Stumbled on a stat that shocked me about old shutters

Honestly I was reading through an old Camera Repair manual from the 1970s I found at a thrift store in Portland last month. It had a chart showing that mechanical leaf shutters back then had a failure rate of like 2% over 10 years. Compared to today's electronic shutters where I'm seeing maybe 1 in 50 needing repairs within 3 years. That really surprised me because I always thought the old stuff was less reliable. But those simple gears and springs were built tough. Now with all the circuit boards and tiny motors, one bad capacitor or a drop of moisture and you're done. Makes you wonder if we traded longevity for convenience. Has anyone else noticed this trend with newer cameras you've worked on?

2 comments

2 Comments

mitchell.wade12h ago

Wait wait, didn't a buddy of mine buy a fancy mirrorless and the shutter just locked up on him after like 18 months... turns out a little capacitor fried and the whole board had to be replaced. Cost him almost as much as the camera was worth... crazy.

riley_king1611h ago

Yeah that's why I always tell people to buy the extended warranty lol.