Sony Shutter Count
Get the shutter actuation count from your Sony camera. Works with JPG and ARW files — read locally in your browser, never uploaded.
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ACTUATIONS
FAQ: Frequently asked questions
- How do I check my Sony shutter count?
- Take one fresh photo on your Sony Alpha, copy the original file straight from the memory card to your computer, then drop it onto this tool. The shutter actuation count is read from the camera's MakerNote data in your browser and shown instantly. No software to install and nothing to upload.
- Which Sony cameras are supported?
- The tool works with Sony Alpha bodies that store a mechanical shutter count in their MakerNote, including E-mount models like the a7, a7 II/III/IV, a7R II/III/IV, a7S/a7S II/a7S III, a9, and the a6000-series. If your model is recognized but its count location isn’t mapped yet, the tool will say so. Fully electronic-shutter bodies may not record an actuation count at all.
- Does it work with ARW / RAW files?
- Yes, and the original ARW (RAW) file is the most reliable source. Sony stores the shutter count inside the camera MakerNote, which RAW files preserve faithfully. If a JPG comes back with no count, switch to the matching unedited ARW.
- Is my photo uploaded anywhere?
- No. The file is read entirely in your browser with JavaScript and never leaves your device. There is no server-side processing, no upload, and no fetch, XHR, or FormData sending your file's contents anywhere. Close the tab and nothing remains.
- What is a high shutter count for a used Sony?
- There's no single hard limit, but as rough guidance Sony Alpha mechanical shutters are commonly rated around 200,000 to 500,000 actuations depending on the model. Anything well under 50,000 is generally low for a used body, while figures past the rated life are worth weighing against the price. Treat the number as one data point alongside overall condition.
- Why does my JPG show no count?
- Sony frequently omits the shutter-count tag from in-camera JPGs, and any JPG that has been edited or re-exported usually has its MakerNote stripped entirely. When a JPG returns no count, use the original, unmodified ARW (RAW) file from the same shot instead. That's the most dependable way to get a reading.
- Is the count accurate?
- It's the value Sony itself records in the camera, so when present it's the same number the manufacturer uses. The tool reads it directly and does not estimate or round. That said, treat any shutter count as indicative rather than a guarantee, since the data depends on the file being 100% original and unedited.
Guide: How to get a reading
The tool can only read the shutter count if the image is exactly as the camera wrote it. The moment a file is opened and re-saved in an editor, Sony's MakerNote data is almost always destroyed. So the whole trick is getting one untouched original file from the camera to this page.
- Take any photo on your Sony Alpha. It doesn't matter what's in the frame, lens cap on or out of focus is completely fine, since you only need the shutter to fire once.
- Connect the camera or pop the memory card into a card reader, and copy the files using your computer's normal file browser, not any bundled camera or import software.
- Open the card’s DCIM folder and then the 100MSDCF folder (the number may differ on full cards) to find your shots.
- Drag the latest file (the highest-numbered JPG or ARW) onto the drop zone on this page, or click to browse and select it.
- Read your shutter count from the result. If a JPG shows no count, repeat with the matching original ARW (RAW) file.
Avoid
- Don't import or transfer photos with Sony's own software or any third-party importer that may rewrite the file.
- Don't open the photo in any editor (Lightroom, Photoshop, Capture One, Preview, Photos, etc.) before checking, since saving through an editor strips the MakerNote.
- Don't send the photo over email, chat apps, or social media, as these re-compress it and remove the metadata.
- Don't use a screenshot, a cropped copy, or an exported version. Only the original camera file carries the count.
- Don't rename or convert the file format. Keep the original .JPG or .ARW exactly as the camera saved it.
Privacy: Privacy
The short, honest version: this tool runs entirely in your browser. Your photo and its metadata stay on your device, there are no accounts, and there are no tracking cookies.
- 100% client-side. When you drop in a file, it's read in your browser with JavaScript to extract the EXIF and shutter count. It is never uploaded.
- No server processing of your file. There is no fetch, XHR, or FormData that sends your file's contents anywhere. Close the tab and nothing remains.
- No accounts and no sign-ups. Nothing about you is required to use the tool.
- No tracking cookies, no third-party trackers, no ad pixels, and no social embeds.
- Analytics, if enabled, use Cloudflare Web Analytics, which is cookieless and privacy-respecting. It measures aggregate page views without client-side state that identifies or follows you, and it is currently off.
- The site is static, hosted on Cloudflare Pages. As with any web host, Cloudflare may process standard access logs (such as IP addresses) to deliver and secure the site, per Cloudflare's privacy policy. We add no logging on top of that.
- Questions about privacy? Email andreistalbe@gmail.com.
- Disclaimer: the shutter count is read best-effort from the file's EXIF/MakerNote data and should be treated as indicative. It is only available when the file is 100% original and unedited.