A shutter controls how long a camera’s image sensor is exposed to light. The sensor is made up of millions of tiny pixels that are called complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS).
To take a photo, the shutter opens temporarily to allow light to hit the CMOS and create an image. When the shutter closes, the CMOS is no longer exposed to light and the image is stored in the camera’s memory.
How Long Does a Mechanical Shutter Last?
There are three main types of shutters: mechanical, electronic, and rolling shutters & Shutter Repairs Birmingham. Each type of shutter has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Rolling Shutter Reduction
This type of shutter reduces the lateral distortion that can be a problem when shooting fast panned shots. This can be especially helpful when shooting videos with flickering light sources, like fluorescent lights.
Flash Sync Speeds
This type of shutter offers faster flash sync speeds than electronic shutters. However, these speeds are rarely more than a few milliseconds at most, and the flash often still has to illuminate the whole sensor before the image is saved.
Lifespan
This type of shutter typically lasts for a set number of actions, which manufacturers specify. This actuation figure varies from model to model, but many entry-level DSLRs and mirrorless cameras have a shutter actuation rating of 100,000 while top-of-the-line models may have a 400,000 actuation rating.
If you’re looking to buy a new or second-hand camera, it’s important to know its shutter count. This is the number of actuations that the camera has recorded and is usually found in the EXIF data attached to each photograph.
