SL2.. how long will shutter box last?

[kchae]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Hi, all.

Long time member but first time posting here.

 

I've been using SL2 professionally for the past 2 years and half.

I am about to embark on a photographic journey which will last 5 months.

As there won't be any Leica store in the countries I'll be traveling, I've been wondering about shutter box of SL2 I've been using.

I don't know how much of pictures I took with it. All I know is I use it almost everyday.

I read somewhere shutter box lasts about 200,000 shots.. I don't know if that is accurate. 

I know it all depends on gear to gear and there is no set number.. but was just wondering if anybody knows general ball park of shutter box life span.

And if anybody who owns SL/SL2 ever had to replace it during their usage.

My M8's shutter box went out and I had to replace it years ago. I don't want that to happen, while I'm on the road.

I'm considering to buy an used SL2 to bring along as a back up but obviously that cost a lot of money so I don't know.

I know there isn't exact answer to this but any two cents of yours, would be helpful.

 

Thank you in advance.

K.

 

[douglas fry]

Its a good question but Im not sure there is a method for finding the shutter actuation. On the road I would switch to electronic shutter I suppose if the actual shutter broke (and locked open), I have an SL2-S which must have hit 300,000 actuations by now, the Elinchrom flash reads 473K flashes but I used it with an SL for a while. Its is still working flawlessly.

A capital purchase if you are a professional can be written off totally to tax, so a new SL2 would save your payments to HMRC! (if you are UK based)

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[hoppyman]

9 hours ago, kchae said:

SNIP----

I read somewhere shutter box lasts about 200,000 shots.. I don't know if that is accurate. 

I know it all depends on gear to gear and there is no set number.. but was just wondering if anybody knows general ball park of shutter box life span.

And if anybody who owns SL/SL2 ever had to replace it during their usage.

......SNIP

 

My understanding on the 200 000 figure  is designed life. Of course it's not a guarantee as you know. Other cameras may have different numbers.
It may be based on MTBF (that is Mean Time Between Failure) a statistical number not an average.
I think that the way you use your camera for example how many exposures per minute and the conditions etc may be the biggest factor in longevity.
In my specific case that would be typically rapid sequences in studio (perhaps exposure every few seconds in groups and might be 1000+ over 4 hours).
Your conditions may be very different.
I can comment that the SL system (SL & SL2, three lenses) over perhaps 200 000 + exposures is the only Leica system M analog/digital and S previously) I have used where nothing has ever broken. Now I have probably cursed myself.

You have to assess your own priorities and situation of course. I do think that spares may well be warranted for what you described.
I am an amateur . Other professionals might consider a tested spare body to be very prudent?

[Stuart Richardson]

I am on here a lot, and I never recall seeing someone mentioning that their SL2 shutter had failed. 200,000 actuations is a lot even for two and a half years of daily use, unless you are shooting really a lot...so for example events, wedding or fashion. If you used the camera every single day for two years, you would need to take 275 pictures a day to reach 200,000 photos. Do you think you photograph 275 photos a day? I am a professional, but work primarily in the arts and artwork reproduction, and I am not at 200,000 photos for my entire lightroom catalog going back twenty years almost. Having learned on film (and still use it), I tend to be a deliberate and careful shooter so I don't take tons of pictures. Then again, I do not shoot weddings, events or fashion which do require a lot more captures.

Personally, I don't think the shutter is really something to worry so much about. If something does go wrong, it is, if anything, more likely to be something else than the shutter. A backup is always useful for a long trip, but I don't think you necessarily need to buy a completely new SL camera just to back up one. Maybe a CL would make sense? It is a lot cheaper and smaller, and it could be used as a compact camera when needed. You could get it with a 23mm or other basic lens, and it would natively use all your SL lenses while you arranged a repair or replacement if anything went wrong. Yes, it is a APSC, but this is a case where it may be good as a backup. The quality is high enough that it could still produce professional results with the SL lenses. Another option would be a Panasonic S5II...again, much cheaper but fully capable and better than the SL2 for video work, so it could be used both as a back up and an alternative for low light and video. I have had an S1 since before I had the SL2, and I still use it for most of the video work. That is the nice thing about the L mount system....you have numerous options for back up or alternative cameras.

Edited March 31, 2023 by Stuart Richardson

[davidmknoble]

I agree with @Stuart Richardson on the backup idea regardless.  If you are gone that long with no way to fix what you have, a backup of some sort seems to be very logical.  Small is probably good, although, you might be able to also buy a used SL601 and even though the sensor in the SL2-S is much better, you would know how to use it and the batteries are transferable.

In terms of the shutter, there is no shutter count for the newer digitals, Leica did away with that or just hasn't shown us the hack to get there (like on the M8 and M9).  Also remember that if you shoot a hybrid shutter, sometimes the shutter just stays open and you might get several shots...  

Agreed that I have not read about a shutter failure on the SL system, so you may be the first to try the limit!  Hope your trip is great...

[dpitt]

On 4/2/2023 at 6:37 PM, davidmknoble said:

I agree with @Stuart Richardson on the backup idea regardless.  If you are gone that long with no way to fix what you have, a backup of some sort seems to be very logical.  Small is probably good, although, you might be able to also buy a used SL601 and even though the sensor in the SL2-S is much better, you would know how to use it and the batteries are transferable.

In terms of the shutter, there is no shutter count for the newer digitals, Leica did away with that or just hasn't shown us the hack to get there (like on the M8 and M9).  Also remember that if you shoot a hybrid shutter, sometimes the shutter just stays open and you might get several shots...  

Agreed that I have not read about a shutter failure on the SL system, so you may be the first to try the limit!  Hope your trip is great...

Maybe Leica thinks the number 200.000 becomes meaningless. Maybe it is a minimum in a sense that only x% will fail before that. X could be as small as 1% or less.  In production shutter count between failures will vary. There is nothing physical that puts a hard limit on  the max number. So variance could be as large as 200.000 to 2.000.000. Even with 300.000 on the counter you would not know how much you still have to go.

But the shutter is not the only thing that can fail, so having a backup is much safer than even buying a new SL2 and taking that one in stead.

[jaapv]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

It only takes one grain of sand between the shutter blades…

[BernardC]

1 hour ago, dpitt said:

Maybe Leica thinks the number 200.000 becomes meaningless.

I don't think that shutter life is an important differentiator. It was a big deal back in the day when an F3 shutter lasted significantly longer than an FM2/FE2 shutter. You had a choice between a 1/250 sync speed and 50,000 shots, or 1/80 and 200,000 shots.

I would definitely pack a spare body if I was going away for 5 months, regardless of brand. Anything can happen: a grain of sand like jaapv mentioned, or it could be thieves, or an accident.

[FormerGhost]

I’ve had my SL2-S for three months and already over 50k shots (concert/event photography), so I expect to hit 200k quickly. Luckily for me and for Leica, it will probably be about the same time the SL3 is released… FML 

[Ba Erv]

I looked at a used SL2 at a Leica store in Italy that had come back from Wetzlar for a CLA that had over 900,000 clicks on the shutter...still in perfect working condition.

[DirkZ]

My shutter of the SL2-S failed after one year (estimated < 20.000 shots). It had been repaired by LEICA for free on warranty.

[L.Blum]

The same is happening to me with my one year old SL2-S. How long was the repair for your body ?

[DirkZ]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb L.Blum:

The same is happening to me with my one year old SL2-S. How long was the repair for your body ?

It took 2 weeks, putting some pressure on the service. But I live in Germany, so shipping is fast.