Shutter loudness on D700

H

hexar_hp5

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Apr 18, 2008
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Hello All,

So I'm close to deciding upon a D700, read all the reviews, held one, etc.

Everything looks good to me, but I'm a little concerned on the sound of the shutter/mirror slap. It sounded okay in the camera store but it was a lot louder than my hexarAF.

One of the main reasons for my looking at the D700, is the low light capabilities in quiet, intimate settings. I wouldn't want the shutter sound to disturb things.

Would anyone care to comment on the loudness of the shutter? It took me a little by surprise, but then I haven't used an SLR in a couple of years, though in the past I've had A1s and F5s.

Still to and fro'ing on the size of it. Weight wise it's twice the weight of my Hexar and that's without a lens!

Thanks.
 
It's loud compared to a rangefinder. Its just a different animal. Great in low light and when you are shooting a lot. It is heavy, but its a workhorse.
 
It's loud. I use mine to take stage shots, and I get plenty of dirty looks, especially if I'm shooting in rapid sequence.
 
if you are shooting rapid fire, it is very noticeable. it is quite obviously louder than a hexar af, but it is quieter than an f5. if the people around you know that you are taking pictures with it, and it isnt in the middle of a violin concierto, it really isn't bad.
 
It's not that I think that having a big DSLR up to my face wont get me noticed it's just that a large 'clack' during a conversation, might get on peoples nerves.

With the hexars, I get the initial 'oh he's taking a picture', but it people soon seem to ignore it.

I don't don't need 3fps let alone 8.
 
It is a little noisy, sure, but god it's an amazing camera. The high iso capabilities, the fps with the attached motordrive, the great lens line up.....it's a fantastic camera. For personal settings where I want to take discrete photos, I grab my M2 if I can, it is less noisy and smaller, but the D700 has beautiful files, never misses a beat, and has such great high iso abilities it's amzing. Plus, the AF in low light is fantastic, much better than with older cameras (D2x, D70, D300) that I've tried.
 
kipkeston said:
It's loud. I find Nikon DSLR shutters to be really obnoxious.

You could listen to a recording here. http://www.nikond700.com/nikon-d700-review/compared-nikon-d700-vs-canon-5d/ It sounds like a hammer!
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Yeah I heard that before, it's pretty bad in my book. I was just wondering is it really that loud under normal conditions, or was the mic pressed close to the camera?


robinsonphotography said:
It is a little noisy, sure, but god it's an amazing camera. The high iso capabilities, the fps with the attached motordrive, the great lens line up.....it's a fantastic camera. For personal settings where I want to take discrete photos, I grab my M2 if I can, it is less noisy and smaller, but the D700 has beautiful files, never misses a beat, and has such great high iso abilities it's amzing. Plus, the AF in low light is fantastic, much better than with older cameras (D2x, D70, D300) that I've tried.
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That's the thing, if you are saying that you prefer your M2, for discrete low light photography, that would be exactly what I was considering the D700 for. The files are amazing, but I still need to take the photo in the first place.
 
hexar_hp5 said:
One of the main reasons for my looking at the D700, is the low light capabilities in quiet, intimate settings. I wouldn't want the shutter sound to disturb things.
Click to expand...

Forgive me but it sounds like the wrong camera for you if this is what you are looking for. Use film and and be happy with the results. The D700 is what it is and to my ear is more quiet than an M8 but some are just not going to accept that an SLR is not as quiet as a church mouse. Yes all of the above is true with regard to files, low light ability, weight, bulk, low noise etc and yes it's still among a select few cameras that can do what it does.
I carry mine daily and yes it's heavy but it's still the camera I chose when I pack my bag.
 
hexar_hp5 said:
Yeah I heard that before, it's pretty bad in my book. I was just wondering is it really that loud under normal conditions, or was the mic pressed close to the camera?




That's the thing, if you are saying that you prefer your M2, for discrete low light photography, that would be exactly what I was considering the D700 for. The files are amazing, but I still need to take the photo in the first place.
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Sorry, I didn't make that exactly clear. I find the D700 far superior for low light photography vs. the M2. I can focus in low light and get great looking files at 16-3200, and easily usable ones at iso 6400. Yes it isn't as discrete, but sometimes there is a price to pay for quality. What I meant by my comments were that I use the M2 for personal work where quality is not of as high of a concern because I can't get nearly the quality out of the M2 when it gets dark out, but it is a bit more discreet (stating the obvious there)....but whenever I truly want to know I'll get a good image at the end of the day, I grab the D700. The M2 is just for fun, it can't do the same things.
 
I find the D700 to be one of the quietest DSLRs actually. It's a sound that the engineers over at Nikon worked on to get to sound right. It's not too loud, and not very crisp, and not hollow. It's a very firm sound that sounds solid and deep. I find it to be not too bad, but you still have the double sound of the mirror and the shutter, but they are very harmonious.
 
i take a lot of candid portraits of friends, particularly when I am back in my hometown at the local all night diner. everyone is perfectly used to it, and they are generally flattered. we all sit around and talk, and my snapping away never tends to bother anyone. as long as people know you are shooting, they generally don't care and it isn't that distracting. even people I have never met before don't seem to mind. here are a few examples: http://www.flickr.com/photos/deac0nb1ues/sets/72157622208779849/

give yourself more credit. a 'big camera' is generally taken to be a voyeurism license, and 90 percent of people are flattered. just go up to people and say 'do you mind if i take your picture at some point this evening? if you dont mind, i will wait until i see a really nice natural expression' or something like that, and the most it will cost you is the time to email a copy to them, you dont even have to send a print. most people don't think they are very photogenic, so they are happy to have a good photograph of themselves, for use on their spacebook or myface or whatever.
 
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