Shutter count confusion

Les McLean

Les McLean

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As I'm selling my 40D, one or two folk have asked for the number of shutter actuations.

And this is where I'm getting a bit confused, the continuous file reading of the camera raw files ends at 100canon/IMG_9107.CR2 which with continuous recording, results in around 9,000 clicks, which feels about right (1,000/month)

However when I try this shutter count
http://astrojargon.net/files/misc/40dshuttercount.zip

it shows 30,000+ ??

Now I know it's easy to underestimate clicks, but at 30,000 it would be around 1,000 per week, which I could probably understand if it was a main camera, but as a second body?

Anyway, can anyone enlighten me regarding the file numbering system, is it accurate for a shutter count estimate (no resets, continuous file numbering), and is the astrojargon shuttercount reliable.

I really want to give out the correct info to those that have requested it.
 
Oakey22 said:
do you have the bit in the settings where you can take pics with no CF card? if so then it could be that it has got caught and fired off 20,000 shots with no CF card in resulting in the Picture count not changing but the shutter count increases.
Click to expand...

Thanks but again no, I know I have blond moments now and again, but 20,000 cliks (even accidently) hasn't happened :)
 
Maybe Canon test the cameras with a number of clicks before they package them up?

my shutter count was quite suprising actually. mine was at 26000 and i didnt think I had used it that much at all!
 
I use the properties on flickr to check mine, and the current value matches the one produced by Preview Extractor [doesn't work with canon unfortunately], so might be worth uploading a pic to flickr Les, with exif intact, and see what it says as image number in the camera properties for that pic.
 
Yv said:
I use the properties on flickr to check mine, and the current value matches the one produced by Preview Extractor [doesn't work with canon unfortunately], so might be worth uploading a pic to flickr Les, with exif intact, and see what it says as image number in the camera properties for that pic.
Click to expand...

Thanks-I'll try that :)
 
I have never found any software that gives me a shutter count for my 40D it is always a long way off. As far as I knew there was nothing that could do it.
 
Les,

I've also seen other reports that this utility gives wildly inaccurate results...numbers not disimilar to the ones that you're seeing.
Maybe a quick test....
Run the utility, take 10 shots and then see if the number has incremented by 10.

Bob
 
File number is not proof of anything - as it could depend on what card you use - old or new - or a number of other things - you can re-set file number . . . . Maybe can't be done for a 40D I've no idea.
 
awp said:
File number is not proof of anything - as it could depend on what card you use - old or new - or a number of other things - you can re-set file number . . . . Maybe can't be done for a 40D I've no idea.
Click to expand...

I'm aware you can re-set file numbers, or not shoot in continuous mode.

I'm really not trying to prove anything, I'm just trying to get at an accurate shutter count, I don't want to give out those folk that have asked, duff info.
 
I wouldn't but a second hand body without proof of the shutter count - maybe others are the same?
 
Try taking a few shots and do the count again and see what happens?
 
Canon Bob said:
Les,

I've also seen other reports that this utility gives wildly inaccurate results...numbers not disimilar to the ones that you're seeing.
Maybe a quick test....
Run the utility, take 10 shots and then see if the number has incremented by 10.

Bob
Click to expand...

admirable said:
Try taking a few shots and do the count again and see what happens?
Click to expand...

Ran the software (from astrojargon) twice

1st-3 clicks=added 3 to the counter
2nd-5 clicks-added 8 to the counter.

Bum-it's doing me head in :)
 
Yv said:
I use the properties on flickr to check mine, and the current value matches the one produced by Preview Extractor [doesn't work with canon unfortunately], so might be worth uploading a pic to flickr Les, with exif intact, and see what it says as image number in the camera properties for that pic.
Click to expand...

Tried the flikr route, uploaded a jpg with exif intact, but no joy?

On googling this, it seems some cameras work-some don't?
 
Just a thought from left field - and probably way off the mark - but is it by any possibility counting the half button depresses as part of the total? :shrug:
 
awp said:
I wouldn't but a second hand body without proof of the shutter count - maybe others are the same?
Click to expand...

So your saying you will never buy a second hand canon consumer body? It is impossible to get an acurate shutter count from a non-1-series canon camera without sending it too canon. All the things you find on the web have been shown to be inacurate you just have to accept what people tell you and decide wether it's worth the risk.
 
Les

From the file numbering, I would say that is the best estimate. 30k frames in under a year on a 2nd body sounds ridiculous whereas <10k would match about what I do.

Paul
 
Hi,

I checked a 40D I bought a few weeks ago with the same software as in your OP, and it read fine with me at around 5000 clicks exactly as seller stated, it's just a thought but you are reading the shutter count from the camera as I know cancount etc use the image system, but the astro one reads it direct from the camera.

I know you ARE probably using the software correctly, my post was just in case so to speak. I'm just about to try it on my 50D see how that reads.

Mike.
 
Hi,

right, it does read my 50D as it gave me 1205 actuations, and the lcd screen on the camera shows 1013 which is about right.

You are running the software from within the EOS utility programme folder?

Mike.
 
mikeyb said:
Hi,

right, it does read my 50D as it gave me 1205 actuations, and the lcd screen on the camera shows 1013 which is about right.

You are running the software from within the EOS utility programme folder?

Mike.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't trust a software that it's 19% off on the single attempt. Maybe it's 19% off with you, and maybe it's 190% for someone else. If I were to know that this programe gives numbers within a range of +- 2% accuracy then I would say that's fine, but from all the posts in this thread I came to realise that it's not a software to be trusted for any results.
 
stylgeo said:
I wouldn't trust a software that it's 19% off on the single attempt. Maybe it's 19% off with you, and maybe it's 190% for someone else. If I were to know that this programe gives numbers within a range of +- 2% accuracy then I would say that's fine, but from all the posts in this thread I came to realise that it's not a software to be trusted for any results.
Click to expand...

Hi,

sorry should have made it a bit clearer, the camera came to me S/H and they seller stated that he had taken a few dozen shots on it, I put my card in and formatted it (as it came from the 40D) so that it would start at 0 on the 50D, I have obviously taken just over a 1000 shots, and the previous owner must have taken around 200 which would confirm his comment about a few dozen shots. Remember the software reads the shutter count from the body not the card or image.

As far as I am concerned the software is working correctly.

Hope this explains my findings a bit better, sorry for any confusion.

Mike.

EDIT:, right I've tried it again just now and the card count says 1023 so according to that I have taken 10 shots since I checked it yesterday - guess what the software says ....... 1215 which is 10 more than it said when I checked it with the software yesterday, so far I'm still pretty happy that the software IS accurate. I think the figures quoted for Les means, either: the software isn't being used correctly, OR the shutter count is correct and the camera was used before he got it, this can happen especially if it had been returned to Canon for whatever reason, or they played with it at the shop.
 
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