Help! Need quietest camera possible....

[zburch]

So, just when I thought I was all set I think I am going to need a new camera...

I am thinking of starting a project focusing on the horse racing industry. Thoroughbreds are feisty and extremely skittesh. I need a camera that is virtually silent to do this. I have tried shooting with my Contax, Bessa and its way too loud and freaks them out. I need to be able to shoot them close during training without disturbing the horse. Which is very difficult because yearlings are pretty skitzy just on their own. Any sudden movement or sound can spook them...

I have been reading about the Konica Hexar and am wondering if it is truly truly "silent". Shutter, focus and wind? Any other suggestings? I might have to go digital for this one? Not sure, and prefer film...

Amy

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

Hexar is focal plane shutter and so louder than any leaf shutter camera.

I'd consider Leica CM or similar for this project.

 

[pesphoto]

Depending on your budget, a working GSN is a good way to go. vey quiet shutter

 

[mongo141]

So, just when I thought I was all set I think I am going to need a new camera...

I am thinking of starting a project focusing on the horse racing industry. Thoroughbreds are feisty and extremely skittesh. I need a camera that is virtually silent to do this. I have tried shooting with my Contax, Bessa and its way too loud and freaks them out. I need to be able to shoot them close during training without disturbing the horse. Which is very difficult because yearlings are pretty skitzy just on their own. Any sudden movement or sound can spook them...

I have been reading about the Konica Hexar and am wondering if it is truly truly "silent". Shutter, focus and wind? Any other suggestings? I might have to go digital for this one? Not sure, and prefer film...

Amy

Kodak Retina IIc, I have one and sometimes I don't know if the shutter has tripped or not. Dave

 

[Jon Goodman]

The most silent shutter I have ever seen in any rangefinder is the Seikosha MX or MXV. Particularly in two cameras, it was difficult even for the user of the camera to hear it. One is the Kowa/Graflex. The other is the Aires. If you're interested in the Kowa/Graflex, I still have the one I offered here. It takes excellent and very sharp photos.
Jon

 

[bmoc]

My Hexar AF with 'silent mode' is by far the quietest shutter i've used (leica cl, retina iic, leica m, etc.). With the Hexar, you also have the option of holding the shutter release down after exposure to delay wind until you let up on it. I too at times have to check the Hexar film counter to see if I've tripped the shutter.

Barry

 

[Andy K]

If you are going to use film I would suggest an Olympus XA. Other than that a digital camera would be pretty much silent (but unless you want to spend a lot of money on a RD-1 it won't be a rangefinder).

 

[Krasnaya_Zvezda]

Second that on the Kowa/Graflex and the Aires, also the Retina. All extremely quiet. But you might do best with digital, you can get absolute silence there.

 

[dazedgonebye]

I don't have enough experience with a range of cameras to know if there are quieter cameras, but I can tell you that I've been uncertain whether or not my Yashica GS actually fired.
Winding the film is about as noisy as most other cameras I've tried.

 

[Bertram2]

I have been reading about the Konica Hexar and am wondering if it is truly truly "silent". Shutter, focus and wind? Any other suggestings? I might have to go digital for this one? Not sure, and prefer film...
Amy

Search among leafshutter cameras and forget all the rest. The leafshutters have different sounds too, so try it first.

Bertram

 

[ywenz]

My Yashica Minister is silent as hell, as is my Yashica Mat124 TLR

 

[former member]

My CLA'd Leica M3 Single-Stroke is as quiet as the various leaf shutter cameras that I have.

Just unloaded the M3 and "test fired" it against a Konica S2 (fixed lens), Retina IIIS (fully interchangeable lens), and Retina IIIc (Interchangeable front cell), all leaf shutter cameras.

In order from loudest to quietest,

Konica S2; Retina IIIS; Leica M3; Retina IIIc. Of all of them, the S2 was noticeably louder and had a loud ratchet advance. The IIIS was sharp "click". The Leica was a subdued Click, and the IIIc was a smooth "swish".

Still stuck inside with a virus..., 4th day, sunny weather. Watch it rain all next weekend.

 

[pvdhaar]

The HexarAF is the quietest auto everything 35mm camera I've ever handled.

Silent mode is < 45dB as per specs, making the Hexar AF barely audible. But even then there are ways to get the sound level even lower..

As mentioned, the shutter button can be kept pressed, which delays film advance until you hold the camera under a jacket or so..

Distance can be locked, which does away with AF noise altogether..

Instead of P-mode, use A-mode or M-mode, so that the aperture blades don't make the slightest noise anymore..

You can imagine about how low noise levels of the Hexar AF are, when the sound level of the aperture blades come into the equation..

 

[boilerdoc2]

Amy, for my $ the quietest RF is the Mamiya 7. There is essentially no sound and film wind is nearly silent as well. And think of the quality of the negs! Wow! And mine is not for sale. Steve

 

[FrankS]

There's some confusion. There are 2 hexar cameras, one an interchangeable lens RF, and theother a 35mm fixed lens auto focus camera. The Hexar AF is a leaf shutter camera and is very quiet in operation. If you can live with just the super 35mm lens, it would be an excellent choice.

 

[broadie]

DEFINITELY the Konica Hexar AF. I've used leaf-shutter cameras, but even their subtle click is not much quieter (if at all) than the hexar silentness. And for every other leaf shutter camera, you have to advance the film manually...which will always be louder (even if done behind your back or something) than the extremely silent automatic whisper drive of the hex (which can be delayed as mentioned).

 

[laptoprob]

As stated you need a leaf shutter. There are various models, all doing a short 'click'. The Hexar AF has an extra wizz because of the motor. Very little but still.
My Olympus trip 35 has a very softened click, softened because it is a quite low tone. Many shutters have a kinda high tone click. That can be perceived as noisy.
Try and compare. I can't imagine sound is the only issue here. How about lens speed and focal length? Most leaf shutters are fixed-lens cameras.

 

[fgianni]

If you are going to use film I would suggest an Olympus XA. Other than that a digital camera would be pretty much silent (but unless you want to spend a lot of money on a RD-1 it won't be a rangefinder).

Also the RD-1 is noisier than some SLRs so I would not recommend it.

Onthe other hand digital compacts are completely silent.

 

[amateriat]

The Hexar AF will be the most quiet of the lot, and that's in standard mode; switch it into "stealth" mode and it's virtually silent, including film wind (rewind is slightly noisier, but you can place the camera under a jacket or the like to muffle that small bit of motor noise). All the earlier (black finish) Hex AFs have silent mode; some of the Hexar Silvers might as well, but Canon put the kibosh on Konica using this feature at a given point (alleged patent infringement), so be careful buying anything other than a black Hexar. Only downside I can see is that you're "stuck" with just one lens, but that 35mm f/2 is a gem.


- Barrett

 

[scottgee1]

More info?

More info?

Amy, perhaps a bit more info will help us be more helpful.

* In what format will the final results of your project be presented? Print? Web?

* Do these thoroughbreds respond more to a certain type of sound? In my limited experience with regular horses it seemed they disliked sharp sounds, e.g., the slapping of an SLR mirror. 😱

* What cameras have others used to shoot horses at close range? There a quite a number of books available with such pix so perhaps you can leverage what those photographers have learned.

* At the risk of being labeled a heretic in this forum, are you considering digital? 😡 If so, some of the prosumer non-SLR cams are almost silent as they do away with moving mirrors and film advance entirely.

ScottGee1