CLE quietness - similar to a M?

thanks all, it would be for classical music.
the Rollei T is definitely too loud. It may need a CLA but it is a kind of exception in the Rolleiflex collection. It produces a sharp "tikclak", in fact it's not the shutter you hear most, it's the trigger mecanism.
The other quiet camera I have is a Kiev 3a but it's definitely not reliable enough.
So the quietest of all still is the M (and the Hexar AF of course but not that convenient for concerts, 35mm...)
What I used to do was using a DSLR with a 135 (200 equivalent), so that I could be far enough from the stage (during rehearsals mostly), and thus it didn't disturb anyone. Now my dslr was stollen but the insurance may give some money, so the point is : shall I take a M/quiet RF or shall I keep on using DSLRs with a tele? (and the other question : for the same price, buying a camera that will be worth two and a half peanuts in a few years time or a solid handmade piece of glass and metal? Technology or art? K10D or M2/3? but that's yet another debate...)
 
Wow this is probably the largest CLE thread ever and all in a day!

Definitely varying opinions it seems and I may be able to explain it. I agree with Benjamin that the silent Leica is a bit of a myth but my favourite expression I've ever heard used was "A Leica M is as quiet as a sparrows fart"

But to the original question, is the CLE as quiet as an M or nearly as quiet? In a very cryptic response, yes it can be. As has been pointed out already some M Models are louder than others. So lets clarify, can a CLE be as quiet as a classic M2 or M3 or M7, answer is no. Can it come close to a M6 or M4P etc, yes it can. BUT and this is the confusing bit and could account for some of the discrepancies is that not all CLE's sound the same! I have three and none of them are as loud as each other (although we aren't talking major differences here). Unfortunately M users seem to more regularly get their M serviced than CLE users, in fact I dont know of anyone that got theirs serviced before it started playing up. Simply the cameras get noisier with age, amount of use and lack of service. I have a CLE that is brand new in its box (Thought it would be handy to keep when the day comes and I cant get any more) and naturally its the quietest. The next one is a little bit noisier only by a fraction and has been serviced with the curtains and speeds adjusted and would be representative of the average of most CLE's out there noise wise. To which I would say is comparable or close to a good M6 in sound. The other is a user camera that sits waiting for the same service (but there is always that other lens you need to buy first isn't there?) and it is certainly the loudest with a slight high pitched squeak as it fires similar what what you hear on some Kiev/Contax rangefinders. I have handled many CLE's but none were ever as loud as any SLR with mirror slap as has been stated by some.

One thing that should be noted is that when you take the lens of an M and fire the shutter it doesn't get that much louder. With a CLE however it does get notably louder so the key thing when comparing is, make sure you have a lens on your CLE!

Other comparisons, is the CLE as loud as a Bessa? The later Bessas are quieter than the early ones but even my noisiest CLE still has the edge here.

Is the CLE quieter than a CL. Answer is yes over all. The CL and CLE's do have different sounding shutters, the CL having that snick that Joe describes but at faster speeds neither is louder than the other just different. However when you get to slower speeds then the gearing of the CL becomes evident while it does not with the CLE's electronic shutter. So if you compare overall then the CLE wins.

Brian Sweeney makes an excellent point also, that Luigi case does make your CLE quieter again. CLE's good camera mate!
 
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