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Shutter Count

Joel4JC
Contributor

I am buying a used 5D Mark III and I have 30 days to try it out for a full refund. All the post on this site that I've found referring to shutter count, the solution says PM to the person asking the question. How do I find the solution? How can I check the shutter count on a 5D Mark III?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Joel

18 REPLIES 18

"I am saying, is that there is a real value in knowing the shutter count..."

 

Joel if it makes you feel more secure, then I am all in for you.  Just remember it isn't a tell all.  In your car analogy what if the two cars with very low mileage spent most, 90%, of that time idling?  The other got the same number of miles but by being driven? Obiviously the second example is the one you want. But you do not know that. This is the point I want you to understand when you think one camera is better than the other because of the shutter count. 

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

Better Shutter Count Software - Windows 10.

 

The problem I found with using the Free Shutter Count program is that it requires a USB driver change which it will install with your permission. After installing the driver the program worked fine, however when I tried to connect to my camera with another piece of software, it did not detect the camera. Using the Free Shutter Count program, I uninstalled the USB driver it installed. Now the other software was able to connect to the camera with the built-in Windows 10 drivers.

 

This caused me to search for another Shutter Count software. I found Canon EOS Digital Info, and it is FREE! It will connect to the camera using the native Windows 10 USB drivers. It also has a much better User Interface, as well as, displaying more information, including the serial number in a readable format.

 

The shutter count from both of these programs were identical, as it expected it to be, since they both use Canon's SDK to access the camera.

1. I agree that the only way to get a true accurate count is via Canon Service.

 

2. The shutter count from both of these programs were identical, as it expected it to be, since they both use Canon's SDK to access the camera.

 

Doesn't 2 contradict 1?

 

John Hoffman
Conway, NH

1D X Mark III, Many lenses, Pixma PRO-100, Pixma TR8620a, LR Classic


@jrhoffman75 wrote:

1. I agree that the only way to get a true accurate count is via Canon Service.

 

2. The shutter count from both of these programs were identical, as it expected it to be, since they both use Canon's SDK to access the camera.

 

Doesn't 2 contradict 1?


No 2 does not contradict 1, as a software developer myself, SDKs are not the holy grail for 100% accuracy. It would depend on what Canon decided to include in the SDK. There may be some undocumented features that the developer is unaware of that may give a more accurate result. Or Canon may not have included some features that would yield a more accurate result. SDKs have been know to have bugs 🙂 Then there is the question, "does Canon use the same SDK to retrieve the shutter count or some other method?"

 

However, I plan on finding out myself by:

1. Getting a copy of the Canon SDK and take a look under the hood.

2. Take one of my cameras into Canon Service and get a shutter count and then compare it to the programs I've mentioned earlier. If there is a discrepancy, then I'll have dive a litte deeper into the SDK to see why.

jrhoffman75
Legend
Legend
I will be interested in your findings. I’ve done it with four different model cameras and two different software products and results were exact.
John Hoffman
Conway, NH

1D X Mark III, Many lenses, Pixma PRO-100, Pixma TR8620a, LR Classic

Peter
Authority
Authority

Canon Japan and Magic Lantern give the same shutter count from 6D and 7D.
Tornado EOS give the same shutter count as Magic Lantern.


On 5D II there is a firmware bug with the shutter count. Something about to make it powerless and it doesn't register the last batch of shutter count.

Magic Lantern unlocks the actual shutter count and also includes LiveView actuations

 

 19,529 Total (rounded up to 20K) = 16497 photo actuations + 3032 Liveview actuations

ML.jpg

Mike Sowsun

areejbashir
Contributor

I'm looking to purchase a used canon 5d mark IV with a new instuled Shutter Count and reflector installed. Is this a good idea? Can i trust the camera will function fine?
The installment has been done by Canon and proof of the installment is availabe.

Please advice. thank you very much

If you have a receipt from Canon, not a Canon dealer, but actually from Canon, I would have no objection to buying it. Of course this should be reflected in the price as the rest of the camera is as old as it was before the service was done. 

 

Canon not only replaces parts that are faulty but they do a complete service check for OE operation before they return it.

That is why it has to be Canon that did the work and not some Canon dealer.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!
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