Hello amateur photographers.

An article on how to find out the mileage of a Nikon camera will be useful not only to those who are going to buy it, but also to those who want to sell it.

Do you belong to the first category? Keep in mind that without checking this parameter, you can shell out half the cost of the purchased model, and a new one, to replace an important part.

Are you an honest seller? Then they must know the mileage of the product in order to establish its real price.

What is mileage and why is it important?

New cameras now cost so much money that many have no choice but to buy used ones. By the way, I also have a Nikon, which I, like you, had to take “from hand.” And I’ll tell you from my own experience, there’s nothing wrong with that - you can get a good working device if you check it carefully before purchasing.

Yes, visual defects are worth paying attention to. If the device has a lot of abrasions and chips, and the lens is scratched, it means that it was not taken care of and the “internals” may be damaged. In this case, it is advisable to let a specialist look at the device before purchasing. But a more important parameter to consider is mileage.

What is it?

Cameras have a shutter that closes and opens every time you press the shutter button. It is needed to prevent light from hitting the matrix. The shutter has a limited number of operations. This is what is called mileage. This option shows how many photos were taken.

So that you know what mileage is considered high, here are the general standards for shutters on different cameras:

• The simplest digital cameras have a resource of 20,000 frames;
• The same compact devices, but a higher class (pseudo-mirror) - 30,000 operations;
• Entry-level DSLRs have a service life of 50,000 times;
• Mid-range mirror devices can take from 50 to 70 thousand photos;
• If you are dealing with a semi-professional carcass, you have 80-100 thousand positives at your disposal;
• Professional cameras have a service life of 100-150 thousand times;
• Those professional devices that are intended for intensive use have a photography limit of, on average, 400,000 frames.

In particular, for popular Nikon models the numbers are as follows:

• D40 - 10-20 thousand;
• D70, D80, D90, D200, D3100, D5000 - 100 thousand,
• D300, D7000 - 150 thousand,
• D3, D3x - up to 300 thousand.

If the device you have chosen is not on the list, look at the characteristics in the product descriptions in online stores.

Methods for calculating mileage

To check the mileage, you need to see the photo's EXIF ​​properties. I'll give you a few examples of how you can do this.

For any of the methods, you will need a recent photo taken with the camera of your choice. It must be original, that is, not edited in Photoshop or anywhere else.

You can check your mileage online. It's simple: go to the website http://www.nikonshuttercount.com/, upload a photo and get the result. But there is not always access to the Internet. In this case, you should use another method.

Programs

There are a lot of special utilities to help photographers. One of them - Picasa 3 from Google. It has rich functionality, but for the purposes of this article we are only interested in the number of shutter operations.

After installing the program, open the photo through it. Go to the “Properties” window by pressing Alt+Enter. In the column on the right you will see different options, among which will be “Image number”.

As an alternative, the program is suitable for our purpose PhotoME. In this case, you should also upload a photo, after which the utility will display all the information about it. Scroll down the slider to the Manufacturer's Notes section. The “Shutter Count” line will contain the number you are looking for.

The Shutter Count Viewer, ShowExif, etc. applications operate on a similar principle.

Bright and positive shooting to you.

Every beginning photographer dreams of professional equipment, but alas, the cost of a new professional device is very high. Therefore, you have to look for used options. There is no need to be afraid of buying new equipment; you can often find a very good device among them.
Today we will talk about the carcass. As I already wrote in the article about photographic equipment, the main thing you should pay attention to on cameras is the shutter life, i.e. know how many shots were taken of it. We know very well that each mechanical unit has a certain resource. The less it is spent on the camera, the longer it will delight you with beautiful photographs. Therefore, it is quite reasonable that the question arises: how to find out the mileage of a camera?

Find out the mileage of a Nikon camera

If you buy a Nikon camera, then it’s very easy to find out how many shots were taken before you. This information is contained in the photo's properties. You need to install any program that can show EXIF. It looks like this:

The value of the Exif field is the serial number of the file, the total number of frames taken (shutter releases)

But if you like Canon, you won’t find out this information so easily.

Find out the mileage of a Canon camera

Yes, Canon does not display this information in the file properties, I will say more, it is there but hidden in such a way that it can only be pulled out at a service center. But apparently due to the relevance of the topic, sometimes various programs appear that allow you to find out the mileage of the camera. But new technology appears too quickly, so these programs become outdated quite quickly. Just recently, completely by accident, I came across a program that allows you to determine the mileage of such popular camera fields as 5d mark 2, 5d mark 3, 1d mark4 - this is precisely the equipment that is most actively sold and bought.

Installation progress is simple, as is the interface itself. Just launch the program, connect the camera with a USB cable, and a number will appear on the screen indicating how many frames were taken with the camera. It looks like this:

Every day on the Radozhiva website they ask me how to check a DSLR camera and lens when purchasing, especially when buying used. photographic equipment. Digital cameras are complex devices, and when purchasing, it is simply not possible to quickly check all the functionality of the camera.

Checking the camera. This picture shows the insides of the Nikon D700

Often the difficulty of testing lies in the fact that the store has neither the time nor the appropriate funds for full testing. Therefore, I advise you to perform a basic check in the store, and a more detailed check at home. For example, in Ukraine you can return goods within 14 days without any problems. You just need to save all the papers and boxes, and after 14 days of using the camera, any “critical bug” will appear on its own.

1. If it's a new camera, be sure to find out what warranty comes with it. Usually there is a warranty from the seller and an official warranty from the manufacturer. I recommend equipment with an official guarantee. You can see what an ‘official coupon’ of Nikon or Canon looks like on the Internet. However, according to the official guarantee, in the event of some kind of failure or malfunction, repairs will have to be carried out at the manufacturer’s service center. There are service centers not in all cities; in small towns, at best, there is a “reception point” that will send the equipment to the nearest large city, but not the repair shop itself.
2. Next, you should simply inspect the appearance of the camera; the new camera should be absolutely clean, like a piece of jewelry, without any scratches. The most important thing is to look at the battery; there is usually a sticker with the manufacturer’s hologram on it. Often, instead of the original battery, they slip in cheap Chinese batteries. True, recently modern cameras have good protection against “non-original” batteries. In most cases, the warranty does not cover the battery as the battery may wear out. The battery tends to ‘die’ and the service center will not replace it under warranty. Checking the battery is not so easy; to do this, you need to completely discharge it while shooting, and then charge it.
3. If this is a used camera. - then you need to pay attention to the anti-slip rubber bands on the body, they usually swell and come off, and to the screws, they must be clean, otherwise there is a risk that the camera was disassembled, which means that everything may not be all right with it. Usually, by the appearance of the camera, you can immediately see how hard the camera has been used.
4. The shutter of each SLR camera is designed for a certain number of operations (that is, a SLR camera, or rather its shutter, can take a certain “manufacturer-guaranteed” number of frames during its life). So, amateur cameras have a limit of 100-150,000 shots, after which the shutter may break. If the camera has run more than 50,000 frames, you should think about whether you need to buy it, since it has already used up half of its lifespan. Checking the mileage of some cameras (especially Nikon cameras) is very simple - just open the last image from a RAW, NEF camera or using a special program, for example, such as ShowExif, and in the ‘Total Number of Shutter Releases’ field see the number of frames taken. I don't know if it's possible to twist the counter back.
5. More It's worth checking the heart of the camera - its matrix. To do this, use a camera without a lens, with the bayonet cap on, in M ​​mode, take several long shots, and all noise reduction functions should be turned off. It is best to use these parameters: ISO 100, - 15sec. Then view the result with maximum magnification on a camera or on a computer display, and there should be no bright luminous pixels. In fact, hot, broken and colored pixels can appear over time, and if the camera has several such pixels, then you don’t have to bother and buy the camera. In any case, the decision is yours.
6. Also, you can take several pictures of a homogeneous object at the maximum closed aperture to check the contamination of the matrix. Usually cameras are sold with standard 18-55mm class lenses. With this lens, the easiest way to take a picture of the sky is with ISO 100, F/32, 55mm. The new camera should not have any extra “trash” in the image. BOO. The camera usually has a whole bunch of junk on the sensor. If the matrix is ​​heavily littered, you should think about whether such a camera is needed. Cleaning the matrix is ​​not easy and expensive.
7. When checking the lens, you should pay attention to ensure that it does not make unnecessary sounds when focusing, and that the lenses are clean. Checking for back and front focus requires a separate article. I don’t write about checking the back and front focus, because I know many cases where amateur photographers did the lens check incorrectly and then complained about its performance. Amateur photographers often have a whole bunch of imaginary problems with their cameras :)
8. You also need to check the built-in flash. You only need to take one photo with the flash to make sure it works. If you buy only a 'Body' (a camera without a lens), then set the camera to 'M' mode, turn on the flash by pressing the flash up button (usually it is located on the side of the built-in flash and has a lightning bolt icon) and press the shutter release. True, some cameras take their very first picture only with the ‘native’ lens attached to the camera.

My experience:

DSLRs and other cameras usually either work or they don't. If the camera has problems, then in just 1 hour of actively tinkering with the menu and taking test pictures, you can confidently find the problem. Usually the problem is various kinds of errors that appear on the camera display and after which the camera stops working. Errors may disappear after shutdown and then appear again. Another pitfall may be a non-obvious problem with the mirror or shutter sticking. Typically, the mirror or shutter may stick during continuous shooting and when the camera is oriented differently in space. I know of cases when the camera worked fine in a vertical case, but did not work at all in a horizontal one.

Conclusions:

Detailed camera checks are difficult. Not every person will be able to understand the intricacies. Therefore, I recommend that amateur photographers “drive the camera as hard as possible” in a variety of shooting modes for several days. If after such a “run” everything works perfectly, then there is 99% that everything is in order with the camera. It is very good if you have a friend who knows about cameras and who can help you check the camera.

In the comments, you can write down your testing methods and nuances that you have encountered in life - help others not to step on the same rake. Thank you for your attention. Arkady Shapoval.

DSLR cameras are very expensive digital devices, costing up to several thousand dollars, and therefore it is not surprising that the market for used DSLRs lives a busy life, which benefits everyone. The seller can sell the camera due to uselessness or buying a new model, and the buyer can buy an excellent camera for affordable money; this is also a good option for beginners.

The number of frames taken is the best characteristic of digital cameras. It is not the time of ownership of the camera, not the release date of the model, but the number of shots that determines the actual mileage of a DSLR or regular point-and-shoot camera. Manufacturers determine a certain resource for each camera - 50,000, 100,000, 200,000 frames that the camera will definitely take. Of course, after this milestone it will not necessarily break or fail, it’s just a guaranteed resource of the camera. Therefore, when justifying the price of a camera, both the seller and the buyer need to know the number of frames taken.

How to find out the number of frames of a DSLR from EXIF ​​data

The numbering of frames is easy to change, so to determine the actual mileage of the camera you need to look a little further - into the EXIF ​​data of the photos. However, not all programs and graphic editors see them, so below we offer you two programs for viewing EXIF ​​data.

Note: you should open original photo files taken with the camera, and not processed in Photoshop or another graphic editor!

ShowEXIF program

ShowEXIF does not require installation, just download the program and run it. On the left side of the screen in the directory tree, open the desired folder and the photo in it. A list of file characteristics will appear on the right side - look for the line in it Total Number of Shutter Releases, which shows the number of shutter releases on a digital camera.


ShowEXIF is suitable for many Nikon models, so if you have a camera from another manufacturer or ShowEXIF does not work with your Nikon DSLR, use an alternative free program.

Shutter Count Viewer

Shutter Count Viewer is similar to the previous one, but supports more cameras. The principle of operation is the same - download, unzip, launch, open the file and look at the characteristics. In line Shutter Count the program will show the number of shutter operations, as well as its resource, which we discussed above.
You can download the program directly

How do you know when purchasing a camera that it is new and not used? And if you buy used equipment, how to assess the wear of the internal mechanisms of the device? Of course, only an authorized service center can carry out a complete diagnosis of the camera. However, for a quick preliminary assessment of the condition of the camera, it is worth finding out the mileage of the camera - how many frames have been taken on it at the moment.

How to assess the wear and tear of a camera? What is shutter life?

Cameras with interchangeable lenses, DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, are always equipped with a shutter. These mechanical shutters regulate the amount of light entering the camera sensor and measure the exact exposure time. Like any mechanism, the shutter is subject to wear and tear. Different camera models are equipped with different shutters, each of which has a certain guaranteed response life. So, for the shutters of the most affordable cameras it is only 15 thousand frames, but for advanced and professional level cameras it is already as much as 150–300 thousand. This does not mean at all that, having reached this figure, the mechanism will immediately stop - it can work much longer. Thus, the editors know of cases when the youngest amateur DSLRs worked out both 150 and 200 thousand frames. However, the life of the shutter will show how much reliability is built into the camera by the manufacturer.

Sony ILCE-7RM2 shutter

The analogy with cars suggests itself - with the same mileage, cars can be in completely different conditions, depending on how they were used. However, in both the automotive and photography industries, mileage will be an important factor in assessing the overall condition of the equipment. As with a car, the higher the mileage of the device, the lower its price will be.

Why is a high-mileage camera shutter dangerous? The old shutter handles shutter speeds less correctly, which means the exposure of the frame will also be inaccurate. When shooting at fast shutter speeds or using flash, black stripes may appear in the photo. The above is the reason to contact the service center to replace the shutter with a new one. Otherwise, the old shutter may simply jam at a certain moment.

Unfortunately, the shutter travel does not in any way reflect the number of videos recorded on the camera. After all, when shooting video, the shutter is always open, but wear and tear still occurs on the electronic components, matrix, processor, battery, body and controls. Therefore, when buying a used camera, ask the seller how actively video was recorded on this camera.

Even when buying a new camera, it is worth checking its shutter - and under the guise of new equipment, they may try to sell you a used or refurbished one.

How to find out the mileage of a camera?

How can you see how many frames have been taken by the camera at the moment? Note that some devices do not allow you to accurately find out your mileage, for example, FUJIFILM X series. Depending on the manufacturer and model of the camera, there are several ways to view data on the number of shutter releases. And we’ll start with universal services that are suitable for checking a large number of different camera models.

Camera Shutter Count

This service will help you check the mileage of your camera online. It mainly supports modern models from Nikon and Pentax, as well as some older cameras from Canon and Sony. Simply upload a raw JPEG or RAW to Camera Shutter Count and the result will appear in an instant.

EOSMSG Program

This application is installed on your computer and allows you to find out the mileage of Canon, Sony, Nikon and Pentax cameras - a complete list of supported models is on the program website. One drawback: on Windows 10 it only works in compatibility mode with Windows XP.

Viewing EXIF ​​data

Essentially, Camera Shutter Count simply finds mileage data in the EXIF ​​(capture data recorded directly into the photo file) of a photo. This means that we can detect them there ourselves. Data on shutter travel is recorded by Nikon cameras and some other models, such as Pentax. A convenient option is the Jeffrey’s Image Metadata Viewer service - it will help you see all the necessary data online. Simply upload the raw image and in the table that opens, find the “Shutter Count” item - the required number will be displayed there. We tested the performance of this method on Nikon D810 and Pentax K-1 cameras. So, the mileage of our Nikon D810 is 76599 frames.

How to find out the shutter mileage of a Canon camera?

In addition to the already mentioned EOSMSG, an online service has been created to check Canon cameras http://eoscount.com, which only works with the Internet Explorer browser. It does not work exactly the same as previous services - to obtain mileage data you need to connect the camera to the computer via USB. The EOSinfo utility works in the same way: install it on a PC, connect the camera and find out its mileage.

How to find out the mileage of a Sony camera online?

A special service has been created for cameras of this brand - it will allow you to see online how many frames your camera took. Thanks to this site, we were even able to find out the mileage of the Sony A7 Mark II camera, despite the fact that it is not in the list of supported models.

How can I see the mileage of cameras of other brands?

There are many brands of cameras left out of this article, because it’s simply not possible to write about all of them in a short article.

For example, with Olympus you can check your mileage through the service menu, but such a check entails a number of dangers, so we don’t talk about it here. But you can very easily find such information on the Internet. Thematic websites and forums where owners share their personal experiences will help you learn not only about checking the shutter mileage, but also about other nuances of using photographic equipment of certain brands. Before purchasing a camera, do not forget to visit one of them - this will help you collect all the necessary information about the camera, its features and how to check when purchasing.

Conclusion

Viewing the shutter mileage will help ensure that you are buying a new product, and if you are purchasing a used camera, it will give you a reason to haggle if the numbers don't match the seller's claims.

But it is important to remember that such a check will not replace a comprehensive diagnosis of the camera, but will only help assess its general condition. The best way to fully check the camera is to take it for diagnostics to an authorized service center.

What is the mileage of your camera? Write the numbers in the comments - let's see who has more!