Dslr is not a cheap toy, we save the money with plans, for months, for years. We work very hard to get our salaries, just to make our dreams of getting a dslr come true. So, when spending money on this, why not go for the best?
The problem of buying a great dslr wihtout any serious issue is just exactly the same as buying an expensive electrical or electronical stuffs for conveniences, such as a computer, a laptop, a handset, a set of home theatre system, the list goes on...
I bet you all have the experiences of getting a product with some technical issues after using it for times, which is for sure drove you crazy and panic because you are unhappy with the money spent but got into trouble! It's exactly the same for camera stuffs.
When I bought my new Nikon D300 last month, I called the camera shop person to place an order, and he replied that he was afraid that there was no stock in his shop, as he had sold 3 D300s the day before. Of course I couldn't wait for my D300 to come, but I would rather wait for a brand new body for the best value of the money spent. The person called me later that day to ensure that he had one set left in the shop and he reserved it for me.
When I picked up the D300 that day, I found that the plastic bag which covered the body was seriously lacerated, which was definately showing that it is a used or displayed item in the shop for months! I confirmed with the person but he insisted that it was a brand new set and never been displayed in the shop at all. I took out the body and check it out with care. I found that there were lots of fingerprint marks on the large 3-inch rear LCD screen, the top panel, and well, the whole body!!!
First of all, I hate people touching my thing which I have just bought. I don't know why, but that's me! Secondly, I can't stand for the "dirts" on something which is told to be totally brand new product which is going to be mine, where I exchanged with lots of money. Thirdly, I extremely hate liars!
Well, I tried to calm myself down by telling myself that, as long as the equipment functions well, and works well, which will not bring me any trouble in the future, I think the most important thing is to fully utilise the product, pushing its ability to its limit, and showcase my talent in photography. But later, I really felt unhappy with it, and many negatives scenes flied through my brain, which overwhelmed me for about one day. Then I suddenly thought of a real experience seeing my friend who is selling camera stuffs, dropped one of the displayed dslr in his shop, and sold it to a customer who needed the model in urge, and there was the only one in his shop.
Oh My God. What if the same thing happened to my D300, which costed me RM5400?
Then I quickly went online and googled the title " how to check the shutter release count on my D300?" and it turned up with thousands of related links. And I found what I needed.
I quickly uploaded my last taken picture, and found that my camera's shutter had been released for more than 200 times before reaching my hand, including the play by the person for test shots in his shop. I was very angry and called him, but he still insisted that it was a new camera body. But when I told him what I found on shutter release count, he was quiet and speechless and started to find excuses saying that he was not the one who touched the body.
Well, the good news is, I finally got a new one replacing my "used" D300.
I am not trying to be ridiculous, but there is possibility that I got the "dropped" set, but Nikon body is famous of its built quality, which still functions well after dropping on the floor from an acceptable height. I bet you will never feel balance with the fact that, other people spend the same amount of money but they get a safe and new copy of an item, but you are not.
I respect my hardwork to earn the money for months, and I respect my principle to get the best for the money I have spent. So here are the methods to check your copy:
1: Jeffrey's Exif Viewer
You need not install any software for this method. Well, it's simple. What you need to do, is just to upload your last taken image( in any format) with your dslr on the site to the second choice of " Local Image File" and then hit the "View Image From File" icon, and wait for the image to be fully uploaded. When it's done, you will see that there are 3 images in different sizes have been uploaded, and there are hundreds things showing you about the information of the image taken by you. Scroll down the page until you see the part written " Maker Notes" , something like that. and go for the shutter release count. You will definately find it as long as the image uploaded is straight exported from your dslr and you do nothing for the post processing.
2: Opanda
If the above method doesn't work ( which is rare, and almost impossible), try this by clicking on the Opanda above. Look at the right hand side of the page, where you see the "Power Exif version 2.21" , click on the blue small " download" link and start downloading the software. When it's done, then there will be 2 similar icons shown on the destination you have downloaded to. Remember not to choose the " Opanda PowerExif 1.2 professional trial" but click on the " Opanda IExif v 2.26" application for the next installation step. Then I am sure you will see what you need, as if the tool for you to uploade your image. Here is the window you should see:
I hope this is helpful. But unfortunately, we can't check whether the lenses we bought are the new ones or displayed ones.
One thing to remember, only the knowledgable technicians from Nikon or servicing centres know how to reset the shutter release counts on your dslr, or one of the parts of your camera body has been replaced, else, no one is able to reset the shutter count release even you reset your camera to its original factory condition!
Don't believe in the fact that the Nikon technicians always test for around 200 shots to make sure that the camera condition is good before reaching the shop for sales, it doesn;t make sense. Because Nikon technicians will always reset it back to zero before sending out for shipment. And I got my D80 checked on the same method when I bought it last year, which showed shutter release count of "1" after I uploaded the very first image taken by me.
Try it out, if you are happy with the count you got from the above method, just go ahead and use it happily with contentment. For my case, 200 shutter releases mean a photography session for a new wedding photographer. Or a continuous shooting test for long time. Or it has been displayed at the shop for at weeks, for months, before the customers got a brand new set on the displayed shelft. When it's displayed for a period of time, anything could happen to the set, and the shopkeeper seems won't be honest to tell you the truth because they are doing business!
I am not trying to be over reacted or sensitive on this issue. Your camera can always be sent for repair when there are something happened on your shooting sessions, as long as it's still under warranty. But I bet you won't be really happy with the money spent for this expensive toy:)
Be smart when spend, be wise for the value, be careful with the businessman!!!
Good Luck!
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