There is no Standard life for a Digital Camera. They are very complex, and there are many mechanical and electrical things that can happen. If you buy a used one, the seller may be dumping it because it intermittently has problems, or is on the verge of a breakdown. Even if it has no problems, it might die tomorrow.


I sold a 9 month old 30D when I bought my first 40d. The 30D was still under warranty and perfect. The buyer called me a few days later, and said the camera had died. It turned out that the buyer had used the compact flash I sold with the camera for a few days, and then inserted a CF card he already owned, and it had a short and fried the camera. Canon fixed it under warranty, and hopefully the CF card went under a hammer. You can never tell what will happen.


You can purchase 3rd party insurance, at leasthere in the USA that would cover repair.