quiet/silent shutter, Leica vs Leaf ??

[pb908]

from my past experience with nice working leica M2, i think that leica shutter is not THAT silent/quiet as what people said (at least,imho , not as silent as what I expected).
it is quiet enough for most case, but when I compare to a leaf shutter camera, i can say leaf shutter is quieter.

as we know, we have 2 type of leaf shutter, electronic (like the one on yashica GS/GT or olly XA, it's driven by relay), & mechanic shutter (fully mechanic, like on many of TLR, Folder, yashica lynx, etc. and in my opinion, the electronic one is even more quieter than mechanic one, as well as leica's

if we are pursuing the quietest shutter (for special occasion : wedding in church, etc), which one do you choose:
1. leica shutter (cloth, horizontal focal plane shutter)
2. leaf shutter mechanic
3. leaf shutter electronic..
we are talking about the shutter only (high and slow speed mechanism sound), not the winding sound, Focus/AF, etc.

thanks in advance for your opinion

 

[sevo]

Electrical leaf shutters are quietest, by a fair margin - in anything but quiet environments I have issues even hearing they released. Small size mechanical ones on mid speed setting are just as quiet, but their fast speed spring and slow speed escapement make them noisier towards the extremes.

 

[ChrisN]

We Leica owners prefer to ignore this sort of question. 😀

 

[Frank Petronio]

With the Hexar AF I often can't tell I released the shutter lol.

The reputation Leicas have for being quiet is only in comparison to 35mm SLRs and the older clunkier ones at that.

 

[rover]

Leica still has marketing reps flooding the internet with this myth so be careful what you say Frank, the elfs may repossess your Leicas.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

My M3 is as quiet as the Retina rangefinders.

It all depends on which camera, how big the shutter assembly needs to be to accommodate the speed of the lens. My Yashica Lynx 14e was loud compared with my M3. A Compur shutter made to match an F2.8 lens is smaller and quieter.

 

[degruyl]

Seriously? The Mamiya 7 is so quiet you miss it firing in a 5 mph breeze. (exaggeration, but still...). That's an electronic leaf shutter.

Mechanical leaf shutters (like LF cameras have) are ... not quiet at all.

 

[damien.murphy]

In my experience, leaf shutters, although I haven't had experience with electronic leaf shutters to discern if they are even quieter than the mechanical leaf shutters in my Rolleicords.

Oddly enough, I think a camera can be too quiet, and I personally need some sort of shutter sound confirmation to know whether I've actually taken the shot. In this regard, the Leica is ideal for me, as although it's not as quiet as a leaf shutter, I haven't been in a situation where the shutter noise has been noticeable enough to be distracting.

 

[willie_901]

Regardless of the criteria, situation or application, Leica shutters must be superior to any other shutter in existence.

 

[SimonSawSunlight]

my M2 is certainly quieter than any SLR I have heard. my canonet (which is gone now...) and mamiya 6 are certainly quieter than any M leica I've heard. 😉

 

[dogberryjr]

When I first got my GTN I spent a great deal of time wondering if the shutter had tripped at all.

 

[pb908]

Regardless of the criteria, situation or application, Leica shutters must be superior to any other shutter in existence.

and yet, no one choose leica focal plane shutter here.. so the hype of leica shutter being the quietest is proven here.. for being just a hype 😛

 

[damien.murphy]

Regardless of the criteria, situation or application, Leica shutters must be superior to any other shutter in existence.

Indeed, just don't leave your lens cap off in sunlight 😉

 

[Max Jenkins]

Leica M shutters in good repair and at 1/50 or faster are quiet, but not as quiet as leaf shutters. My Retinas and Rolleis are definitely quieter. Simple physics - lots more moving mass in a focal plane shutter than a leaf shutter.

 

[pb908]

Leica M shutters in good repair and at 1/50 or faster are quiet, but not as quiet as leaf shutters. My Retinas and Rolleis are definitely quieter. Simple physics - lots more moving mass in a focal plane shutter than a leaf shutter.

is it ?
i thought the mass of circular shutter in my bessa II is heavy enough, compare to a silk cloth which travels on FP shutter.
but maybe the noise it self generated not by the moving cloth, but by the stopper/break mechanism.

40 people already choose and yet, no one said leica is the quietest..amazing !!

 

[rover]

Not amazing, just the truth.

 

[thegman]

Indeed, the GF670 is almost inaudible. In London traffic, the only way you know it's fired is that the film will wind on. The Leica is not in the same league, although it is a softer noise than a ZI.

 

[Mackinaw]

The leaf shutter in my Fuji GS645 is incredibly loud, so loud it can wake a sleeping infant (no lie!).

Generally though, the leaf shutters in my Canonet and Mamiya C220 lenses are quieter than the focal plane shutters in my Leicas'.

Jim B.

 

[skibeerr]

On my Fuji ga645 I can't hear the shutter between the af and the motor wind 😀

 

[MC JC86]

Not a rangefinder, but both of my Minox 35s (GT and EL) make even my XA sound loud in comparison. The first roll I shot with one was mostly wasted because I keep staring into the lens at full aperture to see if the shutter was actually moving after loading film. My MP was one of the loudest rangefinders I've ever owned, but still my favorite...