How many acuations on new Nikon

[marnie_giggs]

<p>Purchased a brand new Nikon DSLR and it has over 900 acuations (shutter count).<br>

While I might expect 50 or 100 I was surprised at over 900. Should I exchange it for another? Is there such a thing as a "factory seal" on Nikon DSLRs? Piece of tape or shrink wrap?</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>A brand new one should have zero shutter actuation count. IMO, 900 is not a big deal; what is more important is whether that camera is completely working properly.</p>

<p>I have captured 2000 images in an hour. Obviously that was an extreme situation, but 900 is really no big deal in the bigger picture. Of course, not everybody feels that way.</p>

[Sandy Vongries]

<p>Slightly used -- if you paid full price, as Shun said, not a big deal, BUT, not what you ordered. I'd contact the seller for significant discount or replacement, S/B your call. Buy new, you should get new. Good luck with it!</p>

[ronald_duren]

<p>I think what you have been sold is an open box special. It's an item maybe used on display or returned to the store it should have the full manufacturer warranty. I would ask for a discount (15-20%) or return the camera.</p>

[rodeo_joe1]

900 actuations is too high to be a random factory

QC check. I think one of my Nikons came with a

shutter count of 15, but I didn't think it any big deal.

900 shots is another matter entirely and would seem to

indicate that the camera isn't brand new. Ex-demo

would be my guess.

 

Or maybe some warehouse worker borrowed it for the weekend before shipping it!

[Dieter Schaefer]

<blockquote>

<p>900 is not a big deal</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Not in terms of shutter count per se, but it IS a big deal if the camera is sold as new without a discount.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Should I exchange it for another?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Either that or try to get a discount on the purchase price.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Is there such a thing as a "factory seal" on Nikon DSLRs?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Not that I am aware of.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Again, my opinion is that as long as a camera is working perfectly fine, whether it has 0 shutter actuation or 1000 shutter actuation when you receive it has no meaningful difference, but there maybe a big difference psychologically. Since I shoot a lot of wildlife, I can easily rack up 1000 actuations in an hour or two, and I don't think my camera is suddenly worse after an hour of usage.</p>

<p>Whether one should use this as an excuse and opportunity to seek a discount is a separate topic.</p>

<p>I have received quite a few new Nikon DSLRs. They usually have zero actuation when they arrive. They could have done some testing at the factory, but most likely they reset the counter afterwards. Just because the number shows zero doesn't necessarily mean the camera has never been used. The issue is this number in the counter that is playing tricks in our brain.</p>

[marc_rochkind]

<p>One reason why I hesitate to buy from my local retailer is that they handle a small volume of high-end equipment, and they're always opening boxes to let potential customers play with the cameras. So, your camera may not have been returned, but it may have been operated.</p>

<p>When I buy locally, I always ask for an unopened box. Occasionally I have to wait a few days. Oddly, this makes the local retailer much less convenient than one hundreds of miles away, such as Amazon.</p>

[blumesan]

<p>My concern would not be the number of shutter actuations but rather the conditions under which these shots were taken. In the camera shop or in a damp or dusty environment; multiple lens changes; etc. The camera has obviously been used, but how carefully used is the question?</p>

[Andrew Garrard]

<blockquote>In the camera shop or in a damp or dusty environment; multiple lens changes; etc.</blockquote>

 

<p>That question can say a lot about the type of "camera shop", too. A dedicated camera store might quickly mount a lens on the camera for you and let you play, although a few have had a less paranoid attitude to floating dust than I have. The number of department and electronics stores I've seen who've had the mirror box exposed with no body cap on terrifies me - I keep expecting to see fingerprints on a mirror (or occasionally a sensor, on a mirrorless camera), and if there aren't large bits of fluff in there it's a win. Likewise rear lens elements. I am, of course, trusting that online retailers aren't doing the same.</p>

[nishnishant]

<p>I'd return it and get another. Just the psychological thought that it's not new would get to me :-)</p>

[dan_brown4]

<p>I remember the local camera shop salesman showing me how to clean the reflex mirror using a huff of his breath and a Q-Tip on a brand new F5. Somebody bought that camera, but it wasn't me ;-)</p>

[Andrew Garrard]

<p>Dan - I've probably done that to my F5 (to be fair, very gently). But that's because I can pull the prism off my F5 and take the screen out to clean bits of it, stuff gets in when the back's open (I don't dare think about what may have fallen in when I put infrared film in under a duvet...), and most importantly the "Nikon F5"-branded body cap is push-on rather than bayonet and keeps falling off. Oh, and the camera's missing quite a lot of paint and only cost me £200 several years ago. I sometimes use it to demonstrate how shutters and apertures work to people, although it gets used for photos too. The good thing about a film camera is that if you get crud on a film frame, it probably won't be there on the next frame (although it's a bit less trivial to get rid of it on your one perfect shot). With a DSLR, whatever gets on the sensor is going to stay there until it's properly cleaned, which is not trivial in a house as full of cat hair as mine. I'm nervous about just owning a Petzval because of the slot the Waterhouse stops go in; my (reflector) telescope mount makes me nervous, too, since that's a completely open tube to the sensor. I'm glad others have fun with their pinhole DSLR shots, though!</p>

[derek_thornton1]

<p>Marnie, that is very high count for a new unit. About four years ago I bought a refurbished D600. The first thing I checked when I got it was the # of actuation's. I was expecting about 7,000+ and was shocked that it only had 300! I got a huge discount for that purchase. For all those people who do not know how to clean a sensor, I thank you! I absolutely love my D600.</p>

<p>Please let us know what you did Marnie. I will start checking future purchases, if I can ever afford a new unit!</p>

[marnie_giggs]

<p>Here is the update...I was on holiday shortly after so only updating now</p>

<p>Called the store and they said I could bring it back. Different salesperson as the original one was not there that day. They were very apologetic and exchanged for another one. Salesperson was curious and queried their system to get to the bottom of it. Turns out it had been sold and returned. Their process is to send it back to HQ to get checked out, make sure there are no memory cards in it etc and then sell as open box.</p>

<p>I thought about going for the discount but the camera was already on sale so left with the new one.</p>

<p>Thanks everyone for your answers!</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Thanks for the follow up. I am glad it all works out for you.</p>