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To find out the shutter count, you have to download third-party software which either interrogates or alters your camera firmware and who knows if it actually works or introduces bugs/virus, or in the worse scenario, turns your camera into an expensive brick. To have the shutter count on the camera menu is a convenient and simple thing to do like having the odometer on the car dashboard. Why don't camera manufacturers bother to do it?

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    \$\begingroup\$ Why exactly would they offer shutter count as a feature? Is it going to help sell more units? Are you sure that no camera manufactures do include this functionality and make it as hard as you describe(hint:no). \$\endgroup\$
    – dpollitt
    Commented May 16, 2015 at 12:27
  • \$\begingroup\$ Odometers are required by law. Shutter counters aren't. \$\endgroup\$
    – Caleb
    Commented May 16, 2015 at 18:20
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    \$\begingroup\$ You can usually read the shutter count in photo metadata, and I'm sure there are a great variety of third-party tools to help you do that. But what third-party firmware is there that alters your firmware and is wildly untrusted? As-is, it seems to me you're making unsubstantiated claims and fearmongering to make your argument. \$\endgroup\$
    – Dan Wolfgang
    Commented May 16, 2015 at 23:39
  • \$\begingroup\$ @DanWolfgang he is likely referring to recent events with magic lantern. It's quite an unfortunate situation and I do know of some professional videographers who are pulling back usage of the firmware - petapixel.com/2015/04/14/… \$\endgroup\$
    – dpollitt
    Commented May 17, 2015 at 4:40

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Knowing the shutter count is only useful in two situations:

  1. for repair, which is handled by the manufacturer. There's no need to make this a public feature.
  2. for selling/buying used gear, which the manufacturer has low interest in. They build cameras to sell them, not to simplify the process of reselling them.

The manufacturer has no (big) benefit of creating that feature for the used gear market. Other features are more desirable by the customers that buy new cameras, which is what the manufacturer makes money with.

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