The lifetime of a digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera’s shutter is typically rated by number of actuations. This is an important number to have for various reasons, but especially important to know when buying a used SLR camera. Nikon’s D2 family of cameras, recently surpassed by the D3 family, is a professional line of DSLRs that have a shutter life rating of 200,000 actuations. Unfortunately, this number is not easily accessible via any on-camera menu but can be found with the help of a computer. Nikon records the number of total pictures taken as part of an image’s EXIF metadata. EXIF metadata is quite simply metadata that is embedded within an image file that contains a number of attributes about the photo. Determining the total number of shutter actuations on your Nikon camera is as easy as getting a look at the full set of available image EXIF data. If you are using a Mac, an application simply called EXIF Viewer will display the full set of EXIF metadata. There are many other EXIF metadata viewers available. Be sure to get one that can display manufacturer-specific metadata. Alternatively, you can use an online EXIF data viewer. For example, http://regex.info/exif.cgi is a tool that can show you the full EXIF data for just about any image format. Tips Writer Bio
