Note: this post is an update to a recent article on shutter count for cameras and provides practical information on how to find out your camera’s shutter life expectancy and the various ways to find out the camera’s current shutter count. It was written by one of our readers Jeremy T

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First of all, check the shutter life expectancy of your camera. It can sometimes be difficult to find this out; camera makers may not even release the details at times. However, this is changing; there are a few resources online with the details. Olegkikin.com features the shutter life expectancy for numerous models from all the different brands; if yours is not listed there, then a quick Google search should provide you with an answer.

Now that you’re aware of how long your shutter should or will last, you need to find out the current shutter actuations or shutter count of your camera. It’s basically how many photos you’ve taken.

There are several free (freeware) sources on the internet which can be used for this.

Canon Cameras

It’s necessary to note that Canon doesn’t store the shutter actuation details in the EXIF data. So for Canon, things are a little different; the best program to check your shutter count is EOS Info.

EOS Info is a neat little program by AstroJargon. It’s freeware, although they do ask for donations if you can spare it. It will provide the shutter count, the serial number, the camera model, the firmware version as well as the owner and date the results as well. EOSInfo works with almost any DSLR, excepting the 500D (may/may not work; their website says not, but it’s worth giving it a shot anyway). How does it work? Simply connect the camera to your computer using a cable, run the program and – voila! Your details are there for your examinations. Prepare to be surprised, though, as sometimes it’s more than you think! It’s not available for Macs, though, only for PC’s; however, EOSInfo is the updated version of the 40D Shutter Count a previous edition, which – despite the name – works on almost any DIGIC III/IV DSLRs, excepting the 1D series. It runs on Macs, using a cable as like EOS Info.

Nikon and Pentax Cameras

Nikon and Pentax store the shutter count details in the EXIF data. For Nikon and Pentax, you can either use My Shutter Count – simply upload a JPG or RAW and get your results – or download Opanda IExif . Note: IExif should work with Pentax; this has not been tested/. However, if it doesn’t, you can still use My Shutter Count to get your shutter count.

Olympus Cameras

Olympus doesn’t store the shutter acutation details in the EXIF, but conveniently, there’s a nice trick one can use for Olympus bodies. Simply follow these instructions:

  1. Turn your camera on
  2. Open your memory card door
  3. Press “PLAY” +”OK” at the same time
  4. Press on the dial, in order: up, down, left and then right
  5. Depress the shutter release button fully
  6. Press up on the dial

Sony Cameras

Unfortunately, for Sony users, it might not be possible to find your shutter count. You can try using Opanda IExif, My Shutter Count or even EOS Info/40D Shutter Count – however, there’s not guarantee they will work. It’s worth a try, but at the moment, it doesn’t seem possible to find the shutter actuations for Sony cameras.

If you’ve found other ways to do this for the brands above or other brands of cameras we’d love to hear them in comments below so that this can become a resource for others.

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