How to Check Your Camera's Shutter Count, Brand by Brand (and What It Changes Here)
Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Camera Sell Online
None of the four grade cards on the "Select Your Camera's Condition" screen asks for a shutter count, and the quote never changes because of one. So why look it up? Because the count is the quickest way to tell whether "less used" or "roughly used" is the honest card for your body, and because the person who collects the camera will believe a number you already know more than a guess. This page shows where each brand keeps the count, how to read it from a single photo in about two minutes, and what it does and does not mean for a used camera.
Three places the count can live
Manufacturers do not agree on whether the owner should see the count, so there are three cases:
- Inside every photo file. The camera writes the count into the maker notes of each JPEG and RAW file. You read it from a photo, not from the camera.
- Inside the camera, readable over USB. The count exists but is not copied into the file. A small program talks to the camera over a cable and asks for it.
- On a hidden service screen or at the service centre. Nothing in the normal menus, nothing in the file; a key combination or a technician shows it.
Brand by brand, for the bodies listed on this site
| Brand | Where the count is | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Nikon (D750, D5200, Z6 II, Z6 III, Z7, Z7 II) | In every JPEG and NEF file | ExifTool shows it as Shutter Count. No menu item on the camera. |
| Sony (A7 III, A7 IV, A7 V, A7C, A7R III, A7R IV, A7R V, A7S III, a6700, FX3, FX30) | In the file on most Alpha bodies | ExifTool shows it as Shutter Count. On a few newer bodies the field is not decoded yet, so an empty result means "unknown", not zero. |
| Canon (EOS R, R5, R5 Mark II, R6, R6 Mark II, R8) | Inside the camera only | Not in the photo file. A USB tool such as gPhoto2 (Linux and Mac) reads it from many EOS bodies; a Canon service centre can read it from any of them. |
| Fujifilm (X-T5) | Usually not in the file, never in the normal menus | Try ExifTool first; if nothing comes back, that is normal for many X bodies. Fujifilm service can read it. |
| Panasonic (DC-S1) | Hidden service screen | Lumix bodies show a power-on count and a shutter count on a service page reached by a key combination that differs by model. If you are not sure of the combination for yours, Panasonic service can read it. |
| GoPro, DJI, Insta360 | No mechanical shutter | There is no count to check. See the action-camera note below. |
The two-minute method for Nikon and Sony
- Put a card in, set the camera to JPEG (Fine is enough) and take one photo of a plain wall. A wall, because the file also carries the camera's serial number and, if location is on, where you were standing.
- Copy the file with a card reader or the USB cable. Do not send it through WhatsApp, a phone gallery "share", or a photo editor: all of them rewrite the file and drop the maker notes, and the count goes with them.
- Install ExifTool (free, runs on Windows, Mac and Linux) and run it on the file:
exiftool -ShutterCount DSC_0001.JPGIf the line comes back empty, ask for every tag with "count" in its name; some bodies use a different label:
exiftool -a -G1 DSC_0001.JPG | grep -i countFree websites exist that read the same maker notes from an uploaded JPEG. They work for the same brands ExifTool works for, and the wall photo advice matters more there, because you are handing the file to someone else's server.
Canon: the cable route
Canon keeps the number in the body. On a computer with gPhoto2 installed, connect the camera by USB, switch it on, and ask for the counter:
gphoto2 --get-config /main/status/shuttercounterSupport differs by body and by gPhoto2 version, and Windows needs a different tool, so if the command returns nothing or the camera is not detected, do not force it. A Canon service centre reads the count while you wait, and that printout is the answer a careful buyer trusts most.
Mechanical shutter, electronic shutter, video
The count only moves when the mechanical curtains fire. Frames taken with the fully electronic shutter, and every minute of video, leave the curtains alone, so a body used mostly for video or silent shooting can show a low number after a lot of use. That is exactly why this site's grade cards describe use and wear on the body instead of asking for a count: a scuffed grip, a worn port cover or a scratched screen tells the story the number cannot. The reverse is also true. A body with a high count and clean cosmetics is still "Good" if it looks and works like one; the wording on each card is the whole definition, as explained in camera condition grades explained.
Action cameras
GoPro, DJI Osmo Action and Insta360 cameras have no mechanical shutter, so there is nothing to count. For those, the honest signals are the lens cover, the battery and card doors, the screen and how long the battery lasts on a charge; the body test guide covers doors, ports and screens for any camera.
What the number changes on this site
- In the quote form: nothing. Model, lenses, original accessories, age bracket and the grade card are the only inputs, and the count is not one of them.
- In your choice of grade: possibly. If the count says the camera has worked hard, look again at the body under a lamp before picking "Less used"; the grade is checked against the camera at pickup, and an honest card means the price you saw is the price you get.
- In the conversation: a lot. Say the number, and say why it is what it is (second body, time-lapse work, a shutter replaced under service), on WhatsApp or when the camera is collected. Known in advance is different from found later.
Manufacturers publish a test rating for many shutters. This site does not use that rating anywhere, and this page will not tell you what "high" is: shutters fail before the rating and run long past it, and a working camera is quoted as a working camera.
Quick answers
My count came back empty. Is the shutter new?
No. Empty means the file does not carry the field for your brand or model, or the file was rewritten by an app. Try the second ExifTool command, a fresh file copied by card reader, or the service centre.
Does a RAW file work as well as a JPEG?
Yes, for Nikon and Sony the maker notes are in both. A JPEG is simply smaller to move around.
Do I have to give the count to sell here?
No. Choose the brand and model, answer the lens, accessory, age and condition questions, verify the OTP and the price shows. The count is for your own confidence, not a form field.
