Arboretum of Los Angeles County (Arcadia, CA)

The scene spoke to me. Nearly void of human life, the field framed this tree so eloquently.

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Jordan was driving on the freeway when I took this, so it’s not tack sharp. Whatever. I couldn’t get enough of these clouds!

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My friend at the wheel, driving north on Nevada SR-160 from Pahrump, NV.

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Looking through my archives at All Narfed Up, I realized that I never wrote about how much I love my Shootsac.

I’m not much into having a bulky camera bag that holds my camera. If I’m out taking photos, I’m taking photos!

With my first wedding coming up (December 2008), I wanted the ability to change lenses quickly and easily. (See “Photographing my first wedding.”) I basically used five lenses. I left the Canon Speedlite 580EX II in the car until the reception. The Shootsac made switching lenses on the fly ridiculously fast and easy. Unless I was chugging some water, I rarely missed a moment.

Since then, I’ve photographed two more weddings and several portrait sessions. Of course, I can’t forget the occasional photowalk.

Oh, concerts! When you’re in a photo pit and limited to three songs, every second counts. I notice other photographers with either a bulky bag/backpack, or just a single lens. That’s a tough limitation. Fortunately, I can carry all my essential lenses and accessories without getting in the way of other photographers or security guards.

I know the Shootsac is expensive, but I don’t know of another bag in its class. If you’re a solo wedding, portrait, or band photographer with 3-4 main lenses in your arsenal, the Shootsac will prove to be indispensable.

Lens swapping ease, thanks to my Shootsac.

Mac users, try 40D Shutter Count.

Next, find your camera in the Camera Shutter Life Database and see where you stand. (On the Canon EOS 40D page, I’m entry #210 – 67,402.)

I don’t know if the survival estimations can be accurate with such a small sample. My hopes are that more people will submit their shutter counts to the database.

If you’re looking to buy a used Canon EOS DSLR camera, contact the seller and ask them to post screen shot (Windows 7, Mac OS X Leopard) with their shutter count.

How long will the shutter in your Canon EOS DSLR camera last? Look at the official webpage for your camera model under the Features tab. For the Canon EOS 40D:

Strong, rugged build quality: magnesium-alloy exterior, shutter durability-tested to 100,000 cycles, top speed 1/8000, top x-sync speed 1/250.

Fortunately, when your shutter dies, I’ve heard that $200 is the cost (from Canon) to replace the shutter.

When trying to pick a used camera body to buy, keep that number in mind, but understand that the shutter can go at any time. The best thing to do is have an emergency fund for shutter repair and/or a backup camera body.