Who has actually used a camera until failure?

Only camera i can say i actually broke was my first, a nikon e3400. The battery door had been opened so many times the hinge failed. I fixed it with stick on velcro.

I've had two cameras fail on me, both after years of use. One had something happen to the sensor, I can turn on the camera but the images look like some kind of scramble filter is on (hard to describe). The other camera just stopped working altogether. I can't even power it on. I have five cameras that still work just fine, the oldest I bought in 2006.

I wore out the power zoom switch in a little Canon point and shoot many years ago.

Anybody who used Russian cameras 50 years ago would be used to that!

Is failure defined as at least one of its original functions no longer operating correctly?

Then I have, with several cameras.

So far so good. I've had a couple of memory card failures, but no camera failures yet.

My 2001 D1X is still working, so is my 2003 D2H and my 2005 D2X. Those cameras are tanks. I'm pretty sure my 2011 Lumix G3 will fail before any of these old Nikon pro DSLRs.

I had the viewfinder of my Pen F fail. The local place I took it too ended up sending it to Olympus for repair, which took a bit longer than their estimate and when I got it back, the store never bothered to inspect it, because weirdly, it had the exact same issue as when I brought the camera in. They sent it back and the next round of repairs weren't expedited, so by the time I finally got it back it was something like 3 months after I brought it in. Only because I complained about it did I get a really tiny discount on the repair...

I have had 3 cameras die. The first I used a lot and burned out the shutter. Next, I got soaked by Beehive geyser in Yellowstone. That camera lasted about 30 seconds after getting soaked and never recovered. The third developed an electronic problem and would periodically freeze requiring removal of the battery. I gave up when that failure became more frequent.

My wife upgraded her original digital DSLR about 10 years ago. Lots and lots of pictures since then and still going strong.

Konica FT1 film motor drive problem--- Fuji fine pix 2800 zoom- no signs of life--- Minolta D'image A1 - known sensor problem that survived until after the replacement date.

I lost a few cameras to the beach. Lost some to stupidity.

One of my cameras has a cracked rear screen and a black spot in the corner but is still otherwise usable. This is why I’m now a fan of flip out screens so the screen isn’t exposed when it’s in my bag / hanging from my neck.

I used my D200 until hot / stuck pixels got to be too much.

Otherwise- generally not.

Bought my first digital camera - the FujiFilm Finepix 2650 (2.0 MP, 3X zoom) in 2002. Kept using it even after acquiring multiple other cameras over the years until it refused to power up. Don't remember exactly when - sometime well into the 2010's - but it was years after I had no real reason to use it. The pictures were some of the sharpest I could get.

sbansban said:

Bought my first digital camera - the FujiFilm Finepix 2650 (2.0 MP, 3X zoom) in 2002. Kept using it even after acquiring multiple other cameras over the years until it refused to power up. Don't remember exactly when - sometime well into the 2010's - but it was years after I had no real reason to use it. The pictures were some of the sharpest I could get.

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I live hearing stories about old tech that still performs great.

Same thing with my Fuji 2800 zoom. 2.0 megapixel - great pics- even used the camera as a web cam for awhile. I would buy it again.

A few years back I bought a slightly used Sony a6000 with a zeiss 16-70 lens that I carried EVERYWHERE for about two years. I dropped the camera in the dirt more than once, banged it against rocks, and at one point i jammed the zoom adjustment somehow when I fell on it while skiing so it would only operate between something like 20-50. Unsurprisingly, one day the LCD quit working. A couple of months after that I couldn't get it to power up. I was sad but I knew I had gotten my money's worth out of that workhorse. I had a funeral with full military honors for that beloved -- and extremely well used - a6000.

upptick said:

A few years back I bought a slightly used Sony a6000 with a zeiss 16-70 lens that I carried EVERYWHERE for about two years. I dropped the camera in the dirt more than once, banged it against rocks, and at one point i jammed the zoom adjustment somehow when I fell on it while skiing so it would only operate between something like 20-50. Unsurprisingly, one day the LCD quit working. A couple of months after that I couldn't get it to power up. I was sad but I knew I had gotten my money's worth out of that workhorse. I had a funeral with full military honors for that beloved -- and extremely well used - a6000.

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You probably needed a ricoh tough cam. Wouldnt be same image quality

I'm fortunate to have not yet experienced a camera failure, though I take pretty good care not to drop them.

My old Fuji F30 P&S had a battery that was completely dead and beyond what the charger could deal with. I was able to breathe life back into it with a power supply (I'm an EE) and restored it completely. It still lasts a long time -- took it on a trip as a secondary camera for fun and didn't have to charge it once.

Only other "failure" is my lens started acting up, not focusing right and just being all janky. It was just a matter of cleaning the electrical contacts as they must have gotten oil from fingers on them.

I'm hoping to use my current gear until the day it eventually stops working, but I hope that isn't for a good while!

My D5000 gave up the ghost after about 20K shutter actuations. It made me seriously consider abandoning Nikon.

tclune said:

My D5000 gave up the ghost after about 20K shutter actuations. It made me seriously consider abandoning Nikon.

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Wow it might have been an outlier

digital_vintage said:

Only camera i can say i actually broke was my first, a nikon e3400. The battery door had been opened so many times the hinge failed. I fixed it with stick on velcro.

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Does failure mean you literally can't take a picture or video, and repairs are not possible or would be so expensive it's not worth it? Or just that parts have failed enough (or will end up failing repeatedly) such that the camera is no longer as viable for use as intended, or wouldn't be enjoyable to use with the failure?

I once lost a Panasonic TS3 underwater camera to a failed seal after several years of use.

I've also had many dial failures on two Panasonic cameras which I felt rendered the camera not usable enough to keep, although they were definitely usable in auto mode or some other modes if you were willing to suffer.

GX85 - I suffered three rear dial failures in three years, and refused to spend money to repair it again the third time. I was the original owner.

G100 - Rear control wheel failed in similar manner to GX85 in first few months of ownership. I bought this one used so it had no warranty.

In addition to those cameras which I parted with in favor of a G95 and G9 respectively, I also had a other camera failure which didn't bother me as much thanks to dedicated redundant controls.

FZ300 super zoom bridge camera - Top zoom rocker failed within first 2 gears of ownership. Fortunately there's a second zoom rocker on the lens barrel so no functionality has been lost.

For the record, I've also owned a Panasonic G95 and two G9s which have been 100% reliable (knock on wood).

I can't endorse many Panasonic cameras that share the GX85 rear dial (e.g. GX7, GX9) due to the reliability issues; nor the G100 for the same reason. I know some people have had better luck and personal habits likely come into play (e.g. my habit of wearing sunscreen, sweating profusely, and shooting in dusty outdoor nature setting frequently doesn't seem to be a good thing for certain Panasonic cameras' longevity...).

digital_vintage said:

upptick said:

A few years back I bought a slightly used Sony a6000 with a zeiss 16-70 lens that I carried EVERYWHERE for about two years. I dropped the camera in the dirt more than once, banged it against rocks, and at one point i jammed the zoom adjustment somehow when I fell on it while skiing so it would only operate between something like 20-50. Unsurprisingly, one day the LCD quit working. A couple of months after that I couldn't get it to power up. I was sad but I knew I had gotten my money's worth out of that workhorse. I had a funeral with full military honors for that beloved -- and extremely well used - a6000.

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You probably needed a ricoh tough cam. Wouldnt be same image quality

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Agree on the 'tough' camera. I have three. We live in a rugged environment. I won't risk a conventional camera to get some of the photographs I want, so the 'tough' camera handles them.

My sole photographic product is the print I make. My printer max is 13X19", but wall space generally limits me to 11X14". Given the circumstances under which I photograph, and post processing via PSE, prints on the wall at that size are indistinguishable from my larger formats. A fair exchange, in my opinion.

I am very particular about taking care of my gear. This also includes a few given to me by colleagues who updated to the then-latest and greatest, who were equally careful with their gear.

I have been fortunate. I have never had a digital caamera failure. I've done my part, but my impression, based on my admittedly limited experience, is that digital cameras in general are extremely reliable.