Toronto Photography Meetup Group

Hi, I have recently come across a seller who has a Canon t3i for a reasonable price with around ~800 shutter actuations; they say this is because it was mostly used for video.

I have a question about this that I haven't been able to find off google, is buying a DSLR used mostly for video a bad thing? I know buying one that has a lot of shutter actuations is not desirable, but could the constant use of the sensor for video be bad for the camera too?

Bottom line:

Lets say it's true that the shutter only has about 800 clicks and the camera seems in good condition, if I buy it do you think I might run into expensive problems in the future due to the fact it was mostly used for video?

Nobody said photography is a cheap hobby or an easy profession. Gear is always expensive, always tricky, and cutting corners is never a good idea.
Depending on how much you are saving in this 3ti, I'd recommend you spring for a new one. At least that way you'd have the warranty, and the comfort of knowing that if anything messes up, well, it was your fault , and nobody else's.
There's not much to be saved in buying used equipment at the rate the 3ti sells for. Some lenses, yes, some camera bodies, definitely. But the rebel 3ti is not an overly expensive camera, so I suppose your savings won't justify the risk, at least not on the long run, and, as you are undoubtedly starting in your Digital photography experience, you'll probably have a few years of fiddling with your Rebel before you fully master it, which is the best advice I can give you... master your first DSLR before making the jump to an expensive camera with all the works...if you don't know how to squeeze the max out of the basics, learn to use your functions, etc, you won't achieve greatness with a better camera, just waste your money.
Of course, this is only my opinion, and I'm sure many people will have a different view of it. Also, if you are on a budget, and can't spring for a new 3ti, I recommend looking at the 2ti. It's faster, lighter, and the only MAIN difference ( that makes the 3ti "better" - a manner of opinion ) is that flip out screen, which I think is not useful enough to make up for the difference in price unless you have a specific need for it ( such as planning to capture a lot of video, or perhaps using your livescreen to take stills (?) - which I don't recommend, since it does the sensor no favors.).
well, there's my advice. I hope it helps.
cheers!

have no fear, just inspect it and try it out

Well I was more or less wondering if mostly video usage for a DSLR instead of stills was bad for the sensor?

Certainly I can see a risk of hot or stuck pixels, but most cameras can filter for them.

The shutter mechanisms are usually good for a minimum of 50k actuations.

Not sure what the general consensus is for video wear on DSLRs.

I'm a heavy user on my 7D, I think i put mine through at least 60 weddings, several events for video. Photography here and there but probably over 70-80k clicks by now on a 3 year old body.

No issues yet!

Primary concern would probably be heat damage, video does make the sensor get pretty hot especially outdoors on summer days.....

If you are really concerned, you might want to contact Canon Canaday and see what a service cist would be to replace the processor. Weight that in the process and see if it's still a good value.....