p.1 #1Realistically, How Long Could a Camera Body Last?
I have the Sony A7RV and for the first time in 25 years, I have zero feelings of GAS to change. Don't get me wrong, the A7RVI looks like an incredible piece of gear, but for my shooting style I cannot see a reason now, or in the near future to change. I prefer manual focus lenses and when I do use autofocus, I am not shooting fast moving subjects or firing any bursts.
I know this question is difficult to answer, but is it realistic that I could I get another 5+ years out of the A7RV? (note, I bought the body last year and I am a hobbyist and not as heavy a shooter as I used to be).
p.1 #3Realistically, How Long Could a Camera Body Last?
I used my a7R III for 4 years. Switched to the a7R V, but the a7R III was fully functional at the time.
It is mostly a function of how much you use it, how careful you are with it, and the things that sometimes happen....irrespective of how much you use it or how much care you take when using it.
There is no innate reason why you couldn't get 5+ more years out of it.
p.1 #4Realistically, How Long Could a Camera Body Last?
I'm still shooting with an A7RII - that's 11 years old now. It's AF is a let down now, but that's in comparison to what has come to the market since 2015.
But as a container for a sensor and a mount for fancy primes, the 42mp still holds up very well for landscapes. I suspect an A7RV will get you another 5 years if nothing else catches your eye.
p.1 #5Realistically, How Long Could a Camera Body Last?
My Canon 5D Mk2 is about 15 years old and still works. I have not checked the shutter count on it, but I would guess around 100-150K actuations.
It wasn't actively used every day during its long life. It was my primary travel camera for about 5 years, and it was **heavily** used then, with maybe another 2-3 years of light use before turning into a shelf queen. The issues it developed are all mechanical, they fall into the wear&tear and accidents category:
- Cracked top LCD
- The fogged corner of the rear LCD
- The top control dial is intermittently slipping
- Paint/finish loss around the edges/corners
All electronic components are working fine. It never needed any kind of service/adjustments. Mirrorless tech is even simpler because there are fewer moving parts, so I would expect yours to last 15+ years unless dropped or something.
Also, I 100% agree with your assesment of the A7RV capabilities. I had mine alongside the Nikon Z8 and A1 II, and even for action it was perfectly competitive. People greatly exagerate the differences between cameras online. I suppose they're influenced by specs&marketing. But in real world use... even without small conveniences like high FPS, fast sensor, blackout-free finder, the A7RV would get me 90% of the shots vs 94-95% of the faster cameras. I guess the A7RVI would land somewhere in the middle with 92%?
The technological progress has stalled nearly completely. The modern sensors are near the edge of their max. theoretical quantum efficiency and the camera manufacturers are left with the uber-niche use cases to optimize for, mainly revolving around the sensor speed, whose importance is also greatly exaggerated online. I guess people are just bored and crave the novelty factor. In 2-3 years this forum will be filled with complaints how "240fps is utterly useless for fast action" because they kept missing focus when trying to photograph flying bullets.
p.1 #6Realistically, How Long Could a Camera Body Last?
johncocci wrote:
Sure. As long as you take care of it don't see why its wouldn't last even longer.
Like your screen name by the way. Assuming it is what I think it is.
yes, it is what you think it is. It started for me 34 years ago.
p.1 #7Realistically, How Long Could a Camera Body Last?
Absolutely, YES
My a7r3 is still going strong with almost 180k on the shutter count
Also feel no reason to upgrade - actually sold my A7RV because the A7R3 was enough for me
Just be sure to prevent dust from entering the sensor area
(Keep the lens cap and body cap CLEAN!) use a vacuum cleaner to carefully suck the air / dust out of the sensor area and rear side of lens - careful no to touch the sensor / rear lens element with the vacuum cleaner
This is much more effective than blowing air into these areas with a dust blower
Main reason is that dust will affect shutter mechanism on the long run
And if the mechanical shutter won’t work well; switch to electronic shutter
Remember, it’s all marketing
If you like your lens and camera combo - stick w what works
I’m moving to Gfx because I love the rendering of the GF 63 & 45-100
Will also use my MFT GX85 with macro and Tele lenses for when that makes more sense
p.1 #8Realistically, How Long Could a Camera Body Last?
1993 for me
col4bin wrote: johncocci wroteSure. As long as you take care of it don't see why its wouldn't last even longer.
Like your screen name by the way. Assuming it is what I think it is.yes, it is what you think it is. It started for me 34 years ago.
Jul 22, 2026 at 12:32 PM
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p.1 #9Realistically, How Long Could a Camera Body Last?
The common rule of thumb is the parts on the motherboard with the shortest overall expected lifespan can last about 25-30 years on average if stored in ideal conditions between use.
Of course you'll have outliers in both directions.
p.1 #10Realistically, How Long Could a Camera Body Last?
col4bin wrote:
I have the Sony A7RV and for the first time in 25 years, I have zero feelings of GAS to change. Don't get me wrong, the A7RVI looks like an incredible piece of gear, but for my shooting style I cannot see a reason now, or in the near future to change. I prefer manual focus lenses and when I do use autofocus, I am not shooting fast moving subjects or firing any bursts.
I know this question is difficult to answer, but is it realistic that I could I get another 5+ years out of the A7RV? (note, I bought the body last year and I am a hobbyist and not as heavy a shooter as I used to be)....Show more →
I used a Canon 1DS Mk III for 7 years and a Canon 5DSR for 9 years. Neither camera had any problems. I got a Sony A7R-V about 1.5 years ago and have no plans to replace it anytime soon.
p.1 #12Realistically, How Long Could a Camera Body Last?
col4bin wrote:
I have the Sony A7RV and for the first time in 25 years, I have zero feelings of GAS to change. Don't get me wrong, the A7RVI looks like an incredible piece of gear, but for my shooting style I cannot see a reason now, or in the near future to change. I prefer manual focus lenses and when I do use autofocus, I am not shooting fast moving subjects or firing any bursts.
I know this question is difficult to answer, but is it realistic that I could I get another 5+ years out of the A7RV? (note, I bought the body last year and I am a hobbyist and not as heavy a shooter as I used to be)....Show more →
You are very much on the right track.
Reading these forums, you could be forgiven for getting the idea that tons of people buy every new upgrade of every camera. There are a few people who do such things, just like there are a few people who trade in last year’s new car for this year’s new model, or those who upgrade their computers, tablets, and phones with every new release.
I am convinced that there are real advantages to sticking with the good gear you own much longer. For one thing, if you photograph a lot you develop a close relationship with your camera — its operation and your understanding of how it responds become so familiar that you almost don’t have to think about it. Each time you get a new camera, there is necessarily a “getting acquainted” period when you do not have those instincts, you may have to search for how to do something, and you even occasionally have to look up a feature. Those things slow you down and interfere with your photography.
The follow-on model of a camera no doubt improves on the features and capabilities of its predecessor. But it is very easy to grossly overestimate the effect of those improvements on your photography or, looked at a different way, the value of those often-incremental advances.
There is no right answer to the “how long should I keep it?” question. Some examples:
- Some people who don’t fall for the “buy every upgrade” game, believe that at least skipping every other upgrade cycle is a minimum wait time. If you camera brand updates very frequently, you might think about every third model.
- Some think that the best approach is to try to look more objectively at the real world effect of the various improvements in new models. Your Z7r5 is a pretty good case in point. The A7r6 has clearly improved on the previous model, but how much will those advances actually change your photography significantly? Certainly the change from 60MP to 67MP is virtually meaningless. The small potential improvements in DR are not likely to make much differnce. And so on.
- If you like the camera you have, and it produces the photographs that you want it to create, then why upgrade at all? If you are happy with the camera you could keep it for five years, ten years, even longer — as long as it continues to do what you ask of it.
I am about to upgrade my full frame system… after 11 years. It is a Canon system, and I’ll be moving to Sony. But even now, for the purposes I mostly use it for, it barely slows me down. I was making good photographs with it a decade ago, and I can still do that today. (I’m not implying that 11 years is right for everyone!)
Finally, there’s another way of looking at this question — basically, how long with the hardware continue to function, regardless of whether or not it is advanced enough. The answer is, “probably a very long time.” I would not be surprised ot see better cameras from the modern era still being functional 25 or more yers after their manufacturing date.
p.1 #14Realistically, How Long Could a Camera Body Last?
I still have my Canon G2, and it still works. I took a few Raw files some time ago and my pre subscription version of Lightroom still worked.
Mind you a 4 megapixel sensor will not get you much interest today.
BTW, I also still have my Rollei 35 but not sure where I can get a battery for it today.
p.1 #16Realistically, How Long Could a Camera Body Last?
My A7 Mk1 is still going fine after hobbyist use. I did have some pixel loss on the back screen at one point but that's resolved itself as swiftly as it arrived with me doing nothing to either help or hinder it.
Helluva lot lighter and smaller than my A7R5 too. I use it for the 4 manual focus lenses I have retained ( Nikon 105mm/2.5, Canon 135/2, Konica 57/1.2 and Helios 44m4).
p.1 #17Realistically, How Long Could a Camera Body Last?
My Canon 1DSII still works, made in 2004.
Of course it's realistic you could get another 5 years out of your A7RV.
It could fail in 10 minutes. You might get another 10 years out of it.
I recently had an A9III fail after 5 weeks of very little use. It needed a new EVF.
No idea what that would have cost out of warranty, but I'd guess maybe a 4 or 5 year old A7RV might be an uneconomical repair for the same fault.
I don't see much value in thinking too much about this. Use it. If it fails, time to think about it then.
p.1 #19Realistically, How Long Could a Camera Body Last?
A well made, well cared for camera will last for a long time.
Buy pro bodies used from hobbyists and save money. Most pro bodies are made to take a beating and never really get abused to the level of break down.
Shutters and sensor issues are the biggest trouble spots I have seen.
If your A7RV is anything like my A7rii you will 100% get another five years, probably ten, depending on how much you shoot and travel with it.
I imagine you could take 100 photos everyday for 5 years and maybe be at half life as far as estimates go. These things are made to work and in my opinion the only thing that may change in 5 years is you and your desired outcome. A camera is a machine , a tool, a toy, and an identity all wrapped up into one thing. Your own personal feelings about that combination is likely to change before the camera breaks down.
p.1 #20Realistically, How Long Could a Camera Body Last?
I think the bigger issue of knocking out old gears are like the peripherals. I still have all of my old DSLR bodies from mid 2000s to now. The older camera with previous versions of batteries not been charged or used not sure if they still work, nor am I sure if I can actually find my older chargers. I don't even know if I can still find my CF card reader. I am sure the bodies themselves are still in working order though.
On average I think I get a new main body once every 7 years since I started using ILC...