sensor life

i have a 10D that i bought used to satisfy my photography habit. i was really into film when i started shooting and

when i did some figuring and found that a roll of film costs about 25 dollars or so to have it developed ( as walmart

and most of my local drug stores no longer develope film) ( well walgreens does but only color print film and its still 7

dollars a roll plus the film but it makes me happy just to do it some times.). anyway it costs in developing and

printing or scanning, shipping, and the actual cost of the film about 20+ dollars per roll, and while i like shooting it

that gets a bit expensive. not to mention i am not nearly as thrilled about my first roll of kodachrome comming back

usually fairly well exposed but dreadfully blue in color and not nearly as sharp as i would have expected for some

reason.

from shooting the 10D for a few months i have learned that it is a little on the old side and that electronics as well as

mechanical shutters fail, and this camera is definitely well used. the problem is that i am going on 7+ month

deployment in the next year and i am curious as to whether or not this camera will still be around or if i should try

and buy a new one. but new ones cost a lot of money too and i am wondering if some one knows how long the

sensors in these cameras are supposed to last or what signs they give (if any) before they fail. should i try and get

the shutter replaced before i leave so that i can expect it to last or am i just going to have to find some way of buying

a new camera, hopefully but not likely as good as this one for my budget.

any advice would be greatly appreciated.

jason

Sensors have enormous lives: longer than the the mechanical components of your camera, such as the shutter, mirror, or controls...

 

Unfortunately, just about nothing in the camera (shutter, mirror, sensor, processor) gives much of a "sign" before it fails.

thank you joseph for the reply.

so would it make sens possibly to just make sure the shutter is in good working order before i go and not worry to much about it....?

Jason,

 

wow, what a post. You need to slow down! Replacing the shutter in a well used 10D makes absolutely no sense. It would cost more than the camera is worth. If you have indeed intermittent shutter failure, then it is time to buy a new camera. You can get great deals on used 20Ds or even 30Ds. Since the introduction of the new 50D, even the 40D prices have come down

Jason, I don't know where you are going, but maybe the base/post has a PX/BX Ask around. It's been a few years since I was in, but back "in the days" I could get some pretty good deals there. Email me private (USAF 8 years) if you want, but I say if it's not broke don't replace it. Also if you are going to some place where it's sandy, maybe a point and shoot will more than fit this bill. I'm sure you can get a good P&S for less than 150.00 at the base exchange. If it were me, I would go for the smaller camera especially if I was going to a hostile environment. I mean by that for the camera and or you. I would rather lose a $125 camera due to it getting full of sand then a $1000 camera plus lens. Steve

no, not so much sand at sea. and we go all over the place. unfortunately it means not being in port very often but when we are i like to be able to take pictures to give to my family and stuff. i tried the point and shoot last one but i was getting very very tired of fighting with it to make it do what i wanted to do. it is an option but i really would rather not. as far as buying somethig over seas... well the euro is about1.5x the dollar so... the stuff cost about 1.5 x's more. a canon rebel in spain = 599 euro. here its about 599 or so dollars. i dont know where we are going this time but... i dont expect to have better luck than this. its not the end of the world but...

thank you for your responses

My first digital -- a circa 1997 Olympus 1.3MP p&s that I keep around for situations where I wouldn't want to risk/sacrifice a "real" camera -- still takes OK pictures. However, there are a few hot pixels that weren't there a decade ago.

 

My 10D is built like a tank and is still pulling strong. It *slightly* outperforms my fairly new 5D in noise. My only complaints about it are that it is SLOW to process images and that it has a crop-frame sensor. Other than that, it's a fine camera.

 

Regarding worn-out shutters: I've read about those. Yes, it happens. ;-) However, only the rare camera gets worn out. Most get relegated to the "hopelessly obsolete" cabinet, and the 10D isn't quite there yet.

 

If the camera isn't too slow for you, just use it and enjoy it. No need to spend more money.

Hi Jason,

 

If you wish, have the camera tuned up, checked out and cleaned at a local camera repair shop, then spend any other remaining budget on lenses. They are far more important to how your images will look than the camera body, anyway.

 

I bought my 10D in 2003 or 2004 and still have it. It's now backup to a pair of 30Ds, but sees occasional use. Works fine. So, don't worry about it unless you see some signs of problems.

 

Pick up a copy of the "Magic Lantern" or one of the other similar guide books specifically for the camera to really learn how to use it well. The instruction manual is important too, but the guide book expands on that and can help you get the most out of your 10D.

 

I have mine fitted with the vertical/battery grip, which is an essential accessory for me. I wish all the grips Canon's offered for subsequent models were as nicely designed and made as the 10D's!

 

10D is an easy to use, nice camera. It's very capable of producing excellent images up to moderate enlargement (say 11x14 or so).

 

Enjoy it.

yeah i really love the camera. and i dont really want to replace it. especially not at the moment. so i really appreciate all the advice. its good to kind of know a bit more about the whole thing.

thank you.

jason