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Is it possible for a DSLR to wear out if it is kept on perpetually?

Photography Asked on April 24, 2021

Although I am not planning on doing this, I was wondering what parts of a camera could possibly wear out over time if it were to be used as a webcam all day. For convenience, perhaps it would be kept on perpetually. This would entail the camera being set on "video mode" and kept like that.

I presume that there would be no effect on the shutter life of the camera as the shutter would have to be flipped up once to activate the Live View mode. I am also assuming that the camera is powered using a dummy battery, so that battery wear is negligible.

Are there any points of failure in the camera with such a setup? One issue I could think of is that it may wear out the autofocus motors in the lens, which are likely not designed to be used for continuous use for many days. Are there any other potential points of failure that would come quickly with this setup?

One Answer

You didn't mention which DSLR you are using but ... highly doubtful. I say this because astrophotographers regularly use DSLRs to image the night sky and these cameras are left capturing continuously for hours and hours on end without a problem. A single exposure might be as much as 5 or even 10 minutes long ... but as soon as the exposure ends the software immediately re-opens the shutter for another image, and another, and this goes on for hours.

What will happen is the camera will generate a bit of heat via the sensor and it will put a drain on the battery. The battery will generate even more heat as it provides power. You can reduce battery heat by switching to an AC adapter (many DSLRs can accept a "dummy" battery which is connected to an external power supply. Those "dummy" batteries do not get hot like traditional rechargeable batteries because all the heat from the AC to DC conversion is lost in the adapter (which may get warm) ... but that isn't inside the camera body.

Answered by Tim Campbell on April 24, 2021

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