Help! Need quietest camera possible....

[zburch]

Thank you for all your suggestions. I went out to walk the dog and came back and I couldn't get the rangefinder site to load again. I will start my research, but I am thinking I am going to have to shoot digital when I am close to the horses in certain settings and then I can use film for other stuff. I just can't risk spooking a million dollar horse. That would certainly put me out of the barn!

Amy

www.amybphoto.com

 

[pash]

without a doubt the quietest camera i have ever used is a Mamiya 7. It makes a leica sound like an RB67!

 

[jlw]

There are people who photograph the Thoroughred industry professionally; it should be possible to find out what they use.

The ultimate professional solution is probably to use a Jacobson Photographic Industries "sound blimp" (see www.soundblimp.com) which is how the still photographers who work on motion picture sets operate. A blimp is expensive to buy, but there are places that rent them.

Meanwhile, add the Minolta Hi-Matic 7sII to the list of leaf-shutter cameras that are very quiet. I found this one definitely less obtrusive than the Canon QL17GIII, Konica Auto S3, and Olympus 35SP that I owned in roughly the same period.

If you need an interchangeable-lens camera, prefer to shoot with a 35mm RF, and can afford to spend some money, the quietest of the lot is probably the Minolta CLE. This combines a cloth-curtain shutter (quieter than a metal blade shutter) and electronically timed speeds (quieter than a train of mechanical gears.) No other M-mount camera offers this combination.

 

[Warren T.]

It never occurred to me that horses can be spooked by the sound of a camera until one day, we were hiking on a horse trail. I took a photo of a rider and horse going by us, and she was alarmed that my camera might spook the horse. Luckily, I was shooting my Bessa R, and not my modern, auto-everything slr.

My friend recently purchased a Sony DSC-H1 digital (12x zoom, image stabilization, etc.). The one thing that I noticed about that camera was that it was extremely quiet.

In my own experience, the quietest camera that I ever owned was a classic black Hexar AF when used in quiet mode. However, when not in quiet mode, the whirring of the AF motor was a bit distracting at times.

--Warren

 

[Pherdinand]

how about a bronica s2. That way those damn horses WILL have a reason to get scared.

 

[scottgee1]

how about a bronica s2. That way those damn horses WILL have a reason to get scared.

LOL!!!

Yeah, even I hit the ground and start looking for the shooter when I hear one of those. Like a gun going off!

ScottGee1

 

[dll927]

It figures that a leaf shutter will be quieter than a focal plane one. But I've read more than once that in places that insist on camera quietness - such as courtrooms or concerts, they don't fuss over M-Leicas. Needless to say, a lot of the 'noise' of an SLR isn't the shutter, but the mirror slapping around. RF Leicas don't have that problem.

I have only two cameras with leaf shutters - a Yashicamat 124 TLR, and a circa 1939 Welti that is a dead ringer for a Kodak Retina. Yes, you can be left wondering if the shutter fired.

 

[former member]

I digital point and shoot is quiet; but the time-lag can be annoying and "default" features that come up everytime you turn some of the cameras on can be a proplem. Some come up in "Auto-Flash with Red-Eye reduction" as a default, and must be over-ridden everytime the camera powers up. Worse, some revert back to this setting after waking up from sleep mode.

So with a Computerised digital wonder-camera, make sure you get one that allows manual settings to be "programmed" in. The Digital SLR's offer such custom settings that are "programmed in", but they are as loud as their film counterparts.

So look for a good high-end leaf-shutter P&S with a real optical viewfinder to minimize latency and a custom settings menu that "remembers" its settings. Most cameras are "Phd" level, and not made for someone that knows how to set a camera.

Or go to a good camera shop and look at some of the older RF's. A Retina IIIc is pretty quiet, and has a fast F2 lens. A Leica is slightly louder.

 

[sf]

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

GSN is not as quiet as some cameras - and the shutter release is not very friendly. Long travel release makes catching delicate moments difficult sometimes. IMHO.

 

[sf]

The muffled click of the Leica M3 I heard once is nice. Not a sharp sound, but like a shutter under a blanket.


Leaf shutter cameras are certainly quietest. . . generally. My Bronica RF645 is quieter than the M3 or my GSN except for that odd recocking sound.

You probably need a metering camera, since figuring metering in odd light conditions will be an issue for you. Leica CM is a good idea. If I were you, I'd just find something with a leaf shutter and manual recocking.

Oh . . . I got it.

Rolleiflex TLR.

how about the Olympus XA2? There is a good choice.

 

[Jon Goodman]

Ah, just get a Topcon UNI and be done with it. The "kaaaWhop!" sound it makes has been known to make birds take flight for blocks and wake people long thought dead.
Jon

 

[Bill Ely]

Give the Mamiya 7II a try. I think that you will be amazed!

Bill Ely

 

[raydm6]

The ultimate professional solution is probably to use a Jacobson Photographic Industries "sound blimp" (see www.soundblimp.com) which is how the still photographers who work on motion picture sets operate. A blimp is expensive to buy, but there are places that rent them.

Unfortunately, they went out of business with the advent of mirrorless cameras.

Jacobson Sound Blimps Closing After 52 Years

Jacobson Sound Blimps has announced that it's closing up shop, bringing an end to the 52-year-old business that produced the de facto official sound blimp

petapixel.com

 

[Darthfeeble]

You want silent as possible, that would be any of the modern digitals. My A7CR is totally quiet with the electronic shutter set to sound off. I don't mean very quiet I mean silent.

 

[Pioneer]

The Kodak Retina is about the quietest 35mm I have used but the Agfa Super Isolette is the quietest I can remember using. Never tried it on horses but my wife hates it when I take her picture and I have gotten several from just behind her with the Super Isolette. Leaf shutters are very hard to hear, even for the person using it. I have had a couple of Rolleiflexes that were pretty quiet as well though some will have a bit of a quiet "ting" when the shutter fires.

 

[Dogman]

I'm sure the OP has finished his project by now. But for those still tuned in and wanting an answer, mine is the same as Darthfeeble: modern mirrorless digital. My Nikon Z models has "silent" mode. Turn it on and it turns off the sound. Total silence. You forget you're shooting. So does everyone and everything else. Technology can sometimes be pretty cool.


...........................................

 

[boojum]

Here we go again, the old auto racing axiom of, "Speed costs money. How fast do you want to go?" You want quiet? Digital with leaf shutter. Electronic is quiet, yes, but often flaky. Leaf shutters go to 1/4000 and some go higher. Happy shooting.

 

[Rob-F]

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

The 7 plus a lens, is very expensive, though. This sounds like a budget project.

edit: oops, this from 2006.

 

[MarkWalberg]

Gosh, you’re going to have to dump your Bronica S2.

 

[kxl]

I’m not the stealthiest person in the world so I wouldn't do well around skittish creatures regardless of what camera I have.