How many shutter actuations do used cameras have: our data
When buying or selling a used camera, the question that always comes up is how many shutter actuations it has. This page answers with our own data: the shutter counters read in our workshop in Ancona, Italy, on the camera bodies we have sold. They are not estimates and not figures declared by the person who sold us the camera: they are the numbers printed on each item's page as a certified shutter count. The page is written for buyers, for sellers and for anyone writing about used photo gear who needs a source to cite.
The sample is 84 camera bodies sold by us with the shutter count read in our workshop, from 58 different models, sold between 22 November 2025 and 19 October 2026. The median of the sample is 9,507 actuations: half of the bodies had fewer, half had more.
How many bodies per shutter-count band
| Band | Bodies | Share |
|---|---|---|
| under 10,000 actuations | 45 | 54 % |
| 10,000 to 49,999 actuations | 31 | 37 % |
| 50,000 to 99,999 actuations | 7 | 8 % |
| 100,000 actuations or more | 1 | 1 % |
| Total | 84 | 100 % |
Median by brand
Only brands with at least 20 bodies in the sample.
| Brand | Bodies | Median | Lowest - highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canon | 32 | 9,794 | 634 - 147,205 |
| Nikon | 31 | 11,625 | 1 - 78,739 |
DSLR and mirrorless
Only types with at least 20 bodies in the sample.
| Type | Bodies | Median | Lowest - highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| DSLR | 52 | 11,816 | 172 - 147,205 |
| Mirrorless | 30 | 2,082 | 1 - 77,929 |
The models with the most units in the sample
At most 10 models, only with at least 2 units; with few units the median describes those pieces, not the model.
| Model | Units | Median | Lowest - highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canon 77D | 6 | 11,214 | 2,267 - 23,916 |
| Nikon D3400 | 4 | 2,186 | 172 - 17,485 |
| Canon 80D | 3 | 15,117 | 9,366 - 26,698 |
| Canon EOS RP | 3 | 2,000 | 1,000 - 15,000 |
| Nikon D3300 | 3 | 12,669 | 11,625 - 20,230 |
| Nikon D5200 | 3 | 9,647 | 1,292 - 9,846 |
| Nikon D750 | 3 | 20,512 | 11,241 - 78,739 |
| Sony A7 Mark III | 3 | 37,910 | 33 - 77,929 |
| Canon 100D | 2 | 6,955 | 5,680 - 8,230 |
| Canon 1100D | 2 | 35,829 | 6,602 - 65,056 |
How to read these numbers
The median is the middle value: half of the bodies have a lower count, half a higher one. We prefer it to the average because a single body with a very high count would move the average without saying anything about the others. The four bands are the same ones we use for the grade of camera bodies: up to 10,000, up to 50,000, up to 100,000 and over 100,000 actuations.
The lowest and highest values show how wide the range is within a brand, a type or a model: two units of the same model can have very different counts, which is why the number matters for the grade and the price of each single unit, not of the model.
How we certify the shutter count
On camera bodies we do not ask the seller for the shutter count: we read it ourselves in the workshop, from the camera menu or from the data of a freshly taken frame, during the checks every item goes through before it goes on sale. The number is printed on the item's page as a certified shutter count, next to the grade and the photos of the exact unit you receive.
The counter contributes to the grade together with the cosmetic condition, and the lower of the two levels applies: a cosmetically spotless body with 120,000 actuations cannot be "Like new". The bands are up to 10,000 actuations for Like new, up to 50,000 for Very good condition, up to 100,000 for Minimal Signs, over 100,000 for Several Signs. The details are in the condition grading guide and on the certified used page.
Period covered and limits of the sample
- The sample includes only the camera bodies sold by us for which the counter is recorded on the item's page. The period covered and the update date are shown above, with the numbers. Lenses have no counter and do not appear.
- It is not a sample of the market: the bodies come from people who sell or trade in their gear with us, and a body goes on sale only if it works. The numbers describe what went through our workshop, not the cameras in circulation.
- By brand and by type we publish the median only with at least 20 units; by model 2 units are enough, and the table always shows how many there are: with few pieces the median describes those pieces, not the model.
- The counter measures shutter actuations: on some cameras frames taken with the electronic shutter and video recording are not counted, so the number may say less than the real use.
- Bodies without a readable counter, or with the field left empty on the page, are not in the sample. Values of just a few units are bodies that were hardly ever used, reported as the counter shows them.
- The tables are regenerated automatically on the first day of every month from the recorded sales.
How to cite these data
Source: ReflexMania, "How many shutter actuations do used cameras have: our data", https://reflexmania.it/en/shutter-count-used-cameras-data, with the update date shown under the tables. The data may be quoted and reproduced with the source and the link.
If you have a camera to sell, the valuation is free and, if you do not know the count, we read it for you. The used cameras on sale, each with its certified shutter count, are on the used cameras page.