Wear and Tear on Shutter - 5D MK III vs MK IV

I've just got a 5D Mark IV, but I've kept my Mark III as a backup.

I was thinking of doing some time lapses and the Mark IV has this "built in" but I was thinking a little of the wear of the Shutter...

So perhaps I should use the Mark III with a Timer-Shutter-release instead (I do have this shutter release already).

Am i thinking in the "wrong" way if I don't want to put the wear on the new Mark IV?


/Jocce

If you change equipment every 3-5 years, you will undoubtedly never see any issues with shutter on either camera. Both are designed beyond what you will do to the cameras doing timelapse. I run about a 1000 shots a night through the MKIV and don't even think about it.

I cannot imagine buying a technically elaborate piece of mechanical equipment and then not wanting to use it because it might 'put wear on it'.

I think you should put it on a shelf under a glass dome and then it will never wear out.

Seriously....use it....burn it up.....wear it out. That is, after all, the reason you bought it....to use and enjoy.

Had a 40D as a back up. Rarely used (<5000 clicks) shutter button went followed by the shutter itself. 1D Mk3 still rolling after 9 years and prolly >300k on the shutter. Use it or lose it

My 1D2 has more shutter actuation's on it than probably every other camera I have ever owned combined,.

Not sure if this is germane to the topic, but just realized that this is likely true.

Anyway, one of the first things I did with the 5D4 when I got it was set it up on a tripod and set up the intervalometer timer to record a 4 hour construction job. Not the same, but again, i was happy it was built in.

Jocce wrote in post #18267555
I've just got a 5D Mark IV, but I've kept my Mark III as a backup.

I was thinking of doing some time lapses and the Mark IV has this "built in" but I was thinking a little of the wear of the Shutter...

So perhaps I should use the Mark III with a Timer-Shutter-release instead (I do have this shutter release already).

Am i thinking in the "wrong" way if I don't want to put the wear on the new Mark IV?


/Jocce

No point not putting "wear" on it. That's what you bought it for.

saea501 wrote in post #18267685
I cannot imagine buying a technically elaborate piece of mechanical equipment and then not wanting to use it because it might 'put wear on it'.

I think you should put it on a shelf under a glass dome and then it will never wear out.

Seriously....use it....burn it up.....wear it out. That is, after all, the reason you bought it....to use and enjoy.

I, no kidding, knew a guy who got a nice new Focus when he got his job out of college. He continued driving his late-'80s Corolla to work every day "to keep miles off the Focus". I can't imagine, like you said, using the less-nice option. You paid for it, get your money's worth!

The only person who will gain from you not using it is the guy you sell it to ..

The only reason to keep wear away from a technical product, be it a car or something else, is if you think that it may become a collector's item within a time span you have some benefit from.
Like not driving you Lamborghini Murcielago too much, but instead use your "everyday" Lamborghini Gallardo for most of the distance. There are so many Gallardos sold that they'll never be a collector's item anyway. And yes, I have a friend who actually does this...

How long we need to wait for a 5D Mark IV to gain value, I don't know. It will probably take a while, and then it should probably never have been unpacked to be a real gem.

I am not aware of any Canon DSLR that has gone up or plateau'd at a certain price point years after its release other than when it settles into the $100-400 USD "obsolete" bucket. I realize that 14 or so years may not be a good litmus test for a "collector's item", so who knows, the 1D4 (for example) might become one of those collector cameras in the future, despite newer smaller more nimble cameras doing wild and crazy things with high ISO, 100Mpx or more, etc.

The most one can expect in the "short term" (ie. 5-10 year timeframe) from having a low mileage vs high mileage model is a kiss in value when selling, you might be able to demand a 15-25% premium for condition and wear over the typical going rate for used equipment.

Eveyone that recently purchased a new camera should realize that naval gazing will not prolong shutter life

I just sold a 5D classic for the same amount that the Yashica 124G TLR that I bought from a pawn shop in 1972 would have gone for on the same day.

All bodies will depreciate even if unused. Why buy it if you are not going to use it?
Do you not put gas in your car? Don't you eat?
I'm thinking that down the road you will buy another/newer body.
BTW camera bodies are a bad investment.

Tapeman wrote in post #18269891
All bodies will depreciate even if unused. Why buy it if you are not going to use it?
Do you not put gas in your car? Don't you eat?
I'm thinking that down the road you will buy another/newer body.
BTW camera bodies are a bad investment.

Sure wish I still had my '72 Yashica TLR, though.

Jocce wrote in post #18267555
I've just got a 5D Mark IV, but I've kept my Mark III as a backup.

I was thinking of doing some time lapses and the Mark IV has this "built in" but I was thinking a little of the wear of the Shutter...

So perhaps I should use the Mark III with a Timer-Shutter-release instead (I do have this shutter release already).

Am i thinking in the "wrong" way if I don't want to put the wear on the new Mark IV?


/Jocce

Use your cameras! That's why you have them.

I bought a 5DMkIII and took my first photo with it on December 28, 2012. On January 23, 2017, I took photo number 75,134. (I never do continuous shooting.) It's been in the rain and in dusty conditions. It's been in the city and in the country. I've shot sports and fashion with it. It's been out in the heat and in the cold. I shoot stills and video with it. I use primes, twist zooms, and The Dust Pump™ (100-400mm MkI from Canon). It's a tough camera.

Cameras are tools for you to create beautiful photos. While there's no need to trash a camera, you don't necessarily need to baby it either.

If you are about to put 50,000 shutter actuations on your 5DMkIV through the creation of time lapses, you might think twice about doing that on the MkIV, or even the MkIII. If instead you're going to put 5,000 on it, who cares? It's nothing on that camera.

Hope this helps!