EOS

[Danny80]

Mr. Hoffman, could you please PM me with how this is done?  Thanks so much! 

[wcmary]

Hi -

Could you please email me the instructions on how to get a shutter count for my 5d mkiii?  Thanks!  

Ben

wcmary@gmail.com

[lrtanaka]

Hi is getting the shutter count on the mark 3 an easy process that we can do ourselves? Your help would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks,

Lane

[daty2k1]

Hello,

I'd like to know the procedure as well.

Thanks

[musman]

Hi,

I am new to Cameras and looking forward to buy my first one. Its a 2nd hand Canon 5d Mark III. Dont't know how to check the shutter count. Can't send it to Canon with out purchasing it. Is there any way to check the shutter count myself during inspection for purchase. Please message me. Thank You.

[RobertTheFat]

---

@musman wrote:

Hi,

I am new to Cameras and looking forward to buy my first one. Its a 2nd hand Canon 5d Mark III. Dont't know how to check the shutter count. Can't send it to Canon with out purchasing it. Is there any way to check the shutter count myself during inspection for purchase. Please message me. Thank You.

---

You can't send it to Canon, but the person trying to sell it to you can. If it means that much to you, limit yourself to sellers who can document the shutter count with a certification from Canon. There are programs that claim to be able to read the shutter count, but Canon does not stand behind them.

In any case, a high shutter count is only one of quite a number of problems that can exist in a used camera. Since you're new to cameras and therefore probably don't know what to look for, buying just any used camera, even one with a provably low shutter count, is a dangerous gamble. My suggestion would be that if you're going to spend important money on a used camera, it should be a certified refurb from Canon's online store. Such cameras come with a one-year guarantee that helps protect the buyer from failures due to unsuspected problems.

[musman]

Hi John,

Can you please guide me how to check the shutter count of 5d Mark III?

Thank you,

[musman]

Hi Bob,

Thank you for your time and detail reply. I currently can't effort to buy even a refurbish piece. Came across a 5d Mark III in a good condition and want to check its shutter count. Looking for how it can be done.

Regards,

[ebiggs1]

Do you mind revealing the price?  A new shutter is only around $300 bucks (or they were).  It is not a catastrophe to have a new one put in.  And you may never need a replacement shutter.  I have a friend in the business as long as I am.  He never buys new.  He always buys used and ugly.  He looks for cameras with 150,000+ clicks on them.  Yes, he has replaced shutters.  But he has spent one tenth as much as me on cameras!

 If the price is right and the camera looks good and it works as it should buy it an don't look back.

[RobertTheFat]

---

@musman wrote:
Hi Bob,

Thank you for your time and detail reply. I currently can't effort to buy even a refurbish piece. Came across a 5d Mark III in a good condition and want to check its shutter count. Looking for how it can be done.

Regards,

---

Just be careful. A DSLR is a very complex piece of machinery, and it's not always easy to tell when one is in good condition. I've been using DSLRs for ten years, and my wife and I together own eight of them. But I still wouldn't trust myself to buy one used. Unless you're very familiar with this camera and its owner, you could find yourself in a position of having to throw good money after bad.

John may be able to provide you a way to read the shutter count on a 5D3; that's not the hard part. But keep in mind that the lower the shutter count turns out to be, the more you have to wonder why the camera is priced lower than a Canon refurb.