What a Failed DSLR Shutter Looks Like After 100,000+ Photos

Just as how cars can fail after a certain number of miles, camera shutters can go belly up after a certain number of actuations (i.e. flapping open and closed for an exposure). If you’ve ever wondered what a heavily used DSLR shutter can look like after it bites the dust, today’s your lucky day.

A time-lapse photographer over in China recently had his Canon 5D Mark II fail after shooting “many more than 100,000 actuations.” The Canon 5D Mark II has a shutter officially rated for 150,000 actuations. This particular photographer mainly shoots time-lapses with an average of 2,000 frames per project, so it’s likely the camera blew well past the 150K mark since being purchased in 2008.

After sending the camera in to Canon China, technicians replaced the shutter and returned both the repaired camera and the old, broken shutter. Here’s a short video showing what the shutter looked like:

And in case you’re wondering, Canon charged ¥4,237 for the shutter replacement work (about $614).

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P.S. Wondering what the shutter life expectancy of your particular camera is? The Camera Shutter Life Expectancy Database uses real-world data submitted by photographers to predict life span.