Video: Venerable Canon 5D Mark II has nearly 2.3 million shutter actuations

The Canon 5D Mark II is an extremely popular camera that many photographers still use today. However, few 5D cameras have been as well-loved and oft-used as the one YouTuber FoxTailWhipz purchased from used gear retailer MPB. FoxTailWhipz purchased a camera with 2,269,757 total shutter actuations, far exceeding Canon’s shutter rating of 150,000 actuations.

The Canon 5D Mark II was originally announced in mid-September 2008 and then released in late November. Let’s assume that the original owner of the 2.2M-shutter 5D, Mark II purchased it on November 30. That’s 5,045 days, meaning that to capture 2,269,757 snaps, the camera captured about 450 images per day. Given that the camera was sold to MPB and then sold to FoxTailWhipz, and thus wasn’t used continuously, it ends up being a bit more than that.

It’s a staggering number of photos, so what was the original owner using their 5D Mark II to capture? Unfortunately, we can’t say for certain, so we can only speculate. The camera has some visible signs of wear, but it’s not especially beat up. Its buttons and dials all work, and everything appears fully functional. It doesn’t look like a camera that was out in the field for all 2.2M shots, so it probably wasn’t used primarily as a sports or wildlife camera. Of course, that’s possible if the owner was cautious – and probably a bit lucky.

What seems more likely is that the camera was used in a studio environment much of the time or perhaps was used as a timelapse camera. Creating timelapse videos requires you to capture many photos, so you could conceivably rack up a high shutter count during 14 years of shooting.

FoxTailWhipz paid $199 for the “Good” condition 5D Mark II. MPB discloses shutter counts for its cameras, so there was no surprise when he checked the shutter actuation for himself using ShutterCount. The camera came with a six-month warranty (impressive, given that the shutter could stop working at any moment), a Canon battery, a Canon charger, and a front battery cap. Let’s hope the camera still has a lot more left to give, although it’s certainly surpassed all reasonable expectations of longevity.