NikoDoby said:
My film cameras are a different story though. I've had them jam up and die all of a sudden.

This happened to my OM-2 last fall, and I'm a little sad. The mirror locks up and the shutter curtain is stuck.

I've never had a shutter fail and stop working on a digital camera before. Usually the shutter starts to act up long before it finally fails. You'll start to see strange exposures in your photos for example. My film cameras are a different story though. I've had them jam up and die all of a sudden.

So I'm guessing all the people on this site are just imagining that their camera's shutters have failed...

http://www.olegkikin.com/shutterlife/

TaoTeJared said:
That was my point in starting the thread - how often do they fail because I have rarely if ever, heard of any.

British Petroleum didn't think an off-shore oil well would gush out 5 million barrels of oil for three months at sea either.

The sample size might be small, but it's still larger than one person's experience. It's also better than counting the number of "my body broke" threads, since only the people who have problems will speak up. But yes, you can't draw too much from this.

TaoTeJared said:
That was my point in starting the thread - how often do they fail because I have rarely if ever, heard of any. Accidents sure, grips, popup flashes, but not body failures.

Risk is not the only factor to consider when purchasing insurance. Consequence is an equally important part of the equation. The third variable being cost.

Regardless, the sample size in this forum is too low to draw any significant conclusions.

PB PM said:
Well having a second camera can be used that way and often is, but your primary camera could fail, why take the chance if you are on a paid gig?

That was my point in starting the thread - how often do they fail because I have rarely if ever, heard of any. Accidents sure, grips, popup flashes, but not body failures.

I had a problem once with my d300s, I wasn't able to close the flash as the hook broke. also had a problem with sb900, as it got locked and I could twist it, and that's all from the digital age.
back in the analog age, I smashed one lens, didn't noticed that my f100 camera strap got loose and the camera felt on a concrete, just one small scratch on the camera and the whole lens broken.

as for second body, I use it only to speed up the lens changing.

Well having a second camera can be used that way and often is, but your primary camera could fail, why take the chance if you are on a paid gig?

So what I'm gathering from everyone is that in the last few body releases - all of the cameras really don't fail.

So whenever someone says they want a back-up camera (at least on this site) they really are saying "I want a second body so I don't have to change lenses." :)

Testing123 said:
D200: Rubber front grip came loose around 80K. Nothing else at 120K.
D300: No problems at 60K, though I fear the rubber grip on it will go like its brother.

My D200 is wrapped head to toe in gaffers tape because the grip rubber stretched out and doesn't fit well. As uncomfortable as it is compared to other nikons I still use it all of the time. (I really need to buy a rubbers kit for that camera). Also a while back my aperture dial failed me during a shoot on my D90 (I forgot to mention that one)

The way I worked around the CHA errors was just to remove the CF card and replace it. Sometimes I can also solve it by removing the battery for a few seconds and replacing it. Otherwise the D70 works great as intended. The only issue is if I'm using it as a backup camera/second camera. I'm not sure I like the idea of relying on camera that may or may not be working the exact instance I need it.

Hi jerl,

The CHA errors I get seem to be coming from me monkeying around with electronic parts, e.g.) trying to use an old SB24 (in one of its modes) with a D90. Shutting down, powering up restored everything to normal and kept the photos.

I try to do an 'in camera' format every so often of the card, too.

My best,

Mike

The only body failure I had was the first FM I got 15 years ago, and the shutter release now no longer works. I've considered getting it repaired, but I'm not convinced that it's worth it. I've since replaced it with another, which seems in good shape, and now FM2.

For Digital, my D70 seems ok, but I get random CHA or card errors (doesn't think the card is formatted, etc...). I can work around these though, so otherwise it still works as expected. There's only about 50k shots on it though, so it's not really old yet. My D90 also is holding up well, although I think I've only taken 40k shots on it, so again not really indicative of its staying power. My equipment doesn't get abused (too much) but I definitely am not that gentle with it.

grips don't count, you can still take photos with no grip, you don't need a backup for that.

my d700 grip has needed replacing for about 3 months, can't bring myself to give it up (to nikon to fix under warranty)even though i have a d300s, i love it too much.

FE: No idea on the shutter count. Had it since '80. Film advance plastic broke a long time ago. Light seals replaced twice (but Houston's a swamp).
D100: Shopped on three occasions for button failure and aperture arm failures. Never crossed the 100K shutter count.
D50: Shutter failure (ripped!) at 50K.
D40: No problems at 60K.
F80: Shopped once for button failure. Likely under 10K shutter count.
D200: Rubber front grip came loose around 80K. Nothing else at 120K.
D300: No problems at 60K, though I fear the rubber grip on it will go like its brother.

I had a D80 that I sold to a friend that has some "rXX" error and doesn't AF or anything anymore. I never had a problem and shot over 40k photos with it. They borrowed it for a week to look at it and were quite quick to buy it. The AF motor sounded a little grind-y when I got it back and they only shot 40 photos over 2 weeks. I am thinking they knew they did something to it.

A second lens/body combo I certainly get. The dirt in your sensor I can understand also if you are in that environment enough. I have an old D50 that has been converted to IR that I take if the clouds are good for the day. D200 going on 5-6 years old now, not too bad.

I hope others chime in to see if anyone has had a body failure. I'm just really curious. I see tons of the more well known photographers owning and taking 2+ bodies referring them to back-ups and it makes me wonder if they run into more troubles than many. (There again many will utilize 2nd body set-ups etc. We can all understand those who have that need.) If you have the money, what the hell.

Have you ever got a big chunk of crud on your sensor? Most likely you can blow it off with a blower, but that takes time, light, and a reasonably dust free environment.

If I find there is dust on the sensor that I can't fix on location in time, i just use the other body.

Main reason I bought a spare.

I have rarely ever experienced a camera failure but it has happened. Actually it's usually a dead battery or memory card that gives the problem and not necessarily the camera body itself. Although I have had one D200 die on me (dead battery syndrome) and I had a D70 break it's plastic mode dial during a shoot.

Oh and then their was a D90 that broke it's on board flash. Even though I had a SB800 attached the pop up flash wouldn't stay locked down. The camera and SB800 still worked but it was an embarrassing feeling! Speaking of the SB800 I had the head lock up. I couldn't twist it around. It locked up in the middle of a shoot and I was using it for off camera CLS.

As for Canon, I had a mirror fall off in the middle of a shoot!

I love the 2 camera/lens combo. I almost never shoot without both of my bodies as the time it takes to change lenses is enough time to lose a shot. The only time I shoot mono is when I am shooting a 50mm of some sort or underwater (for obvious reasons!). I find that even though I favor one body over the other I will often shoot the other one just because of the lens issue. Part of it boils down to how fast your lenses are. If you are casually shooting a D90 with an 18-200mm in broad daylight you really don't need the extra weight, but if you are taking that D90 into a hockey rink for serious shooting (why one would use that camera I don't know?) you probably want a fast lens like the 70-200mm f2.8 which means you need a wide angle as well for close shots If you are right up to the glass...

It is all about your shooting style. Even If I had a D3s in one hand and a D50 in the other they would both get used. I almost exclusively shoot 2.8's so I benefit from the extra body; Others may not.

Also I have had a body failure in the past (twice) when I was shooting canon film gear and always defaulted to my trusty x700 because of it. Recently I had a semi failure with one of my Nikon bodies (D200) as the menu and play buttons wouldn't trigger the LCD for a while (so much for being a dust sealed body!)

Bram said:
I think in many cases the second camera is not as much a backup camera as it is an alternative to changing lenses on one body. At certain occasions (sports, weddings) you just don't want to miss a shot because you had to change the lens. For me this would be the prime reason to get a second body if I ever do.

I think that's the better reason. You'd miss the shot by the time you get the chance to swap lenses.

Mike Gunter said:
Hi,

Well, okay.

Over the years, I have worked or managed shops that have had what might be considered largish photography assets. They weren't personal assets and I think that is key. If you owned the cameras I think they would be much better taken care of.

In those shops and in the schools where I taught journalism and photography (and the cameras were signed out), cameras failed regularly for a lot of reasons. Lenses and mounts broke, battery mounts broke, switches broke, things just did not work, cameras fell and stopped working, and such.

In the military, my guys and gals were on rough transports, helicopters, planes, APCs, tanks, etc., and the cameras 'bounced' about, 'hard', very 'hard'.

My military shops generally busted a piece of equipment each month. But we were working pretty hard and did a lot of work, and this is pre-digital.

In both venues, they were out to get a story and in both venues, the weather wasn't kind to them or their equipment. In the military, we generally had deep pockets and repaired everything though the Professional Services Program. Everything was either warranty or under our budget, the college was sort of the same.

In Vietnam, it was even better or worse. I know first hand how a camera body and lens shatters when it is thrown on the steel floor of a Huey helicopter. Another one of my bodies died from lead poisoning; I'm glad it wasn't me.

Personally, I've shot pictures with my guys/gals with my own equipment and never had a problem. I took pictures because I wanted to, not because I had to, and I ended up with as many exposures as anyone else over time, and my F4 never had to be overhauled. That tells me something. I believe that personal use is better than corporate use.

My friends in other units who have done the same tell me the same story.

I have a D80 I hook up with second lens, and sometimes I use it. But really, I don't know that there is a real need for a second camera.

My best,

Mike

Haha, personal use over corporate use. Of course, you bought it with your own money, you're bound to take care of it unless you have money to burn!

Personally, I love my D40 to death, but I'm not going to buy another body even though ISO performance has gotten so much better. Why? Because I know I'll never pick up and use my D40 ever again if I knew I had a better alternative (D7000 would be awesome). So I'll use it till it dies and turn it into a big paperweight essentially.

Hi,

Well, okay.

Over the years, I have worked or managed shops that have had what might be considered largish photography assets. They weren't personal assets and I think that is key. If you owned the cameras I think they would be much better taken care of.

In those shops and in the schools where I taught journalism and photography (and the cameras were signed out), cameras failed regularly for a lot of reasons. Lenses and mounts broke, battery mounts broke, switches broke, things just did not work, cameras fell and stopped working, and such.

In the military, my guys and gals were on rough transports, helicopters, planes, APCs, tanks, etc., and the cameras 'bounced' about, 'hard', very 'hard'.

My military shops generally busted a piece of equipment each month. But we were working pretty hard and did a lot of work, and this is pre-digital.

In both venues, they were out to get a story and in both venues, the weather wasn't kind to them or their equipment. In the military, we generally had deep pockets and repaired everything though the Professional Services Program. Everything was either warranty or under our budget, the college was sort of the same.

In Vietnam, it was even better or worse. I know first hand how a camera body and lens shatters when it is thrown on the steel floor of a Huey helicopter. Another one of my bodies died from lead poisoning; I'm glad it wasn't me.

Personally, I've shot pictures with my guys/gals with my own equipment and never had a problem. I took pictures because I wanted to, not because I had to, and I ended up with as many exposures as anyone else over time, and my F4 never had to be overhauled. That tells me something. I believe that personal use is better than corporate use.

My friends in other units who have done the same tell me the same story.

I have a D80 I hook up with second lens, and sometimes I use it. But really, I don't know that there is a real need for a second camera.

My best,

Mike

I think in many cases the second camera is not as much a backup camera as it is an alternative to changing lenses on one body. At certain occasions (sports, weddings) you just don't want to miss a shot because you had to change the lens. For me this would be the prime reason to get a second body if I ever do.

Hi,

I was answering but goes beyond your 4-5 year limit...

I have mounted a film camera into a fuselage of a C141, we didn't loose it. Cold, real cold.

My best.

Mike

40 years ago with an old Nikon now discontinued
but needless to say it was a wedding and Bride has never forgiven me
Yes I had a back up Rollie but as it was not wide angle, so the all important group shots were only on the Nikon
Apart from weddings, I don’t think a second camera important. The days of needing one camera for slides and another for negs are over
If you’re doing weddings, the backup needs to be of the same quality as the main camera