01 How do I check the shutter count on a used Sony before buying it? Ask the seller for one original, unedited photo from the camera — a JPG or an ARW straight off the card. Drop it onto this page and the Sony shutter count appears instantly. Nothing is uploaded; the file is read in your browser, so you can verify a listing in seconds before you pay.
02 What is a good shutter count for a used Sony Alpha? As a rough buyer's guide for a used Sony body: under 50,000 is excellent, 50,000–100,000 is still very safe, 100,000–150,000 is moderate and should be reflected in the price, and 150,000+ is heavily used. A count is only 'high' relative to that model's rated life — compare the number to the per-model ratings below.
03 Is my Sony A7 III or A7R III shutter count too high? It depends entirely on that model's rated life — there's no universal threshold. The A7 III is rated by Apotelyt at about 200,000, so 120,000 is roughly 60% of its life: usable, but it should lower the price. The A7R III is rated at about 500,000, so even 40,000 is a small fraction — lightly used. Always compare the number to that specific body's rating, not a fixed limit. These ratings are statistical averages (MTBF), not guarantees: some shutters fail earlier and many last far longer.
04 Does shutter count matter when buying a used Sony? It matters because the mechanical shutter is a wearing part with a rated life, so a low count means more life left and helps you price the body fairly. Think of it like a car’s mileage — one of the first things to check on a used Sony Alpha, alongside cosmetic condition.
05 Does the Sony shutter count include the electronic shutter? The number this tool reads is the mechanical shutter count stored by the camera. Frames taken with the fully electronic (silent) shutter generally don't move the mechanical shutter, so they typically don't add to it — the count reflects mechanical wear, which is what matters when buying used.
06 My JPG shows no shutter count — what strips it? The count lives in Sony’s proprietary MakerNote, and only the original, untouched file keeps it. It gets stripped when you edit or re-save the JPG (Lightroom, Photoshop, Preview, Apple Photos), send it over email, chat, or social (they re-compress), use a screenshot, crop, or export instead of the real file, or rename/convert it to another format. The fix is always the same: use the original file straight off the card — or the matching .ARW RAW — and the count comes back.
07 Why can’t I see the shutter count in Lightroom or a normal EXIF viewer? Because the Sony shutter count isn’t a standard EXIF field — it’s stored inside Sony’s proprietary MakerNote, and that block is encrypted. Generic EXIF viewers and Lightroom’s metadata panel don’t decode it, so the count looks missing there. This tool decodes the Sony MakerNote specifically, which is why the count shows up here when it doesn’t in those.
08 Is the Sony shutter count free to check, and is my photo uploaded anywhere? It's completely free, with no signup and no account. Your photo is never uploaded — there's no upload button because there's no server. The file is parsed entirely in your browser, so you can turn off Wi-Fi or go into airplane mode and it still works.
09 Can the Sony shutter count be reset? There’s no normal user setting to reset it. The count is maintained by the camera, and changing it generally requires a Sony service center (typically only when the shutter mechanism is replaced). For buying used, treat the number as a genuine odometer for the body.
10 Which Sony cameras does this support? Sony Alpha (ILCE / α) bodies, including the A7, A7 II, A7 III, A7R, A7R II, A7R III, A7R IV, A7S, A7S II, A7C, A9, A9 II and the a6100/a6300/a6400/a6500/a6600 line. It reads the model code (e.g. ILCE-7M3) and shows the friendly name (α7 III). Not sure about your a6400 or A7 III? Drop a photo and the tool confirms it instantly. Note: a few bodies — including the original a6000 (ILCE-6000), the a7 IV and the a7S III — aren’t supported here yet, and the tool will tell you when yours isn’t.