Who has killed a shutter and on what body.

inverseSquare wrote in post #12323876
Hmm, did it look anything like this perhaps?

1/3200th - f2.0 - ISO 200

1/500th - f2.0 - ISO 200

Took these images recently and wondered if it was the shutter

Doesn't look like typical shutter failure.
It just looks like you were maybe shooting through glass into pretty harsh (Early morning or late afternoon) light and it's refraction of the light and possibly shadows - just guessing.
Have you got any shots taken with the camera since?

philwillmedia wrote in post #12324022
Doesn't look like typical shutter failure.
It just looks like you were maybe shooting through glass into pretty harsh light and its refraction of the light - just guessing.
Have you got any shots taken with the camera since?

I have taken some since and can't seem to reproduce the 'dark band at the top' effect.

I noticed some weird flare as well, just the completely horizontal nature of the dark band that has me worried.


Could post some other examples if it helps...


Thanks for the reply

philwillmedia wrote in post #12321600
No probs Ben - flick 'em to me and I'll have a look at 'em for ya.
I reckon you've got my email address - if not it's "my user name"@yahoo.com
I'll have a look and see if I can see what it is with my EXIF viewer.

Were you at Barbagallo today?

Thanks mate.
Yes I have been at Barbagallo Friday and Saturday, just about to head off again for today's racing.
I will send you some files tonight

....which would be about $20,000 for film and process !

Of the eight Canon DSLR's I have had ( currently still have 6 ) only one shutter failure. Irony is it was one of the two that had bought new ( 20D ). One month out of warranty cost $215. It failed at around 25K, and it is now in the hands of a former co-worker, and is still going strong at probably close to 100K.

sakisf wrote in post #12321421
If lubricated once every 10-20 years and they are not made of plastic parts then they can last for a few decades. Pro cameras of the 70's or student cameras like Pentax K1000 with more than 5-10 users each (with much use i.e. more than a few thousand films through them) are still being sold in good condition with only external marks.

so what would i need to use to lubricate the shutter? and where exactly? id love to keep my rebel x around as long as possible as backup once i upgrade

Only one camera of mine had to replace it's shutter.

1D mark III around 10,000 actuations

And then I had a 20D with over 100k and no sign of slowing down.
Shutter failures are lotteries.

george m w wrote in post #12324326
....which would be about $20,000 for film and process !

...which is why I'm very thankful that digital photography has advanced to the point it is today!

Damn, here I was almost hoping for piles of people with shutter failures.... I made myself a promise when my 500D shutter dies, I get a 5DM2.... Guess it's going to a long long time from now

I've had no failures to date on Canon bodies.

inverseSquare wrote in post #12323876
Hmm, did it look anything like this perhaps?


Took these images recently and wondered if it was the shutter

Well yes, it did look a bit like that but mine was a lighter band at the top as opposed to a darker band - I believe where the shutter bounces and lets more light in..... but that's not to say yours isn't....... or is for that matter.

You need to do some tests - just take a range of shots with increasing shutter speeds and see what happens. The faster the shutter, the more pronounced the bounce I'd guess....

PS - you weren't using flash were you - looking again looks more like going over sync speed to me.....

If/when the shutter dies on my 5dc, I'll just have the shutter replaced. Why limit your shooting and be afraid?

I bought a 1D MkII second hand a few years ago. It was quite scarred: lots of the body edges were worn back to metal, so probably had lots of photos taken with it. At the 2011 Australian F1 GP practice, I was shooting on high speed continuous (8fps) a lot, for extended periods of time (5-7 frames in a burst). I got a bright region in the middle of of my photos I initially thought it was just part of the photo, but eventually figured out it might be something wrong, and took the lens off, and saw the shutter looking wierd.

It's been like that for a year now, have not used it (worried about damaging the sensor, and the bright patch is crap). Planning to fix it this year, when I have money.

Shutter went on my 1DMK2N at 42,000 .. cost about $300 to replace.

The shutter on my #1 1Ds MkIII went back in November at a little over 95k actuation's (dark banding at higher shutter speeds), CPS replaced and went through the whole camera for $120. I guess that's one of the benefits of CPS Platinum!

Over the years, I have only had one other shutter go bad, and I think (sometimes hard to remember all the details, this was in the late 1980's) it was a Copal #0 on an APO Rodagon 360 for the 8x10. Had Ray from Ray's camera repair in Denver fix it and was perfect.

Like a previous posting about wheel bearings, they work great until they don't! Worry about it then, because there's nothing you can do about it in the mean time

Shutter on my Nikormat EL, it was film had shutter replaced in 1996 and it died again in 2007 after several years of getting banged around on a ship and going everywhere I went in the Coast Guard from Africa to Sweden. Never thought of the investment in film and processing until now, I know I spent over a $1000.00 on one deployment, in film and processing the cost was over a 3 month period.

I haven't replaced it again mostly due to the cost and fact analog seems to be fading away.

D60...unknown count.
Still deciding if I'm going to fix it.