Film SLR with the smoothest shutter/mirror return

ferider said:
That's a key point, Dwig.

While my OM-1 overall is quieter, I think I can get sharper photos with my Nikons, because the mirror lift is better dampened. This is true even on a tripod.

Roland.
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I concur. My FM2n makes a healthy sound but vibrates less than my OM1n. I can hand hold the Nikon at slower speeds.
 
Smoothness can refer to a wide variety of things. What do you want: Subjectively smooth feel, or objectively vibration and shake free operation? Smooth release button action, smooth transport, smooth mirror action or smooth shutter action?

Even the overall smoothest operating cameras around will be second best (or worse) in some of the disciplines, quite a few of the already suggested ones are good on one point only.
 
Of all the SLRs I have used, my Nikon F90x is the smoothest. My FM is cringeworthy during an acoustic concert.
 
I have a Miranda A with no mirror return. It sounds like a Leica M2. Makes you realize how much of trade-off the mirror return is.
 
I didn't try that many SLR, but the smoothest was my Minolta XD-11. Others I have tried were the Nikon FM2n, Pentax MX and Minolta SRT-101. Oh, and the Hasselblad 500cm.
 
The Canon EOS 1nRS. No mirror to return.

But as for an SLR with a real instant return mirror, the F4 is the absolute smoothest. I handheld mine down to 1/15 second with a 180mm f/2.8 ED AIS and got some very sharp photos out of it. There is no mirror vibration from it at all.

Phil Forrest
 
Interesting that some feal that the F and F2 Nikon's qualify. All mine have fired with a real thwack! and that's after service. Most manufacturers used foam to dampen mirrors and I think OM's were the first with a damper arrangment. The Leicaflex apparently uses gearing on the upswing and I can certainly hand hold slower speeds than my Nikon's. My F5 sounds like a machine gun and feels like one however consistantly produces razor sharp results so I suspect it's well damped on the up too.
A Pentax ME I had always felt very smooth and quiet too.
 
Nikon F80 is the smoothest and quietest I have used. It has a really creamy smooth action.

Out if interest the noisiest I have ever used is an Exakta VX1000... Feel like I am firing a gun every time I press the shutter.
 
jagarch said:
I have a Miranda A with no mirror return. It sounds like a Leica M2. Makes you realize how much of trade-off the mirror return is.
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I have several ancient SLRs without instant mirror return. I think of all of them the Edixa Reflex is the quietest and smoothest, but it doesn't really matter because on most you can release the mirror independently of the shutter. That's a really useful feature for shooting macro.
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
Nikon F4, no question. It is the only SLR I have ever seen with NO vibration at all from the mirror and shutter.
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Yes, I haven't tried a camera with a smoother shutter mirror action than my F4, with the exception of an old Zeiss Contaflex which has a compur shutter and a non returning mirror, as I recall.
 
The Contax Aria is pretty good. I find the shutter release and advance very smooth, and the shutter/mirror isn't noisy. It is a motor wind though, so that adds a bit of extra noise.

Quietest, probably the Pentax MX - it's a soft low pitched snick. I didn't like the ergonomics of mine, and sold it, but the shutter was much more like a Leica (M) than any other SLR I've used.
 
Jerry1963 said:
Nikon F80 is the smoothest and quietest I have used. It has a really creamy smooth action.

Out if interest the noisiest I have ever used is an Exakta VX1000... Feel like I am firing a gun every time I press the shutter.
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I second the F80. I think it may actually be quieter than my M2. The N6006 I own and F4 I tried were fine, but not really even close to my F80; maybe the F100 or F5 is. Oddly, you can't get anything at all out of these bodies now.
 
Ronald_H said:
Of all the SLRs I have used, my Nikon F90x is the smoothest. My FM is cringeworthy during an acoustic concert.
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Interesting you should say that Ronald. I have just acquired an F90x and it is really smooth. I took a few frames with it tonight and it felt very good indeed. I think it is one of my favorite cameras already and I'm only on my first roll ! The size and heft of it really inspire confidence for hand holding in low light.
 
I am a little less interested in the noise from the shutter and mirror than the perceived vibration. In that case I felt that my F2's have less vibration than the Leica M6 that I used to own - and I tripped the shutters of both side by side.

The ultimate test would be to actually measure how much vibration there is which would degrade image sharpness.

Didn't Minolta and some Leica SLR's use a different system to operate the mirror?
 
In my SLR group, I have the Nikon F4 softest follow by Pentax ME Super, OM1, OM2,Canon T90 Canon F1N, Nikon FE, Nikon FM2n, Canon A-1, Hasselblads.... and last but not least.....drum roll....Pentax 6X7...which measures 6.1 on the Richter scale ;-)
 
sailor said:
I Have two of the cameras already mentioned (Nikon F80 and Leicaflex SL) to hand and I've just tried them out on a side by side test. The Nikon F80 is much smoother and quieter than the Leicaflex. Having said that, the sound of the Leicaflex shutter is like no other and is a joy to listen to. Set the shutter speed to an eighth of a second and press. Pure magic!
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We ought to start an audio file thread of shutter sounds. I agree that some are pure magic.
 
digitalintrigue said:
I've used nearly all of the ones listed above...as far as 'smoothest' goes, I don't think anything matches the Aria.
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I have to second this. As well I would add the conTax RX/ST. They are motor drive cameras with silky action. Hard to beat. The RX/ST may take the prize for least vibration simply out of having more weight than the Aria.
 
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