Shutter or Actuation counts are the lifelines of your DSLR camera usage. The lesser number of shutter counts shows your Sony camera will last longer.
A seasoned photographer would already know how crucial it is to check the shutter count on Sony A7III. The shutter life varies for each camera, for Sony A7III the maximum number of shutter counts is 200000 up to which it will work properly.
For noob photographers, it is even more important to keep track of your shutter count on Sony A7III to avoid unnecessary shots. That way your camera will function properly and last longer.
It is easy and simple to check the shutter count on Sony A7III. We have provided different methods to find the actuation count on your sony camera below.
How do I find the shutter count on my sony A7III?
Finding the shutter count on your sony camera is quite easy. You can follow any of the methods below to check the shutter count almost accurately.
Sony A7III built-in Menu
If you have no computer or internet connection. You can find the count of the still pictures from the Sony camera menu. These numbers of still pictures will be most probably equal to the shutter counts on your sony alpha model.
To find these options in your camera display. First, you need to select the menu on top of the camera display.
From the menu, select the setup tab. This is the second last icon on top of the menu bar.
There are plenty of options under the Setup tab. But you need to select the one which says “Display Media Info.”.
After selecting the Display Media info option the camera display will tell you how many still pictures and how much video time you have.
The number of still pictures shows the shutter count here. (it may not be exactly equal to the number of actuation count that we will find in the next methods, but it will give you a vague idea of the numbers).
Checking Shutter Count on Your Sony Camera (Exact numbers)
To know the shutter count of your camera you need to have information about picture settings, flash and lens data.
This data is collectively called Exchangeable Image File (EXIF) data and it stores shutter speed, exposure compensation, F number and other information related to DSLR camera settings when taking pictures. Any software or website needs this EXIF data to show you the shutter count.
Using Third party websites without downloading any software
The easiest way to check the shutter count on your Sony A7III is by using the online camera shutter count checker websites. The most commonly used online websites for this purpose are http://tools.science.si and www.camerashuttercount.com.
With free EXIF reader software
You can also check the actuation count of a sony camera by using free EXIF readers. Such a tool can extract the EXIF data from a plain JPEG image file taken from your Sony A7III camera and show you every bit of information. Picture Information Extractor (PIE) tool is one of the best free software for this purpose and it can be downloaded from https://www.picmeta.com/download.htm.
To use any of the above methods for checking actuation count. You need to take a quick low-exposure shot. Turn off the camera. Take the SD card out of the camera and put it into your computer or laptop. Then, you can either upload it to the online camera shutter count website and it will spit the results for shutter count.
Or you can download the PIE tool and install it on your computer. You can then open the image file in the PIE software and it will show you the information related to your camera. On the right-hand side, you will see a sidebar with lots of options.
There, you need to select the “Sony” tab and expand it. Under this tab, you will see the shutter count which will give you the total actions performed by your Sony A7III camera.
What is the shutter life expectancy of my Sony A7 III?
Unfortunately, there is no information on the shutter life expectancy for the Sony A7III model. But, it must lie somewhere between these other Sony camera models around it.
Keep in mind that sony has been sued over shutter breaking on shutter count 10000-50000 for A7 models. Out of warranty, it takes around $500 to repair the shutter.
Although the camera lifespan does not only depend on the shutter life, it is anyhow one of the biggest factors to consider.
It also depends on your usage, for example, if you click 100 pictures every day, you would have 3000 actions per month and after a year, your shutter count will be up to 36000. With a camera having a shutter life expectancy of 200,000 you can easily use this camera for over 5 years given you take good care of your camera and the environmental conditions are favorable.
The chance of breaking shutters may increase when the shutter count increases.
How to fix the shutter of Sony A7III
The shutter of Sony A7III can work great well beyond its shutter life. There could also be other problems with it other than the shutter. The lens of Sony cameras are replaceable, you can put the lens of A6500 with Sony A7III. If the shutter breaks it needs to be replaced. But the repair will probably cost you a lot. So, if it is many years after your purchase. You better go with a new camera.