In the days of film photography, there was a per-shot cost that could be calculated. The equation was something like this: cost of film + cost of developing / number of shots. With the advent of digital photography, the expense of film immediately evaporated. Same for the cost of developing, if you were sticking with digital viewing and digital storage of said shots. Does that make digital photography entirely "free?" Just shoot like there's no tomorrow, with no worries, mate? Not entirely.
Most digital cameras have moving parts, and those parts can break. They can range from the battery cover to the shutter itself. Let's talk about the last one. The shutter, which is an integral (or maybe the integral) part of a digital SLR camera. The shutters on DSLR cameras have design life expectancies. Usually in the tens of thousands, maybe higher, based on the brand. My primary camera body is a Canon 50D. The shutter life expectancy is 100,000 actuation. One actuation equals one shot. What's our per-click cost? Here are some numbers:
But what if the shutter fails earlier? Let's trim the life expectancy by half:
And cost of storage?
Interesting breakdown.
jcollins (Email) - 06/10/12 - 19:16