Shutter noise: looking for a quiet camera

[vincentbenoit]

The more I use my Bessa-R with Color-Skopar 35/2.5C for street photography, the more I appreciate its compactness, lightweight and straigtforward, unconfusing operation - especially in comparison to my more feature-rich but bulky autofocus SLR camera. The absence of mirror slap and viewfinder blackout is a significant advantage when trying to capture that elusive "decisive moment". However, there's one aspect of the camera that I find increasingly annoying: shutter noise. The Bessa-R is not particularly quiet, and in some situations (up-close candids, concert photography) the shutter sound does attract unwanted attention. So much so that I'm considering getting a second body with a quieter shutter.

Anyone out there for whom shutter noise is, or has been, an issue? I'd appreciate any advice on a particular camera that's especially quiet. Obviously Leica comes to mind, but I can't reasonnably afford a recent model... Any suggestion on an older model (Leica or other brand) that would be functionally equivalent to a Bessa-R (i.e. pretty basic, but with a good viewfinder and preferably a built-in meter) yet quieter?

Thanks in advance

Vincent

 

[Nick R.]

I got rid of my R recently for the same reason. I'll be shooting with a hexar af until I find a suitable replacement.

 

[aizan]

how about that olympus 35rc zuikologist is selling? have the meter repaired or use a handheld meter.

 

[doubs43]

The quietest will be those cameras with leaf shutters but you'll then be restricted to a single lens.... the one on the camera.

You're probably looking at a Leica or one of the clones with a cloth focal plane shutter. For small size and quiet shutters, they're about as good as it gets. Some might say that the Contax/Kiev rangefinders are just as quiet.

Walker

 

[peter_n]

What Walker said. I've just acquired a Canonet with a leaf shutter and its pretty quiet. I currently have a classical music project going and I have to have a camera that's unobtrusive and my regular cam is an M6TTL and that works too. Still, I cannot shoot in the quietest passages even with the Leica.

 

[vincentbenoit]

Thanks for the useful responses so far. I'd like a camera with exchangeable lens as opposed to a fixed-lens one, though.
Just noticed that my local dealer has a second-hand Leica M2 at a decent price, I'll go and check how quiet that camera is. I guess I can make do without a built-in light meter...

 

[Skinny McGee]

An Old leica 111c with a variety of lens and a supplimental veiw finder and a pentax spot meter would be a nice kit. Quiet also. you could probably pick it all up for your Bessa

 

[peter_n]

Just noticed that my local dealer has a second-hand Leica M2 at a decent price, I'll go and check how quiet that camera is. I guess I can make do without a built-in light meter...

Yes you can, even though my M6 has a built in meter I like to use an external one. An M2 should do very nicely... 🙂

 

[Oldprof]

You're probably looking at a Leica or one of the clones with a cloth focal plane shutter ... Some might say that the Contax/Kiev rangefinders are just as quiet.

To my ears Kievs are much quieter than Leicas and their clones.

 

[DougK]

I shudder to suggest this on this forum, but my Minolta Dimage 7i digital camera is absolutely silent with the startup sound and faux-shutter sound turned off in the settings menu. With good low-light performance sans flash, it along with a monopod would be my camera outfit of choice if I had to shoot where silent operation was a must.

 

[FrankS]

I have found on the examples that I have owned, that Leica M body shutters (M2, M3) are quieter than the shutters on the screw mount Leicas (III, IIIf).

 

[Doug]

The actual volume of noise is one thing, of course, but I'd suggest the nature of the sound -- pitch, duration and such -- are important. The metallic snick of a leaf shutter can be very quiet but some might raise attention just due being unusual. The M Leica shutter is famously quiet but in fact I think it's more the soft unremarkable nature of its sound that makes it easily overlooked... er, overheard? 🙂

In reading the Contax G2 manual, I noted a comment that the designers had made every effort to reduce its operating sounds. It is quiet for sure, but what I hear is high-pitched buzzes. I guess experience will tell just how noticeable it is to others.

 

[rover]

The M Leica shutter is famously quiet but in fact I think it's more the soft unremarkable nature of its sound that makes it easily overlooked... er, overheard? 🙂

Bingo, I'm with Doug. In a quite room, a Leica is not quiet, but add just a little background noise and the sound of the shutter disappears. Leaf shutters are much quieter. My YashicaMat is very quiet. I had a Konica Auto S3 which was so quiet I never knew if the shutter actually fired.

And regarding DSLRs. My son had some portraits taken this weekend. The photographer used a Nikon D100 which was at least as quiet as my Leica.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

The Kodak Retina IIIS has interchangeable lenses and uses a very quiet Leaflet shutter. It also has a built in meter that is quite accurate.

Get an M3 if you use normals and short tele's. Get an M2 or M4 if you like wides. Get an M6 if you really need the meter. They are as quiet as the Retina.

 

[Richard Black]

I second the comments on leaf shutters. My Rolleiflex, MS 330f, Yashica GSN all have l/s and are whisper quiet. Now a Rollei is a bit larger than the Leica/Bessa bunch, but the Yashica isn't. But for interchangeable lenses, my Leica IIIc is extremely quiet. I haven't shot a M series so I can't compare. But a buddy of mine has one and as soon as we can, we'll do a hearing test. Mind you, the ears hearing are as old as the cameras...so it may be a bit off!

 

[Nikon Bob]

The leaf shutter rangefinders I have are quieter than the Leicas and of the Leicas the M is quieter than the screw mounts. The digital suggestion is also a workable alternative .

Bob

 

[canonetc]

Hi,

The Canonet is much quieter than my M6. I've shot photos of people in a bookstore from 3 feet away with the Canonet and they didn't hear a thing. Or, at least, they didn't react.

Chris
canonetc

 

[vincentbenoit]

And regarding DSLRs. My son had some portraits taken this weekend. The photographer used a Nikon D100 which was at least as quiet as my Leica.

Yep, my Canon 10D has less distracting a shutter noise than my Bessa-R...

 

[vincentbenoit]

The digital suggestion is also a workable alternative .
Bob

I have a Canon 10D dSLR which is fairly quiet, but no as quiet as I'd like. Sure, most non-SLR digital camera are almost silent, but I couldn't live with the limitations inherent to small sensors (poor high iso performance, excessive depth-of-field at small apertures).

 

[kiev4a]

To my ears Kievs are much quieter than Leicas and their clones.

IMHO the Leica M shutter is more quiet that either the Contax II or Kiev.