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Photo: Dale Baskin

If you're like most enthusiast photographers, your camera equipment represents a sizable investment. It's natural to want to protect that gear, but just how careful do you need to be?

There's no single answer. Everyone has their own risk tolerance. What's acceptable to one might be reckless to another. Of course, it also depends on your gear; professional-grade equipment tolerates more extreme use than entry-level. However, in my experience as a professional photographer, workshop leader, and over a decade of reviewing gear, most people are more careful than they need to be.

I'm not suggesting you throw caution to the wind, but let's look at common dangers to your camera equipment and how careful you truly need to be.

Impact damage

You're right to be concerned about drops, bumps, or other impact damage. Cameras and lenses are well-made, but they're not military grade. You don't want to scuff, bend, or break things.

I often hike with a pack designed for minimal camera gear. If I need to take more, I'll sometimes wrap a lens in a fleece jacket and stuff it in the top of the pack.

Photo: Dale Baskin

It makes sense to protect your gear, but you don't need to baby it. I've seen people who won't go anywhere without a padded bag or protective case. Those are great, but often unnecessary. Wrapping your camera in a t-shirt in a daypack for a hike, or rolling it up in a towel for travel, will likely suffice.

In my experience, most impact damage happens when cameras are outside their bags, often due to a lapse of attention. For example, I've seen people trip over their own tripod leg, knocking the camera to the ground, or bend over, forgetting a camera around their neck, only to have it swing wildly and hit something. Sometimes, the best protection is old-fashioned situational awareness.

Rain or inclement weather

One of the most common fears I encounter is concern about water or moisture. Water is a danger to electronics and optics, but many camera users are more concerned than they need to be.

I've seen people travel thousands of miles for a workshop, only to pack up their camera at the first sign of a minor drizzle. They don't want the camera to get wet, but in most cases, they're not giving their camera enough credit.

Don't put your camera away just because it starts raining. Most cameras, particularly models with weather sealing, handle rain pretty well. Just be reasonable about it.

Photo: Dale Baskin

Many modern cameras include some level of weather protection, often with ambiguous descriptions like "splash-proof" or "dust-resistant." Even without these claims, your camera will almost certainly be fine for a little while in a light drizzle. My advice? If your camera advertises any weather protection, you're probably fine using it in the rain, and even if it doesn't, your camera isn't going to melt if it gets a few raindrops on it. Just be reasonable about it.

One luxury I've had as a DPReview editor is the opportunity to use many mid-range cameras in absolutely terrible, wet conditions, sometimes with water dripping off them for extended periods. Every single camera I've done this to kept working. I'm not suggesting carelessness, or that water will never cause a problem – just that gear may tolerate more than many imagine.

Sensor damage

We all agree on the need to keep a camera's sensor clean. But what if you're out shooting and notice a dust speck? What do you do?

I've seen it too many times: a workshop participant discovers a horrendous dust spot but is afraid to do anything in the field for fear of damaging the sensor. They end up with hundreds of photos, all with the same dust spot.

We've all been taught to treat camera sensors very carefully, but don't let sensor dust ruin your day.

Photo: Mitchell Clark

Conventional wisdom says to be cautious when cleaning sensors, and I won't argue that. But they're not made of unobtanium. I know the user manual probably recommends removing dust in a clean room with a specialized swab, but be pragmatic. In most cases, it's okay to use your Rocket Blower to shoot some air on the sensor to remove it.

Just don't use compressed air in a can, which might spray chemicals onto the sensor.

Extreme temperatures

Extreme temperatures are worthy of caution. If you're shooting in cold conditions, there's not much to worry about other than getting cold yourself. I've worked outside for extended periods at -20°C (-4°F), usually giving up before the camera. However, if something feels stiff or frozen, don't force it.

Graphic: CDC

Hot weather is another matter. Heat can damage sensors, electronics, and warp plastics. While it's unlikely you'll be shooting in conditions hot enough to vaporize lens lubricants, the most common heat damage is storing or transporting gear in places that get extremely hot, like a car trunk. Take precautions to protect your gear in extreme heat.

Dust, sand or other debris

Small particles like dust and sand can be a nightmare. Beyond sensor dust, sand can get into lens mounts and gears, or scratch surfaces like viewfinders and lenses. You'll obviously want to avoid this, but don't let it prevent you from enjoying your camera.

Occasional use in sandy or dusty environments is OK as long as you're careful and clean your equipment at the end of the day.

Photo: Dale Baskin

Using your camera at the beach or in sand dunes is fine, but use common sense: don't change lenses on a windy, sandy beach, and wipe down your gear at the end of the day with a damp microfiber cloth. With a little precaution, occasionally using your gear in dusty, sandy environments is generally not a problem for most gear.

The take-home message

I'm never going to judge anyone for taking care of expensive gear. We all have our own risk tolerances, and I appreciate that people have different motivations for owning gear – sometimes it's a tool; other times, it's just something they enjoy using.

However, my observation over the years is that many camera owners don't trust their gear enough, and many are more protective than necessary. And if you're so protective of your gear that you can't enjoy using it, what's the point?

Image: Canon

Canon has already raised prices of its equipment for US customers once because of tariffs, and now, it has shared that another increase could be on the way. The company recently released its second-quarter and first-half financial results for the 2025 fiscal year, and in those materials, it discussed how the US tariffs impacted the brand.

In the Q&A session with investors, Canon said that the impact of increased costs would be between roughly 15 and 16 billion yen ($101 to 107 million). To deal with that, the company said it is "considering how to respond," and that it could end up passing on costs via price increases. However, those increases wouldn't be a flat rate across the board. "Rather than applying price increases evenly, we will consider this on an individual product basis, taking into account product competitiveness," it said.

It plans to make up for that by "reducing costs and raising prices."

Canon said it hasn't been able to calculate an estimate of the impact of tariffs for the next fiscal year, but it is assuming the impact will be twice what it saw in the six-month period of this year. It explained that it plans to make up for that by "reducing costs and raising prices." The company reiterated that it will be looking at the competitiveness of each product and coming up with a plan based on that, instead of applying a blanket increase for everything. That gives the company the flexibility to increase prices on specific items and absorb the costs on others.

Canon also said in the Q&A session that it has been working to transition production locations for several years. "Regardless of the current tariff issue, for several years, we have been promoting a return of production to Japan based on our ability to automate production, with a focus on cameras," it explained. It also mentioned that it has a plan to increase productivity "by utilizing external resources for low added-value products." Whether that extends to anything related to photography or videography is unclear.

Another piece of information that Canon shared in the Q&A session was that it saw a rise in demand in May after announcing it would increase prices. Canon first shared that it would be increasing prices in the US because of tariffs in its first-quarter financials announcement in April.

Sales in the U.S. are expected to fall in the second half of the year due to price hikes.

Those increases finally hit products in June, and Canon said it saw a decline in demand after the higher prices were in place, a trend it expects to continue: it told investors that "sales in the U.S. are expected to fall in the second half of the year due to price hikes resulting from additional tariffs," but that it plans to make up the difference with increased sales in "Asia and other areas."

The tariff situation has been a complex and confusing issue, making it difficult for companies to plan. Promising at least some stability, trade deals were recently announced with Japan and Vietnam, where Canon makes some of its gear. Those deals resulted in tariffs of 15% and 20%, respectively, on imports to the US. While those numbers are substantially lower than the threatened rates, they are higher than the 10% that has been in place since the 90-day pause on full tariffs announced in May. So, Canon still needs to account for the higher costs of shipping products to the US with these new rates.

Image: Fujifilm

Fujifilm has put out a series of support documents that aim to help people get the most out of its cameras' autofocus systems. The articles, which explain the continuous autofocus custom settings and offer advice for shooting particular types of subjects, contain lots of details that previously wouldn't have been as easy to find.

In an FAQ document titled "About AF-C custom settings," the company goes through all the ways you can tune its continuous autofocusing system, and what effects changing the settings will have. For example, the tracking sensitivity section explains that if you select the 0, or "quick" setting, the camera won't try to predict the subject's movement at all, whereas setting it to 4, or "locked on", will have the camera continue to predict how the subject is moving for 1.3 seconds. It also gives time values for each of the settings in between.

A chart in the article describing how the tracking sensitivity setting works.
Image: Fujifilm

That kind of granularity could help users trying to make sure their camera doesn't get distracted by obstacles moving in front of their selected subject, a scenario common in sports and wildlife photography. The FAQ even gives specific recommendations, saying that settings 3 and 4 will work best for soccer, while 0 would be more appropriate for skiing and skateboarding.

These options aren't available on every Fujifilm camera, but the page has a chart showing which autofocus settings and features are available on each of its models.

This article is complemented by other explainers that cover Fujifilm's recommended settings for taking pictures of birds, running dogs, and children, with the former two even including lists of recommended lenses. And while the About AF-C custom settings article covers video, the company also has an article that specifically breaks down focus tracking while recording.

The documents may be extremely helpful for those trying to get the most out of their cameras, and come after a period of dissatisfaction among some of Fujifilm's users regarding their cameras' autofocus performance. Last year, the company put out firmware updates for many of its cameras that focused on improving AF performance, after complaints from some users that previous updates had actually made the system worse.

The rubber on older cameras can sometimes "revert," turning tacky or even liquefying, after many many years.

When buying a new or especially used camera, it's easy to wonder: how many years will I get out of this? While many consumers expect to replace their phones every few years, it's not unusual for photographers to see their cameras as a long-term investment.

As for how long term, there are a variety of factors involved. In this article, we'll cover some of the things that can lead to a camera expiring and how long they take to manifest.

The short answer: it depends

Unfortunately, there's not one exact answer on how long a given camera will survive. We'll be discussing some average lifespans of various components in this article, but it's worth keeping in mind that those are just averages; some copies will die well before those milestones, and some will last long after. Two cameras built with the exact same parts on the exact same day may have drastically different lifespans.

The way you use a camera will have an impact on its lifetime

It's also worth noting that the way you use a camera will have an impact on its lifetime. Photographers who only shoot in climate-controlled buildings can expect their gear to last longer than someone who chucks theirs in a backpack and heads into the wilderness, subjecting it to a blazing sun and constant sand. Likewise, someone who takes thousands of photos a day will need to buy a new camera more often than someone who only occasionally takes pictures.

With that out of the way, let's take a look at some of the most common points of failure and around how long you can expect them to last.

Mechanical shutters: moving parts don't last forever

Many (though not all) cameras use a mechanical shutter to start and/or stop the process of exposing the sensor to light. These are small, complicated parts that move very quickly, which isn't a great formula for something that you want to last forever.

The shutter mechanism is one of the most complex mechanical parts in your camera.
Photo: Mitchell Clark

While most manufacturers don't provide an estimate for how long the shutter of every camera will last, it's not uncommon for them to provide ratings on their higher-end models. For example, Panasonic rates the S1RII's shutter for 400,000 actuations, while Canon rates the 1DX III's for 500,000.

Again, these are just averages – any particular camera may not reach that number, or it may vastly exceed it – but they provide an upper limit to how many photos you can expect to take with a camera before you have to worry about the shutter breaking. It's also worth noting that lower-end cameras likely have less robust mechanisms with no particular rating, so the manufacturer probably won't fix them under warranty if they break before what feels like their time.

While most cameras can operate in e-shutter only mode, your mechanical shutter breaking is probably a good sign that it may be time to start looking for a new camera.

Other moving parts

If you have other moving parts on your camera, such as an articulating screen, or port covers, those could also eventually wear out after repeated use. Again, if you treat them kinder, you'll generally get more out of them, but even with the gentlest touch ribbon cables that connect electronic components like displays will eventually wear out after flexing enough times.

If you tilt a screen back and forth enough times, the hinge or the ribbon cable (or both) will likely give up.

The same is true for ports. Some ports are more fragile than others – we're looking at you microHDMI – but if you plug and unplug something enough times, it can eventually wear out, making the connection less stable, or having it the port fail altogether. USB-C, for example, is rated to last for around 10,000 insertions.

Neither do electronics

Many photographers won't take hundreds of thousands of photos with their camera, but even the stationary parts have an expiration date. While there have been improvements in electronic components' longevity, they don't necessarily last forever. Given how complicated they are, even one component in your camera failing could spell game over for it.

In most cases, though, even components with limited lifespans like capacitors and solder joints can last for a decade or two, depending on how they're designed. However, it's something worth considering if you're looking to purchase a much older used camera.*

* - This warning brought to you buy the author's now-expired Nikon F3, which has some sort of electronics failure.

New batteries can be a new lease on life

If you have an older camera and it's starting to behave oddly, it may be worth trying a new battery in it if you can get your hands on one. You're probably aware that the lithium-ion batteries that are common in cameras will lose capacity as they're charged, drained, and recharged, but as they near the end of their life, they can also fail to provide the voltages the camera expects under some scenarios. This could lead to it seeming like your camera is broken when the issue is really that it's not getting the power it requires.

Physical life versus useful life? It's okay to outgrow a camera that still has life left in it.
Photo: Dale Baskin

It probably goes without saying, but just because a camera is still kicking doesn't mean it still meets your needs. For some, it can be easy to fall into the mindset of "well, I can't get rid of a perfectly functional camera," even when more recent models may be much better-suited to their needs.

If you find that your gear is holding you back in some way – perhaps the autofocus isn't keeping up with your prefered subjects, or the sensor doesn't quite have enough dynamic range or resolution – it may be worth selling or donating it to someone whose needs it will meet, and looking for a camera that's better suited to you.

In summary: don't worry (too much) about it

If you're buying a camera from a reputable brand, the odds are good that it won't just fall apart during its natural life; we'd expect most cameras to last between 10-20 years before their construction really starts to become a concern. After that, you may need to start thinking about the lifespan of their electronics, plastics and the complicated mechanisms that make them work.

The main factor in how long your camera lasts will be how you treat it. If you take care of your camera it should serve you well for a long time... or at least until you get the itch to upgrade.

Photo: Adobe

Adobe has announced its latest updates for Photoshop, which it says aim to address common pain points for photographers and creatives. They include a few new tools, launching as betas, and improvements to the remove tool.

The most substantial new feature is Harmonize, which promises to make the process of creating composite photos easier and faster. The tool was first previewed as Project Perfect Blend at Adobe Max in October 2024, but it is now ready for testing in beta.

Harmonize uses Adobe Firefly to analyze new objects and the context of the original image. It then automatically adjusts the new object's color, lighting and shadows to create a more natural composite image with a single click. Users will still need to adjust scale and perspective. Still, this tool could be a big time-saver for interior designers creating staged imagery, marketers creating campaign visuals or artists creating composites. Harmonize will be available in beta for Photoshop on Desktop and web, and in Early Access on mobile.

The Generative Upscale feature promises sharp, clear results when upscaling images.

Photo: Adobe

Adobe has also introduced Generative Upscale, which it says has been one of the most requested updates from the community. It's available in Photoshop beta on desktop and web and can increase image resolution up to eight megapixels. Adobe says it will make images look sharper and more detailed. That said, the team's demo of upscaling an old, scanned photo of a couple showed quite a bit of smoothing on the skin and other features, giving it a rather AI-type look. However, its upscaling example of an AI-generated image showed more sharpness and detail.

Adobe has strong competition on this front, given that dedicated AI upscaling programs, such as Topaz Gigapixel AI, offer more settings and control. Still, it could be a good option for those who would like to keep all their editing work in one program and don't need advanced control over upscaling.

Adobe says the remove tool will provide better results in the new beta version. As you can see on the right hand side, though, it still may add new objects.

Photo: Adobe

The Remove Tool is also getting an update thanks to the latest Firefly model. Adobe explained that people have been using Generative Fill to remove things, but it wasn't specifically designed for that, and it would often add random new objects as a result. However, the Remove Tool was designed explicitly for removing items, and Adobe says it won't add new things as often as Generative Fill. That implies there will still be some surprise additions from time to time (indeed, such was the case in the example image Adobe provided), but it should be less frequent. Adobe also says that results will be more precise and natural in the latest iteration.

Both Generative Upscale and Harmonize use Adobe's generative AI credits, which it began enforcing with the new plans rolled out in May this year. Luckily, the newly improved Remove Tool does not use generative credits, so you can remove to your heart's content. That's a relief to hear, since it's such a commonly used feature for Photoshop users.

When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.Sample galleryThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab. Using a camera in a variety of circumstances is a core part of our review process, and we've been taking advantage of the camera's size by taking it pretty much everywhere with us.

Some of the images were taken at the wedding reception described in our shooting experience article.

Read our Sony RX1R III shooting experience

As usual, all images are presented as unedited, out-of-camera JPEGs unless otherwise stated, and Raw files are available to download so that you can run them through your preferred workflow, once support is available.

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