Is it possible to change the shutter count?

guillermo_arp

Senior Member
So long history short...

I sent my camera for service to change the autofocus sensor . BEFORE that, the shutter count was 15,266-- according to Camera Shutter Count

My camera came back and now it has 106665. I talk to the guy and he told me that he messes with some electronics and what not... and that MAYBE the shutter counter went A-wire at some point.

Is this possible? I'm afraid that they may have stole my shutter and gave an old one.
 

480sparky

Senior Member
I'm not even sure if Nikon can. I've heard they do when they install a new shutter, but I've only heard anecdotes and not hard facts.

Are you sure you got the same camera back? Check the serial numbers.
 

hark

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I don't think the shutter counter is physically attached to the shutter like an odometer is attached to your cars' dashboard. It's most likely part of the firmware.

This is correct. The shutter count isn't stored in the physical shutter. I had my D600 sent into Nikon for the oil problem. They changed my shutter, but the count wasn't affected.

Who did the service? Is the serial number even the same? I've heard of scammers selling bodies that look like an expensive Nikon body, but the internal components are one of the less expensive bodies. What serial number is associated with your body? I'm not talking about the one engraved on the outside. You should be able to find that info in the EXIF. Not sure if Photoshop offers the serial number as part of a file, but there are programs where you can check.
 

guillermo_arp

Senior Member
One more thing I forgot to mention: The guy told me that he can reset the shutter count via software or whatever... That he can even set a smaller number of actuations, so if I had 15,266 he can set it to 100 if he wants to. This sounds like fraud to me... So either this guy knows how to hack the shutter count (fraud), or he stole my shutter and gave and me old one. What do you guys think?

I checked the serial number and its the same camera, plus it has some scratches here and there that give it away.

This is not NIKON service.... Nikon service has proven to be worst where I live (whole different story, but they may actually be the source of my focusing problems)
 

aroy

Senior Member
There are a lot of scams perpetuated by third party repair guys. Your inflated shutter count may be due to :
. While accessing the software, the shutter count was reset to this large number. This is highly unlikely.
. A change of motherboard with an older body will carry the old count. Most likely scenario.

Yes the shutter count can be set to zero. That is what many Nikon Authorised centres do after shutter replacement. But setting the value to an arbitrary value, requires quite some hacker skills, but is not impossible.

I would suggest that you do a thorough check of the camera and test all its functions. In case all work, just request the shutter count to be reset to zero.
 

Patrick M

Senior Member
One more thing I forgot to mention: The guy told me that he can reset the shutter count via software or whatever... That he can even set a smaller number of actuations, so if I had 15,266 he can set it to 100 if he wants to. This sounds like fraud to me... So either this guy knows how to hack the shutter count (fraud), or he stole my shutter and gave and me old one. What do you guys think?

I checked the serial number and its the same camera, plus it has some scratches here and there that give it away.

This is not NIKON service.... Nikon service has proven to be worst where I live (whole different story, but they may actually be the source of my focusing problems)


The fact that he says he could alter the shutter count strongly suggests that he didn’t. If he were swapping yours out for an older one, he’d easily adjust the old count to match what you had.
Doesn’t mean he didn’t, but ...it might mean he did swap it out and just forgot ! Idiot.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

hark

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So either this guy knows how to hack the shutter count (fraud), or he stole my shutter and gave and me old one. What do you guys think?

These shutters are not like old car odometers that could be rolled back. The shutter is simply a piece of hardware. It is activated by software, and the shutter count is stored in the software. It's still possible that the shutter you have now isn't the original. Who knows what this guy might have done.

I checked the serial number and its the same camera, plus it has some scratches here and there that give it away.

You must not have understood my previous reply. The outside skin of your camera body can be removed and placed around a less expensive body...or possibly another body with the same model number that has many more shutter actuations. There was an article written once about a person going through the menu of a body and finding out the internal components weren't from that particular model body.

Do you have an unedited file you can upload to Dropbox and share the link here? It needs to be an image you've taken after the service was performed.
 

Bikerbrent

Senior Member
You must not have understood my previous reply. The outside skin of your camera body can be removed and placed around a less expensive body...or possibly another body with the same model number that has many more shutter actuations. There was an article written once about a person going through the menu of a body and finding out the internal components weren't from that particular model body.

Sounds like an awful lot of work for a very small financial gain, particularly considering the age of the camera.
 

hark

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Sounds like an awful lot of work for a very small financial gain, particularly considering the age of the camera.

That's my take as well. The labor involved would end up being more than the value of a used shutter.

What I'm wondering is if the guy swapped out the insides with one that truly has 106k actuations. He could get a much better price to sell a D7100 that only shows 25k actuations.
 

480sparky

Senior Member
What I'm wondering is if the guy swapped out the insides with one that truly has 106k actuations. He could get a much better price to sell a D7100 that only shows 25k actuations.

At this point, I would be finding images taken before the service to see if I could extract the serial number from the exif. That will be the real tell. Unless the scammer is so good he can change the s/n as well.
 

guillermo_arp

Senior Member
At this point, I would be finding images taken before the service to see if I could extract the serial number from the exif. That will be the real tell. Unless the scammer is so good he can change the s/n as well.

That's exactly what I just did... and VOILA!! Different serial numbers.

I downloaded ExifPro 2.1 Opened a recent photo, from before I send it for service, and it reads: Serial number 945899... I checked several other older photos and all of them have the same SN. I took a few pictures today and the Serial Number is different: 298331

I confronted the guy and he was "shocked"... According to him, at some point of the repair, "OLD DATA FROM ANOTHER BODY" got stored on my camera. "Probably during calibration, since the machine he uses to tweak software can download the entire software from one body to another". Something like cloning a hard drive I suppose... I think he is full of fecal matter, but... I'm not the "expert".

He also claims that he can reset the serial number just in the same way he can reset the shutter counter. He ask me to send my camera once again so he can set the old serial number and reset the shutter counter.

According to him, all he did was change the autofocus sensor. Which is still not working properly (He offered me to change the whole mirror box for free).

From what I read from you guys, the shutter counter MAYBE possible to set to any value, But the serial number?? I don't know...

This person has been in the photo business since a long time ago and its very well known in the local industry.
 

480sparky

Senior Member
Sounds more like he's just going to jack you around to cover his arse.

Is the SN of the body you got back the original?

Personally, I'd not let him have the camera again. God knows what else he's going to do to cover his tracks. I'd suggest he pony up for a comparable camera to what you should have.

I'd also contact Nikon and see if they can help. Maybe they can tell you if the switched s/n has been registered and to whom.
 
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hark

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I too suggest contacting Nikon to see what they say. My guess is he simply swapped out the insides. I've read articles where the info in bodies can be hacked and reset. See if Nikon says calibration equipment has the ability to download and save the info from one camera and *accidentally* put it into a different body. I'm only aware of it happening if the body's software is hacked.

You are very much within your right to go after this guy no matter what his reputation is. There may be others who have used him who are now in a similar situation...but perhaps they don't know how to look up the EXIF info for shutter count and serial number.

Where are you located? Here in the USA there are several different consumer organizations that help. You might want to cover your butt and file a police report if this doesn't get resolved to your satisfaction.
 
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