

The life expectancy is measured in shutter actuations (individual photographs) because this is a good indicator of how worn the camera will be before it needs replacement parts through servicing or before it needs to be replaced altogether if the cost of fixing is uneconomical.

Can't recall another failure of any shutter on any camera back from the Leica film, Nikon film, Canon film, Canon digital. That was more or less "infant mortality" failure, and got fixed up in NJ under warranty. Must have been my 60mm or 80mm, but I don't recall. The rivet/pivot for one of the shutter blades left the leaf hanging inside. one of my Hasselblad CF lenses took a dump at just under a years use. Things like increeping corrosion, than the shutter. Things like the card slot, or cable interface, than the shutter. I'd be more concerned about things like - the sensor, than the shutter. I don't think any of them had more than 20-25,000 on the clock when they got traded in/up.

Keep 'em a few years as primary, then switch them to backup use.

10,000 shutter activations, more like 5,000 total between the two. In other words, on the best of the "big" gigs, twice a year, maybe. Didn't have considerable shutter counts when considering the "expected life" of a shutter.
