Shutter noise: looking for a quiet camera

[vincentbenoit]

Zeiss Ikon

Zeiss Ikon

Just checked the specs for the soon-to-be-released Zeiss Ikon: it's got a metal shutter. Does that mean this camera is not going to be particularly quiet as compared to a recent Leica M?

 

[aizan]

yep, it has the same shutter as the new bessas.

 

[rover]

Yes, the ZI shutter is loader than that in a Leica M. The pitch of the shutter seemed lower than that of the R2, similar to that of the R2a and R3a.

 

[Nick R.]

My Keiv's shutter isn't particularly quiet, but its sound isn't that unpleasant. It has a low-pitched thwak which I don't find distracting.

 

[CJP6008]

If you want to silence your camera do what the pros who shoot on movie sets do - go to Jacobsen Instruments - http://www.soundblimp.com/. Not pretty, but it works!

CJP

 

[jaapv]

I would suggest the Leica D2, maybe digital*If I really crouch I can hide under my desk*, but with an analog style,feel and result and absolutely silent.

 

[Flyfisher Tom]

I've used the R3A, R2 as well as the 35 Rollei (R2 in disquise), and they all have a much louder metallic clack compared to the Leicas. If soft is what you want, go Leica. If whisper quiet is what you want, nothing beats a Mamiya 7 shutter system, the leaf shutter can barely be heard.

 

[Roman]

Of all the focal plane shutter cameras I've tested myself (and that includes various M-Leicas), well-adjusted/CLAd Kievs are the most quiet ones (I guess, due to their design - the vertically travelling metal blind shutter in that extra-heavy body...). But functionally they are really inferior to most modern RFs (no framelines, small, squinty finder, knob-wind, no light-meter, etc.)

Roman

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

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.

Interesting; my Canonet isn't "loud", it is indeed quiet, but it is louder than my M6. Either I have a very quiet M6, or many people have a rather not-so-quiet M6. and my Canonet is louder than it should be? My Yashica Electro GT is quieter (slightly, but it is) than my M6, and just about as quiet as my Rolleiflex Automat. The M2 is louder than the M6, and louder than the Canonet.

On the other hand, the other Yashica Electro I have is louder than all of the above. So, not all cameras of the same breed are equal...

 

[wintoid]

The Konica Hexar AF is very quiet, and has a stealth mode for virtually silent operation. It all depends on whether you can survive with just a 35mm f/2.0 lens, and whether you like autofocus. I love mine.

 

[jlw]

The quietest interchangeable-lens, 35mm rangefinder camera I've personally used is a Contax IIa.

(Note that I didn't say "most convenient," only "quietest.")

Of others I've personally tried, I'd subjectively rank them as follows:

(next most quiet)
Minolta CLE -- nearly as quiet as the Contax
Leica M4-P or M3 -- as quiet as the CLE at higher speeds; buzzing gears at low speeds
Canon 7s
Bessa R3a
Bessa R2

As someone else noted, the subjective quality of noise often determines how obtrusive it is. My DSLR makes a prolonged but rather low-pitched clatter that tends to disappear into background noise. In many situations, subjects find it less noticeable than the Bessa, even though I think the Bessa's absolute noise level is both lower and shorter; its sharper "click" may be more attention-getting, although the difference isn't enough to make me choose the (blecch) DSLR except when absolutely necessary.

 

[Roman]

I agree - side-by side, in quiet surroundings, the Bessa R is not that much louder than eg. a Leica M3 - but the sound is much more metallic and high-pitched, I guess why it stands out & and seems to be so unbearably loud) in normal noise-level surroundings.

Roman

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Of others I've personally tried, I'd subjectively rank them as follows:

(next most quiet)
Minolta CLE -- nearly as quiet as the Contax
Leica M4-P or M3 -- as quiet as the CLE at higher speeds; buzzing gears at low.

OK, it's not me, it really looks like my M6 is abnormally quiet (except at 1/15 and 1 sec). I've tried three different Minolta CLEs and two different Leica CLs, they were all louder than my M6. They (the Mineicas) were indeed quieter than the M2 and any M3 I've ever tried.

I've never tried or held any Bessa R bodies, but I can see Roman's observation; same reason why I prefer the Canon 300D over the Canon Rebel XT (aka 350D); the shutter of the 300D is the quietest one of any SLR I've ever used, and while the XT's shutter is almost as quiet, it has a high pitch that makes it audible across the room even in a room full of chatter; I can "spot" those XTs out there...

 

[sf]

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.

hmmm. About the d100 being as quiet as a Leica. . . I would disagree. I once tested an M7 out, which some would say is not as quiet as the M6, and it was so quiet that I asked the seller if the shutter worked. Yes, he said, THAT is the sound of a Leica. My D70 is audible amidst the sound of a busy classroom.

 

[DougK]

Well, if you're not limiting this to rangefinders, my Minox 35 GL is about as quiet as they come. I'm often surprised at how nearly silent it is... and then they had to ruin it with a really ratchety film advance (which actually is reasonably quiet and probably wouldn't draw much attention).

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

?? I have a Minox 35GL myself; the shutter is incredibly quiet, yes, and the film advance is obscenely...well, it's not its forte. But...the Minox 35GL is a rangefinder, so I don't understand your first sentence. Maybe it's because it's waaaaaay past my bedtime.

 

[ErnestoJL]

The shutter noise of Contax II and a Kiev 4 have almost the same level and pitch. There is a difference in the noise (re. other FP shutters) as the curtains in the Contax/Kiev are very slowly moving at low speds, but the escape movement can be heard (whirling sound). This noise can be annoying to some people when background noise is low or null. At high speeds, the noise is still very low and can remain unheard as long as some room noise exists. It is a low freq. pitched noise, very short in duration, which is always less noticeable than a high pitched one (I think it´s at least less disturbing). Campared with SLRs, (with mirror locked up), the noise level is slightly lower.

The Canonet QL17 and New Canonet QL17 are very quiet cameras, as well as the Yashica Electro 35, but their shutter noise is more metallic and higher pitched than FP shutters due to the small size of leafs, and because FP shutters curtains made with rubberized fabric, act as noise dampening devices.

I´ve been using all those cameras for a long time, and unless the room was silent, no one noticed I was shooting.

Ernesto

 

[hugivza]

My Retina IIa with a leaf shutter is quiet , but the quietest of my of my miscellany of cameras ancient and modern is the small Rollei 35 T. The Contax IIIA is quiet enough to get away with street candid shots, but is not very convenient unless you have had rangefinder eye surgery🙂

 

[jrong]

Fancy getting a medium format rangefinder? 😉 The Mamiya 7II is the quietest camera I've ever used, and I've got one (with 80mm + 65mm lenses) which I might want to sell before the end of the year.... 😉

Jin

 

[Toby]

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.



Vincent

I agree with the concert point but I think there's always a danger of being too sneaky when shooting candids. I used to worry about shutter noise but ultimately if you have a camera pressed to your face people will guess what you are doing. Generally I find the more upfront I am the less people think I'm doing something wrong and the less hassle I get -but do what works for you