I’ve shot Canons and Nikons and whatnot, but one of my true workhorse cameras has been the Sony A7 III. I got my first one in the summer of 2018 and paid my bills shooting with it for many years. That is, both stills and video. In January 2025, I had to buy another one because I noticed something weird about the shutter.
I figured the shutter might be reaching the end of its lifecycle and decided to take a closer look. The manufacturer’s estimated shutter life was evaluated at 200,000 actuations. With this particular camera body, the Sony software showed 506,686. I couldn’t believe it.
It’s safe to say the thing served me well. At times, it still does because I’m able to use it for video, even today. Or, if I don’t need higher shutter speeds, I can even take more pictures with it. What a great piece of electronics and engineering it is. That’s why I wanted another one of the same, and could not be happier.
Do not buy a used camera from me. Chances are, it’s already been shot to death.