What are Camera Actuations?

I recently sold my Nikon D300 on eBay. I stated that the camera had been used in approximately 20 photo shoots.

I shoot about 1,000 photos per shoot so that would be about 20,000 shots. The buyer is requesting a refund saying

that I misrepresented the camera. He's concerned about the number of "actuations." What are "actuations?" Is

one actuation the equivalent of pressing the shutter one time? He seems to think this is far too many shots. How

many is too many? I've taken hundreds of thousands of shots with my D80 & it still works great. I can't imagine any

professional that wouldn't take large numbers of photos with their camera.

I suppose it's not a question of what's reasonable, it's a question of the buyer's expectations and how you represented it in your description. Yes, an "actualtion" is a shutter release. Click.

 

I don't recall what the D300's shutter is rated by Nikon to suport ... 100,000 actuations? It's a young camera, and perhaps the buyer wasn't expecting it to be a fifth of the way through its likely life already.

If you didn't tell the buyer that you shot 1,000 photos per shoot, that probably was was more actuations than he anticipated. Actuations are simply shutter cycles. 20 shoots seems like a lot less that 20,000 images--should be that big a deal on a D300 BUT you probabkly should have stated the usage more clearly.

"I don't recall what the D300's shutter is rated by Nikon to suport ... 100,000 actuations?"

 

Matt, the D300 is rated at 150,000 actuations. Obviously many photogs will go way above that number without problems.

 

As to the OP, I guess it depends on how you presented this to a buyer. Personally I wouldn't be real concerned about 20,000 actuations as long as the price reflected this usage. However, if all you said was "20 photo shoots," as a buyer I would think you meant very negligible usage.

 

Cameras are like most other things. They are a function of usage. That's not to say your D300 will fall apart any time soon, only that the more use it gets, the more likely it gets closer to needing service. This should be considered in the selling price.

A cameras' mechanical shutter are kind of like the odometer on your car. It depends on who's driving it, and whether or not

you've got a lemon. I know of some who's D200 cameras died after 30,000 actuations (really small amount). The shutter is

one of the the most fragile parts of the camera. It's amazing that it works at all when you think about it!

 

Joseph

Sounds you misled the buyer. If i was a buyer, I would ask the same thing.

I think you were anxious to sell your camera, and the buyer was recklessly hoping to get a bargain.

 

Caveat emptor, "Let the buyer beware". You did not actually tell a lie, but your discription was misleading by admission, in my opinion. The buyer read into your discription what they wanted to believe.

 

Caveat venditor, "let the seller beware". Now you have a disgruntled buyer on your hands.

 

Personally, I would except return of the camera and refund the buyer's money, less shipping. Relist the Nikon D300 on eBay with an accurate actuation count.

 

BTW, why are you selling this camera? What's up with that?

Thanks, everyone! If the buyer had asked I would have found out how to detect the actuations & would have told him. It was not my intention to mislead anyone. I really didn't think that the number was that significant - as I said, I have hundreds of thousands of actuations on my D80 & it still works like it did when it was new. Another problem is that I no longer have the money as I used it to pay my rent & utility bills.

 

I sold my camera (and all my studio equipment) due to the economy. Last year I made a little over $125,000.00 but this year I've only made $5,000.00 so far. I had to pay my bills & that seemed to be the only option. I'm really devestated because it was my life-long dream to become a photographer. I spent my life savings opening my studio. I'm moving back to my home town & will get a "regular" job. Right now I'm just trying to survive & not end it all.

It sounds like the buyer was expecting the camera to be nearly new..instead the person found a camera with high usage..The answer is to offer a full refund including shipping..

I don't like the sound of, "Right now I'm just trying to survive & not end it all."

Life is precious Skyy, and things will get better for you, I guarantee it.

 

My oncologist told me that I had terminal cancer and gave me 1 to 1 1/2 years to live. That was over 2 years ago! With the help of chemotherapy and the support of some very positive people, I have adopted the attitude that I am going to live. I refuse to dwell on the negative, and I will not give up fighting.

 

Don't give up, Skyy. No matter how bad a day you have, wake up the next morning and come out swinging.

I don't think that you misled the buyer at all. If he's so concerned about the number of shutter actuations he should

have asked before bidding.

 

I don't know how much he paid for your camera, but maybe you can offer a small refund to make him happy. The

problem with taking the camera back is what if the buyer somehow damaged the camera while he had it, and wants

to return it now, you'd be out of recourse.

 

If you do end up taking the camera back, the buyer is liable for all the shipping charges. That's standard, even if you

buy from B&H. Good luck!

Well, how many actuations are we really talking about? .. Sounds like you gave an estimation that may have been inaccurate .. doesn't tell me though that you were necessarily deceptive. This sounds more like buyer remose and someone wishing they had bought the D700 (speculation). If the buyer was concerned about actuations why did he not ask prior to placing a bid? I've seen a lot of cameras sold on eBay and seldom does anyone ask about actuations .. and I'm not sure actuations is even relevent to determining when a camera is worn out. Surely, buying a camera from a photographer who is pursuing the craft full time means defacto .. lots of pictures. If someone wants new they should buy new. 20,000 actuations is nothing for this camera.

Folks, it's not our business to speculate about motivations. The question was about what constitutes an actuation. The rest of this verges on inappropriate speculation and personal correspondence. Please take such comments to private e-mail if you wish to continue.

 

But, since the topic has already been broached: Skyy, your portfolio shows some excellent work. *Do* give up your day job - if it involves anything other than photography - as soon as finances permit.

 

Back to the original question...

 

Some folks may also consider an actuation to be use of the DOF preview, mirror lockup or other actions that can potentially wear the mechanical parts of the camera. I don't know whether these are recorded as actuations in the EXIF or other data.

Lex, Nikon cameras only record shutter actuations as part of actual photography in the user-viewable data (though I have heard rumours to the effect that an MLU sequence for cleaning, etc, is also counted on the internal life-timer).

 

Skyy, you do have a few options here. While the seller did act recklessly in buying the camera without being sure of its specifications, you weren't as transparent as perhaps you could have been - especially given that a shoot can mean 100 images to some and 1,000 to others.

 

Given that there is nothing actually wrong with the camera, you might want to investigate a partial refund, rather than have to ship it back and relist it.

The usual meaning of actuations = number of times the shutter has been fired. This recent thread:

 

http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00QXGX

 

will give you several methods to determine this value, variously called 'shutter count', 'camera actuations', 'number of shutter releases', etc. You'll need the most recent shot taken with the camera, either as a NEF or an unedited jpeg (as it comes out of the camera).

Skyy, 20,000 actuations are not an unreasonable amount for a well cared for camera. My opinion is, that if the buyer had not been satisfied with

your statement of "20 photo shoots," then he should have made further inquiries as to what each photo shoot consisted of. If you want to be

honorable, then tell the buyer that you would be willing to share the cost of repairs to the shutter system should it need it prior to it's life

expectancy. Meanwhile, go on with your life; opportunities come and go everyday.

I have wondered what camera actuations were, i kind of figured it was shutter releases, dang i was right!, by the way skyy, excellent portfolio. As far as the economy goes it will turn around it always does, things may be tight for a while but it will get better. Take the above advice, when things turn around economically quit the day job. you're a very talented photographer.

I figure that if a buyer is not satisfied for any reason at all and the camera description did not state all sales are final then a refund is in order. Shipping charges are not particularly important but could be negotiated. Maybe a split on that with both sides taking 1/2 the loss. The camera can be sold again.

You can make a paypal claim if:

 

* You paid for an item but didn't receive it, or

 

* You paid for and received an item, but it was significantly different from the item description.

 

But it doesnt sound like that was the case. If you said no returns then its done, and if you specified a return by time, and its past, then you also are unreasponsible.

 

IMHO, with a digital camera, 1000 shots per shoot isnt that much. Back in the film days 550 rolls might have seemed like a lot, but now, a pro might shoot that much in two weeks.

I guess if I had read read "20 photoshoots" I would have interpreted that the seller was implying that it had fairly low mileage as a selling point - probably around 1000 to 5000 shots. 20 000 shots strikes me as moderate to a medium level of useage.

 

While one could fault the buyer for not asking more questions, I guess if I was the buyer I wouldn't have asked as I would have taken the "20 photoshoots" as under 10 000 and it is bit pointless knowing the exact number.

 

If you think the buyer got a bargain you could offer a full refind and sell it again possibly for as much or more. On the other hand if the bidding was quite high this probably reinforces the case that buyers misinterpreted your statement. A fair compromise would be a partial refund to what might be considered fair market value.

I'll quote myself from yesterday to avoid aggravation:

 

"Folks, it's not our business to speculate about motivations. The question was about what constitutes an actuation. The rest of this verges on inappropriate speculation and personal correspondence. Please take such comments to private e-mail if you wish to continue."

 

The question has been answered.

Since the original question has already been answered, I am going to close the discussion.