I put about 6k on), 6092 clicks as of last night. Now, my "keeper" ratio is...? Hmmm, good question. That's what's really important, how many real keepers have I caught?

<p>18,985 on my K10D. <br>

I passed the 10,000 mark on November 18, 2008, and that took 18 months of ownership.<br>

So, about 9000 shots in the past year.<br>

Rick</p>

<p>Well, Dave, I guess I don't care if you care! :o)</p>

<p>The first time this question came up, I wondered how much I cared too. As I thought about it, there are a couple of interesting things that can be derived from this:</p>

<p>Life Span: 100,000 cycles is the rated life expectancy of the K10D shutter. There is certainly no guarantee that the shutter block or anything else in the camera will last 100,000 cycles, and I don't expect the camera to implode at actuation 100,001, but it's a baseline. Since I use them to make money and therefore they HAVE to work, I probably should start thinking about buying their replacements when they are somewhere in the 50,000 actuations neighborhood.</p>

<p>Practice: Certainly, the more you shoot, the better you should get. I think I'm a better photographer now than I was before I got my K10D's. While the instant feedback of the digital preview has something to do with this, I think a lot of it is the affordability of experimentation and practice. There's no way I could have afforded to pay for the processing on over 1,300 rolls of film (50,000/36) in the last 3 years! That factor alone shows how the cameras have paid for themselves. If you've shot 20,000 frames and have 3 good keepers, maybe it tells you that 'spray & pray' isn't working out for you.</p>

<p>Resale: As demonstrated by the aforementioned threads, the shutter count can be used to show how much a camera has been used. I'm not one to trade cameras off, so it matters little to me, but it certainly would to those who deal in the used camera market. When I decide to get a newer set of bodies, these will probably become a dedicated 3D rig, or used by my girls when they are a little bit older.</p>

<p>What do you think, guys? What other reasons can you think of for tracking your shutter count? </p>

<p>I do about 10K shutter actuations a year, but I haven't produced very many keepers. I think this is the fate of most amateurs.</p>

<p>Ironically I found it liberating to use an old P3N. The small size, light weight, and complete lack of controls was strangely.. compelling. Not being able to chimp the histogram really frees your mind in many ways.</p>

<p>I've had the K20D for about 13 months. I used PhotoME via Parallels on my Mac to ascertain the actuations.<br>

As of today: 28,853.</p>

<p>ME</p>

<blockquote>

<p>What do you think, guys? What other reasons can you think of for tracking your shutter count?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>The other major reason for use of the shutter count number, is by spouses needing quantitative evidence that you are taking way too many pictures.</p>

<p>ME, Guilty as charged.</p>

<p>K20D 1,250<br>

k10D 23,005<br>

*ist DS 17,430</p>

<p>My K100D 26483... Which is surprising since I thought it was closer to 36000, was sure it rolled over a third time... Anyhow... two years on that's where it is going...</p>

<p>Here's a good reason to check: I know the Katz-Eye gets used more for photo shoots, but I use the other for time-lapse projects. No sense in using one to death while leaving the other sitting on a shelf, right? As of today, here's the latest count:</p>

<p>K10D w/Katz-eye: 50,489<br>

The 'other' K10D: 35,097</p>

<p>Here's a good reason to check: I know the Katz-Eye gets used more for photo shoots, but I use the other for time-lapse projects. No sense in using one to death while leaving the other sitting on a shelf, right? As of today, here's the latest count:</p>

<p>K10D w/Katz-eye: 50,489<br>

The 'other' K10D: 35,097</p>

<p>Katz: 68k<br>

Other: 40k<br>

On the surface I seem to be slowing down, but I did buy a K-r a few years back. It was mostly for video, but it does make a nice travel/walkaround cam. I use it a lot at work too, but the K10Ds are still my go-to cameras for the paying jobs...</p>