The shelf-life of a DSLR camera

Did you know that DSLR camera have an expected shutter-life on their camera? This is the number of times the shutter is activated (actuations) before the mechanism fails. Although it is not an absolute figure, it does exit.

You see, on a good days shooting, a normal film SLR camera could use up 10 rolls of film (200 - 300 shots) compared to thousands on a DSLR camera where multiple shots are standard. With this type of increased usage there is a limit before failure sets in and in reality it's probably a good time to sell your camera. A good indication is when the shutter gets stuck.

So what is the expected shutter-life. Well from what I've been reading it ranges from 50,000 actuations for an amateur DSLR to 225,000 for the high models.

Here is a comment by Chuck Westfall, Director of Media and Customer Relationship Camera Division - Canon U.S.A., Inc:

"EOS-1N Service Life: Canon Factory Service has established a repair policy for the EOS-1N, EOS-3 and EOS-1V 35mm SLRs that basically considers these cameras Beyond Economical Repair when the number of shutter actuations exceeds a certain limit. In the case of the EOS-1N, that limit is 140,000 actuations. For the EOS-3 and EOS-1V, it's 225,000 actuations. Incidentally, the advertised shutter life expectancy for the EOS-1N was 100,000 actuations, not 150,000. The advertised shutter life expectancy for EOS-3 and EOS-1V is 150,000 actuations. "

Considering the high number of shots taken by a DSLR camera these days, the rated shutter-life is not that long.

So for sellers, the best time to sell your DSLR camera is between 50,000 - 150,000 actuations with the higher range applying to the higher spec cameras. On the other hand when you consider the advances in new technology with new models appearing every 18 months it may not be an issue if you decide to update your camera regularly.

For buyers best to buy a second hand DSLR with under 50,000 actuations.