How do I get the shutter count for the 7d mark ii on windows 10

[Isac]

I'm looking for the shutter count on the 7Dii but am having a problem finding something that works. I would also like to know why Canon try their best to keep this a secret. This confuses me, as other manufacturers are onboard with having this important information easily available. Why would they be hesitant to share this vital information? It's extremely puzzling to me. Cheers.

[stebo]

Issac

So sorry, I do not have an answer to your question and that I am sort of off topic.  I downloaded a program.  I think shutter count .com that wanted me to install a driver to the camera to get a shutter count.  I was going to do it and was clicking back and forth between windows to follow insrtuctions.  Well, I had not noticed while clicking back it had changed the destination of the driver to my mouse instead of the camera.   That was a fun tying to fix that mistake without a usable mouse.  

I decided it was not worth the risk and the work involved over finding the shutter count.  I am selling my 7D markii and wanted the information to post becuase I know the count is real low.  Instead, I went to lightroom and filtered images taken with this camera and know that this should be pretty accuarate becuase I am a storage hog and hardly ever delete anything.  Lightroom says 899 photos and I bet that is accuate.  It was just used in our bag as a back up and the only time it was picked over our other bodies was for a couple hocky games.  That progrmam might work, just be sure you have your destination still set correctly before you hit install.

Please post back if you do find a good working solution

[ebiggs1]

"Please post back if you do find a good working solution"

Any authorized Canon service center will give you the true count.  The only way for sure!

[ebiggs1]

"... the camera is recommended for service at 200,000 actuations..."

There is no recommended or guaranteed number of clicks.  That is an expected, estimate average before failure.  It is not how many your specific camera will get as some go 1/2 a million and more.

[Waddizzle]

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@stebo wrote:

Waddizzle

Good question!   I have not seen anything that limits the sensor to a certain number of hours of use, but I would probably pick the camera with 20 hours of video use over the one with 20,000 hours of use.  But that is not to say the one with 20,000 hours is more likely to be the one to fail on the next shoot.  Maybe they have it there because that is the way it has always been done, or some one might find it useful to log that information. 

If there were two 30 year old vehicles for sale and one had an AM radio that was on and used everyday and the other had never been used I still would not be able to say with certainty which would fail first.  But if one car had just had the wheel bearings and brakes done I could tell you that this car is most likely not going to need the brakes or wheel bearings done first.

You do make a good point here:  Why do we not get easy access to a shutter count when the camera is recommended for service at 200,000 actuations, but we do get an hour meter for video when there is no life expectation set on the sensor.

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The 200,000 shutter actuations that you speak of is not a recommendation for service.  It is called the MTBF, Mean Time Between Failures.  Every electronic compenent has a MTBF specification, including image sensors.

[RobertTheFat]

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@stebo wrote:

Much discussion about "does shutter count matter". 

Let the oldtimer fill you in, sometimes we are good for something:) 

I read "when it comes to video only hours matter"  Somewhat true.  Back in the film days mechanical shutters where used.  When you have mechanical moving parts hours or shutter counts do matter because the moving parts will wear down almost like clock work.  For the 7D mark ii there are no moving parts when recoding video so video recording hours do not adversely affect the useful life span of the camera.  For a still photographer on this camra the more actuations of the mirror moving out of the way of the sensor will wear those moving parts at the points of contact.  The camera can be rebuilt but I would rather buy a camera used for video knowing the mechanical moving parts of the camera are still pristine.  Sure electronic parts could fail but not likely vs mechanical parts will fail inevitably.  So I think it it is still important for now.  Give it a few years and it really won't matter when its all electronic mirrorless equipment.  Some may still think so becuease it has been a point of concern in the past, but I would never ask how many hours did you watch this television if I were to buy a used TV.

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I'm one of the oldest contributors in this forum, so I claim a right to quibble.  

I see your point about a camera used for video being a better bet because video is easier on the shutter. But the EOS 70D provides a counterexample of sorts. A significant number of 70D's have experienced a main board failure that's more expensive to repair than a broken shutter, and it's usually blamed on overheating due to high video usage. So you pay your money and take your chances; there's no sure winning strategy.

[Isac]

Hi stebo.

I have installed the "Astro Photography Tool" (APT) version 3.82 and it gives the shutter count accurately in the trial mode. I've checked by recording the current count, ading more shutter actuations, reloading APT and it's reported them accurately. It's solved my problem. It also works on my 7D. Simple to use.

1. Download and install the DEMO version of APT [MOD NOTE: Link Removed Per Forum Guidelines ]

2. Run the APT program, click NO to set the coordinates.

3. Click OK on the checklists screen.

4. Connect your camera to your computer with the cameras's USB cable.

5. Under the "Camera" tab, click "Connect".

The shutter count will appear as in the image.

[ebiggs1]

"The shutter count will appear as in the image."

No, "a shutter count" will appear. Maybe it is an accurate count and maybe it isn't!

[RobertTheFat]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

"The shutter count will appear as in the image."

No, "a shutter count" will appear. Maybe it is an accurate count and maybe it isn't!

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What people have to realize is that Canon apparently tries to hide the location of the true shutter count in the hope of preventing it from being hacked. Obviously that has both good and bad consequences for curious users, but it's an understandable decision.

[Isac]

It's good enough for me so that's all that matters. I'm not understanding what your reply is referring to?

[Isac]

It's a sad world we live in if someone feels the need to "hack" the shutter count. Other major camera manufacturers don't try to hide it. Anyway, no more Canon products for me - I just don't have faith in the company and it's standards.