Canon 6D & Canon 5DMk4 failure

Question

I had my Canon 6D Mk1 fail after a year of light use repaired under warranty. Addition of a Canon 5DMk4 last year has failed completely this summer. Again low use.Repair will take almost two months under warranty. Am I unlucky or is very low mean time to failure common with recent Canon models?

Answer 1

It's anecdotal, but I've never had to send a Canon body to a repair shop. My history:

• Purchased June 2008: EOS Rebel XTi/400D. Used as primary body until end of 2009, used as second "wide angle" body until early 2011. Currently on semi-permanent loan to my brother-in-law. Roughly 30-40K total shutter actuations.
• Purchased December 2009: EOS 50D. Used as primary body until Spring 2011, used as "long" body in 2-camera set up until Spring 2012. Currently a very seldom used backup body. 31,659 shutter actuations.
• Purchased Spring 2011: EOS 5D Mark II. Used as primary body until August 2014. Currently used as "wide" body in three camera setup or as second body in FF 2 camera setup. 69,178 shutter actuations.
• Purchased Spring 2012: EOS 7D. Used as "long" body until August 2014, then used as "long" in certain multi camera setups until June 2015. Currently a seldom used backup body. 42,020 shutter actuations.
• Purchased August 2014: EOS 5D Mark III. Current primary body. 52,917 shutter actuations.
• Purchased June 2015: EOS 7D Mark II. Current "long" body and sometimes primary body when used under flickering ambient lighting. 70,113 shutter actuations.

(All shutter actuations except the Rebel XTi were as of October 23, 2017 when I compiled a list of total shutter count for each camera in my inventory.)

The 5D Mark III and the 7D Mark II have each taken a particularly nasty impact that I considered more than "bumps" with no reduction in performance or any other issues. (The same can't be said for the lens on the 7DII at the time, it had to take a trip to Canon Professional Services. The cheap third party grip attached to the 7DII also had to be replaced.) All of my Canon bodies have been used, at times, under what many would consider "severe service" conditions. They've performed in the pouring rain, been run over on the sidelines at sporting events, been bled on, been bumped in countless crowds, and some have been dropped on solid concrete.

Maybe I've had exceptionally good luck. Maybe you've had particularly bad luck.

Answer 2

Am I unlucky or is very low mean time to failure common with recent Canon models?

Whether you're unlucky or not is an open question; another possibility is that you're hard on cameras.

I think it's safe to say that we'd hear a lot more complaints here in Photo.SE if Canon bodies were failing left and right. As well, selling hardware that needs to be repaired under warrantee is surely not in Canon's own financial best interest, and it's unlikely that Canon would willingly compromise the reputation for durability that its high end models enjoy.