How many shots in a camera's lifetime?

[OceanSea]

How many shots can you get from a single point and shoot camera before it starts to fail? I have a Canon A560 that I got in December 2007 and it has 5,000 to 6,000 shots taken on it. It still works but I am going on a cruise in September and want to make sure that it will be ok since I anticipate taking around 2,000 pictures on the trip.

 

Is there a limit to the number of shots a camera typically has in its lifetime?

[chipmaster]

The shutterlife makes much more sense for DSLR that have a moving mechism that moves the mirror/focus assembly to expose the sensors when taking a picture. For point and shoot cameras when you turn it on you are viewing the image thru the sensor so there isn't so much a shot life as electronic life of the sensor/LCD and other electronics.

 

You could look at some user inputed date here: http://olegkikin.com/shutterlife/sitemap.php

 

The battery, switches and lens extension / retraction are likely more likely to fail before the electronics. If you are happy with your current image quality and performance there is no reason to get a new camera. If you have a few hundred dollars to spend buying a new camera today will bring you signficant performance improvement. The improvement will be things like startup, focus, shot to shot, and maybe low light and video performance but for most pictures you may not see a measurable better image quality.

 

If you are planning 2000+ pictures make sure you got an extra battery, don't lose your charge and have lots of extra cards. The camera is likely not going to limit you. If worst comes to worst I know on every cruise ship them selling entry P&S for less then entry prices but still not highway robbery.

 

Happy shooting

 

How many shots can you get from a single point and shoot camera before it starts to fail? I have a Canon A560 that I got in December 2007 and it has 5,000 to 6,000 shots taken on it. It still works but I am going on a cruise in September and want to make sure that it will be ok since I anticipate taking around 2,000 pictures on the trip.

 

Is there a limit to the number of shots a camera typically has in its lifetime?

[donaldsc]

Lots more than the number you are planning to take.

 

DON

[pierces]

Over 8,000 on my Canon SD800 and 10,000+ on my old Minolta G500 (daughter is still shooting with it).

 

10,000 is a safe bet on a quality point & shoot like yours.

 

Dave

[OceanSea]

Thank you all so much. I am very happy with the image quality, except for the occassional blurry night shot, which I am getting a tripod for.

 

Thanks again!

[bruce-r]

Over 8,000 on my Canon SD800 and 10,000+ on my old Minolta G500 (daughter is still shooting with it).

 

10,000 is a safe bet on a quality point & shoot like yours.

 

Dave

 

Yep, unless your underwater housing leaks. :eek:

[TheMsmrow]

I have heard about 10,000. Of course, that depends on how you care for it, etc. You should be fine, but as other PPs said, you can plan for a "back up" purchase if necessary. Happy picture-taking on your cruise.

[zackiedawg]

I've done 15K plus on some of my older P&S cameras - as mentioned, other things will fail likely long before any shutter failure issues. How a camera is cared for makes a big difference. My 2005 Sony H1 is still in my closet with 8,000 clicks, and works fine. My 2006 Sony H5 has even more - 15,000+ clicks, and for the past 2 years has lived in my stepfather's hands still faithfully accompanying him on cruises as his main camera. I have no idea how many it's up to now - he probably shoots 200-300 per cruise, and cruises 5-6 times a year...so I'd guess he's added 1,600-2,000 more shots.

 

No worries...treated well, and assuming quality build to begin with, you should be very far from the maximum lifespan possibility for your camera.

[chasetf]

I got over 25,000 on my Sony P1. :D

 

It was (and still does) working fine and the only reason I replaced it was the LCD would "flicker" off. If I thumped it with my thumb it would come back on. It just got irritating and embarassing when taking a picture. Thump / click.... thump / click......:mad:

[PennyAgain]

I don't travel with only 1 camera. I always have a back up camera. You are spending so much for the trip, how would you feel if you dropped your only camera in the ocean?

 

It happens!

[Aplmac]

Most modern shutters are good for around 150,000 cycles. ;)

.

[pierces]

Most modern shutters are good for around 150,000 cycles. ;)

.

 

 

While true for high-end DSLR, entry level DSLRs and, especially, compact cameras are fitted with somewhat less robust shutter assemblies.

 

Here's a sampling of manufacturer's ratings.

 

Canon 5D MkII - 150,000 Cycles

Canon 50D - 100,000 Cycles

Canon 1Ds mk III - 300,000 Cycles

Canon Rebel T2i - "Canon does not release shutter durability ratings for EOS Rebel class cameras as it is not a common specification that consumers for that product request. Shutter durability ratings are provided for professional and semi professional models as they could be important factors in the purchase decision. Canon shutter durability ratings are not a guarantee, nor covered under warranty. They simply test using Canon standard testing conditions. So, any Rebel class cameras have no "official" shutter durability rating"

 

That was a reply to a reviewer requesting a shutter rating. Most manufacturers don't specifically post shutter ratings for entry-level DSLRs but will provide them to reviewers on request (Canon no longer does, apparently). I would guess somewhere between the 50,000 that the old Rebel XT was rated at and 100,000

 

Nikon D3/D3x - 300,000 Cycles

Nikon D300/D300s - 150,000 Cycles

Nikon D90 - 100,000 Cycles

Nikon D3000 - 100,000 Cycles

 

Sony DSLRs - 100,000 Cycles

 

For any entry-level DSLR, 30,000-50,000 cycles should be expected and more would not be a cause for surprise.

 

Compact cameras don't list expected shutter life but, based on experiences of myself and others I've talked to, 10,000 actuations without an issue should be expected and I have heard of as many as 100,000+ with Sony Cybershot and Canon Powershot cameras.

 

Remember, the numbers represent Mean Time Between Failure, which is an average expected lifespan compiled from product testing under controlled conditions. In forums you see people complaining about their $8k Canon DLSR crashing a shutter before the counter rolls over at 10,000 and others with a quarter-million shots on a $1300 40D without a hitch.

 

Unless you are a working pro (or a really, really avid amateur) and fire off 10,000 shots a month, you will likely replace the camera with something shiny and new before the shutter is anywhere near death.

 

Happy shooting!

 

Dave

[chipmaster]

If we are talking about MTBF or the nebulous marketing numbers people totally get confused with this! It does not mean that because the average is 150,000 that for everyone that gets one to 300,000 there is some guys who's camera dies upon arrival.

 

The failure of complex device involve many factors that go into the final numbers that are spit out. A complex machine like car, or camera the falure rate is NOT symetrically distributed but an exponential distribution!

 

Statistically if you look at a large enough group of "cameras" many things come into play when manufactures gurantee a number. There is usage intensity, temperature etc. etc. THis number is often estimated based on accelerations and guardbands as few have the time in prototype stage to actually ever test their shutters, cars or whatever to the the stated numbers. How many cameras and how much time is a manufacturing going to spend to get the 50,000 or the 150,000 or the 300,000 number and if they do it over the span of 4 days.. what does it all mean for the normal user:D

 

150,000 cycles done in 6 months is very different than 150,000 cycles done shooting a thousand pictures a month ( that is 333 pictures a day ) you would take 150 months. This is further muddled by the warranty situation and expectation and preception the camera companies will want to maintain for various lines of cameras. Do 150,000 on your Sony a350 in the first month and I can assure you it won't get fixed for free. Return a similar camera after 1 year out of warranty with only 1,000 clicks and they might fix it for free.

 

So its not a average/mean in the classical sense. People should get over worrying about it as Pierces said you'll want a shiny new camera far sooner than the one you has dies unless you treat it poorly or shoot sports like I do and can do 3000-5000 a day easily :eek:

 

Most modern shutters are good for around 150,000 cycles. ;)

.

[pierces]

I don't travel with only 1 camera. I always have a back up camera. You are spending so much for the trip, how would you feel if you dropped your only camera in the ocean?

 

It happens!

 

And then there's that... :D

 

$100 compact or $30,000 Hasselblad H3...they're all paperweights at the bottom of a tide pool!

 

I agree wholeheartedly. A good compact or a second body as a backup is good "trip insurance".

 

Dave

[chasetf]

Most modern shutters are good for around 150,000 cycles. ;)

.

But..... as in my case.......Other things can break or malfunction on a camera....;)