“The mileage was not found anywhere on Canon!” - history from the service

Just last week a man came to me with a Canon EOS R6. He says: he uploaded photos to five different services - there is an error or empty everywhere. “So Canon doesn’t have a counter at all?” Yes, it still is. Canon just hid itotherwisethan Nikon.

Where Canon Stores the Shutter Counter

Nikon has a tagShutterCountsits in a MakerNote block with a fixed offset. This is a well studied documented structure. Canon has a different story:

• Canon uses tagShutterCountonly in some professional models (5D Mark IV, R5, R6 Mark II, 1D X III).
• In more budget models (EOS RP, EOS R8, EOS R50), the counter is either stored in a non-standard MakerNote field, or not accessible via EXIF at all - only through the official Canon EOS Utility or DPP.
• The specific tag in EOS R is calledCameraTemperature+ Canon MakerNote type auxiliary unit 0x0093 is not something that most online services understand.

How can you find out the mileage of Canon EOS R?

Method 1: ExifTool with -Canon:ShutterCount key

Command in terminal:exiftool -Canon:ShutterCount foto.jpg. If your model supports this tag − get the exact number. Works reliably on 1D X III, R5, R6 Mark II.

Method 2: Canon EOS Utility (Official Software)

Connect the camera with a USB cable to the computer, launch Canon EOS Utility → “Camera Information” menu - frame counter is displayed here. The most reliable method for all current models.

Method 3: Service Menu (Hidden)

Available on select EOS R models via a simultaneous button pressINFO+Q/SETat turned on - but this is an unstable undocumented function; it does not work on all firmware.

Comparison: Nikon vs Canon in terms of mileage availability

Parameter	Nikon (D-series/Z-series)	Canon (EOS R-series)
Tag in EXIF	ShutterCount in MakerNote (documented)	Canon:ShutterCount (not available on all models)
Reading without software	Via JPEG/NEF file online	Often requires a physical connection
Data reliability	High	Medium (depending on model)

Practical advice before buying a used Canon EOS R

If the seller cannot show you the mileage in any of the above ways, treat the transaction with increased caution. An honest seller will usually offer to meet you with a laptop or download the EOS Utility themselves. But the one who says “Canon doesn’t have a counter at all” - either he doesn’t know or he’s hiding it.