Daily App Finder: Shutter Count on macOS Eases a Major Photographer Worry

Photography is a game of numbers. Shutter speed, aperture, focal length, ISO, you name it. One of them, in particular, worries many photographers: shutter count, which is the number of photos a camera has taken. This may be a good indicator of how much strain a device has been through. This measure is usually of interest when purchasing used cameras, but many people have trouble finding it. Enter Shutter Count, a macOS app that, well, counts your shutter usage—if you have a Nikon camera, that is.

Shutter Count App for macOS: It Counts Your Shutter Clicks!

If you search “shutter count,” you’ll find quite a few websites offering this information. However, they require uploading a photo taken with the camera to an unknown server, which raises privacy concerns.

Shutter Count does this on-device, requiring no internet connection. I can confirm this, having tested the app myself with LuLu enabled, and no network requests were made.

The app is currently in the testing stage on TestFlight, according to a Reddit post made by the developer. You’ll need to have the TestFlight app and ask the developer for an invitation link.

Using Shutter Count App on macOS

Using the app is relatively straightforward. See below:

You can also check the information from the camera itself. Just connect it to your Mac and select Scan for Camera on the initial screen.

The app also includes some additional features that allow you to keep track of your camera (or cameras’) usage. Check below:

1. On the initial shutter count panel, click the + sign to add the camera to your collection. After that, click on My Cameras.
   
2. A list of your saved cameras will appear. Select the one you want, and a panel with information about the camera will be displayed.
   

Right now, you can find the following information:

• Model
• Serial number
• % of the original shutter rating left
• Initial count (from when you first added that camera)
• Photos taken after that
• Latest shutter count
• Rated shutter count
• Date the camera was added
• Average number of photos taken per day since
• Expected shutter life, based on the above.

The developer intends to implement more in-depth information, like a “usage history” feature with statistics about a camera’s workload. There is also a maintenance record and a firmware update notifier planned.

Other Ways of Finding Camera Shutter Count

If you only want to check a camera’s shutter count, however, macOS has a built-in app for that. Better yet, it works with other camera brands as well. Check the instructions below:

1. Open any unedited RAW or JPEG file from your camera using the Preview app.
   
2. Press Command + I, or click the circled i icon on the top menu.
   
3. Click the second circled i on the dialog that appears.
   
4. Look for a tab with your camera manufacturer’s name. It should have a Shutter Count row.

Does Shutter Count Really Matter?

Now here’s the thing: shutter count isn’t, by itself, the most important aspect to consider when purchasing a used camera. It used to be more important long ago, when this part was more prone to failure. Nowadays, however, it serves as a secondary indicator of how much a camera was used.

That’s because, even though most models nowadays are still rated for 100,000 to 150,000 shutter cycles, higher counts are common. Some professional users take more than a million photos, over the years, with cameras rated for 100,000 cycles.

Considering the above, other aspects have to be checked when shopping for a used camera. Are the lenses and sensor free of scratches and fungi? Is the camera body in good shape? Are the parts and accessories all original or from reputable brands? These kinds of questions will help you determine whether a used camera is a good purchase. The Shutter Count macOS app, in this case, is just an additional help.