Canon EOS R5 Archives - Heiko's Blog

Canon: Why Make Shutter Count Inaccessible?

Yesterday I finally decided to part with my Canon gear. I tried everything to make it work but it doesn’t work for me. See my Canon EOS R5 Disappointment post.

So, the first thing I thought a potential buyer of a camera might want to know is the shutter count. It is kind of the milage of the camera. Mechanical shutters have a maximum life expectancy that is published by the camera manufacturer. My Canon EOS R5 has an impressive shutter life of 500,000 actuations. That is a lot even for a professional camera body. Compare that to the shutter rating of the Nikon D850 with a mere 200,000 shutter actuations.

Canon EOS R5 Disappointment

Updated on November 21, 2023

See also my latest Nikon Z7 II Review for a comparison!

In March 2021 I did it: I bought a new camera, and it wasn’t a Nikon! Not that I never owned other cameras. I’m loyal to my wife, not to my camera gear.

I was looking for a way to reduce weight when hiking. At first I bought a Nikon Z6 II and lenses but wasn’t happy with the focus system and switching between rear display and EVF. While on a hike I missed a good opportunity to shoot low flying eagles because of these two issues. To be fair, I had the “cheap” 24-200mm lens mounted, not some top glass. And I had practically no hands-on experience with that camera. Within a few days I returned the equipment and – after all the recommendations, positive reviews as well as out of curiosity – I jumped to the “other” side: I bought the Canon EOS R5 and an assortment of lenses.