Do you use your camera's "silent mode"?

[Benjamin Marks]

I once shot production stills as an assistant for a PBS docudrama using an motorized M6 and "blimp" -- it really was nearly silent. Back in the day, a "blimp" was a big old plastic or wooden box, lined with noise-cancelling foam into which you put your noisy motorized F3 or A1 (or a relatively quiet motorized M6) to really attenuate the sound of a shutter release. This way I could take pictures of the production while the cameras and sound were rolling without disrupting a take. The whole rig was ridiculously bulky, and your camera needed a motor drive, because with the entire apparatus encased in plastic and foam there was no practical way to work a mechanical advance lever.

Well I have two cameras today which are virtually silent -- or at least have that option. The first is an Olympus m-4/3 (OM-D) and now the Nikon Z8. Brilliant machines, but also capable of real stealth in a way that even my Leicas aren't. An M3 is pretty quiet. But there is still an audible "snik" as the shutter closes or the "snik plus whine" if the slow speed escapement is engaged. Not so with these modern electronic marvels. Like Twin Peaks' silent drape runners, they are really completely quiet. Or, possibly, I have gone a bit deaf -- don't want to write off that possibility. The Nikon actually gives you a choice (!) of fake shutter sounds (it has no physical shutter) so that you can have the feedback you are used to, or perhaps your subjects will. I have had those noises off, though, for the past week and I have to say I don't mind it, particularly not for candid photography.

So what about it RFF? Silent? Or bring on the thwack-bang?

 

[Coldkennels]

I've used the electronic shutter on the X-Pro 2 from time to time when the noise would be an issue... but it's an utter nightmare under artificial light. I always forget about the banding/uneven exposure it causes. It ruined a whole bunch of photos at a recent discussion forum I was covering for an online magazine.

Personally, I prefer the noise and tactile feedback of a mechanical shutter anyway - it's a good sign that the shot's actually been taken - but when you factor in the banding issue, it's a no brainer. Give me the thwack-bang, as you called it.

 

[sojournerphoto]

Very rarely do I select the silent electronic shutter option, although I have turned off the fake shutter sound on the GR iii - so now it’s virtually silent and sounds like the Fuji GF670😉

There is an interesting point in that, whilst Leicas are thought of as quiet, they are really not that different to my Panasonic S1r and louder than a Gfx 100s in electronic first curtain mode. To remember why they are thought of as quiet, you need to use an old 80s or 80s slr or medium format camera with a focal plane shutter. So, in practice, only the old slr’s really attract any attention due to noise.

 

[Richard G]

My Hexar AF silent mode is so silent I am not sure I got the shot.

 

[Dogman]

I've used the electronic shutter on the X-Pro 2 from time to time when the noise would be an issue... but it's an utter nightmare under artificial light. I always forget about the banding/uneven exposure it causes. It ruined a whole bunch of photos at a recent discussion forum I was covering for an online magazine.

Personally, I prefer the noise and tactile feedback of a mechanical shutter anyway - it's a good sign that the shot's actually been taken - but when you factor in the banding issue, it's a no brainer. Give me the thwack-bang, as you called it.

My observation as well. The electronic shutter of the XP2 is nice but it's also a curse at times. Banding is bad enough but sometimes I forget to reset it and think the camera is not working since there's no shutter sound. But it's great for being totally discreet and shooting from the hip. I also like the X100S for its near-silent shutter.

I still use DSLRs (and will as long as possible). I will alway love the sound of the flapping mirror and slamming shutter. Traditional photography music to my ears.

 

[shawn]

The silent mode can be great when you do want to be totally quite and not distracting.

The electronic shutter can also be useful for macro negative scanning as there is no chance of shake from the shutter.
Also for when the mechanical shutter isn't fast enough for the amount of light going into the camera.

 

[Godfrey]

I use it occasionally on cameras I have that support it, but unless there's something to help me notice the exact moment of the shutter release, I find it difficult to know I've gotten the photo I wanted. The soft "kr-chuk" of the M10-M shutter is quiet enough that few ever notice it, but it gives me a touch signal of exactly when the exposure was made.

G