Shutter count: how many shots has your camera taken?

A photo taken with the camera you want to check, and NEVER edited: straight off the memory card, with no passes through Lightroom, Photoshop or your phone’s gallery app (they often strip the manufacturer data). JPEG and RAW files (NEF, ARW, RAF, ORF, PEF, DNG…) both work. Ideally use the very last shot taken — the counter reflects that moment.

It is analysed on the fly and deleted from the server immediately: we do not store it, look at it, or archive it anywhere. Only the technical metadata is read.

Not every manufacturer writes the shutter count into the files. It generally works with Nikon, Sony, Pentax, Fujifilm and Olympus/OM System; Canon does NOT save it in the EXIF on most models (it takes a service-software readout, which we do at the lab — included in the full check-up). An edited or converted file may also have lost the data.

Manufacturers rate shutter life at roughly 100,000–150,000 actuations for entry-level and enthusiast bodies, and 200,000–400,000 for professional ones. It is not an expiry date — just a statistical average: some fail earlier, many go well beyond. When it does wear out, replacement starts from €150 with a 6-month warranty.

It is the first check, not the only one: it tells you how hard the shutter has worked, not how the rest of the camera is doing. For used gear there is our €60 full check-up (sensor cleaning + firmware + functional check with a written summary). And if you are selling, a documented check-up raises the value.