after reading many articles on internet, I´d like to ask Canon photographers here at FM forum, is there any way to find out a shutter count on Canon 5D camera?
That's surprising, the original 5D is in the gphoto list of supported cameras.
EDIT: Did a bit more hunting around and it seems that although the 5D is supported the shutter count is the one command that doesn't work. Works fine for newer models (5DII, 7D, 1DIV) but not the 5D. Looks like a trip to Canon is the only way unfortunately.
You would think Canon would make that information easily available like from EOS Utility or something. Why on earth they want to be the keepers of the shutter count, I don't know.
Edit...
Hell, you should just be able to see the count from the camera menus!
Not pertinent to the 5D particularly, but the reason they don't want to make it easy to obtain is the data is inaccurate for a number of reasons. If you use different EXIF reading programs you'll get different counts on the same camera. I do know the cameras may be reading # images stored, actual shutter counts, mirror counts, or another piece of data (I think perhaps shutter button presses) and the program you use may report any of those as shutter counts. Plus newer cameras with video mode may get many, many hours of sensor use without any shutter actuations (you might not care about that, but you might if you see the hot and burned out pixels that result).
Bottom line is if you have access to any of several bootleg programs you can change or reset the shutter count in the EPROM, as can any service center (for that matter you can change the serial number). There are a number of repairs (circuit board replacements mostly, but some others) where the information has to be erased. The repair service might store it and replace it, but usually doesn't. As an aside, if someone has changed the shutter count, Canon can tell that it was changed and when, but not what the count was before it was changed.
thank you very much to all your infos, still I can´t believe we can´t get data from such type of integrated chips on smaller type of motherboards found in cameras.
I will contact a few BIOS replacement companies.
I can´t accept the solution sending it directly to manufacturer.
tagan wrote:
What is the advantage buying a second hand car and not knowing for how many miles/kilometres it has been on the road. Give me a reasonable answer.
thanks
You are not buying a used car. You are buying a used 5D, and the vast majority of buyers do not know the shutter count when they buy one. They base their decision on other more important factors.
And by the way, some cars with 50,000km on them are in worse condition than cars with 10,000km on them. The same hold true with cameras.
While shutters have a totally variable life it doesn't hurt to know the count. If it is approaching the suggested life it more then likely, not positive, but likely will be needed replacement and should be factored into the value of the camera. We currently still have 2 5D's in our working inventory, one with about 241K clicks and one with 35K clicks which we know from raw file counts. Both look and feel new but if I was selling the high click model I would feel obligated to disclose that to a perspective buyer who may be facing a $250 bill. Like all of you we have had shutters fail at 10-20k clicks (IDsII and 1DII's) and others last until 500K. I have on Nikon D2Hs (old and I love it) that I have been counting on having to replace the shutter every single day now for at least the last 5 years. God bless it, this morning it reads 719,412 clicks. Nothing is certain but no harm in having information.
Shipping and paying Canon for shutter count information just adds to the overall cost and length of time required for a transaction. It does neither the buyer nor seller any good to add this cost/hassle to the sale. Many, myself included, believe this information should be freely available. At this point sellers have to sometimes guess as the shutter count and the buyer has to take this information on faith.
galenapass wrote:
Shipping and paying Canon for shutter count information just adds to the overall cost and length of time required for a transaction. It does neither the buyer nor seller any good to add this cost/hassle to the sale. Many, myself included, believe this information should be freely available. At this point sellers have to sometimes guess as the shutter count and the buyer has to take this information on faith.
Canon owns the intellectual property rights for the firmware and software to access that information but choose not to make the way to read it public. End of.
If you send the camera for service and ask Canon they will use their software and read the information and usually tell you what the true shutter actuation count is - as a courtesy.
