Shutter noise: looking for a quiet camera

[Film dino]

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? 🙂....

.

I'd agree with Doug's remark on the nature of the M Leica's (& indeed most of the LTM models') cloth shutter sound- its low pitch & unobtrusiveness. I've used an M2 smuggled into the Royal Albert Hall for Proms concerts - waiting for suitably loud passages in the music. I took some pics last week at a concert in KL using a IIIC & was really surprised at the lack of sound.
happy hunting
D

 

[iMacfan]

To throw in my two pennies, I'd suggest getting a dedicated Russian setup with a cloth shutter - maybe a Zorki 4k with a Jupiter 9 85/2. The lens is superb and pretty fast - perfect for concert photography.

On the other end of the spectrum, a Rollei 35 (the non-rf one), is tiny, quiet and produces excellent pics. However, the lack of any focussing aid, and 40mm lens is not perfect when working close up or in low light.

The good thing about both of these is that, if you don't need cosmetic perfection, you could probably buy everything that I have mentioned above for about the price of a Leica lens cap!

Hope this helps,

David

 

[Doug]

Fancy getting a medium format rangefinder? 😉 The Mamiya 7II is the quietest camera I've ever used...

Hi, Jin-- I haven't had the pleasure of using a Mamiya RF, though a Mamiya TLR has the typical "click" of a leaf shutter. It's surprising how different some RFs can sound... The Fuji GS645 has what must be a deliberate noise-maker in the shutter release mechanism that makes a loud CLACK to inform everyone within blocks around that a pic has been snapped! The later motorized GA645 has typical soft buzzings of focus and wind motors added to a soft click. The Bronica RF645 is very quiet; most noticeable is a soft wheezing after the exposure as the shutter is electrically recocked. By comparison much louder than all is the "clap of doom" as the Pentax 67 is tripped!

 

[Toby]

I've got a pentax 67 it sounds like someone hitting rocks with hammers! maybe you should get one and then everything else will seem whisper quiet.........

 

[vincentbenoit]

Wow, thanks for resuscitating this three-and-a-half-month-old thread! Plenty of interesting suggestions here. I should have mentioned that I'm only interested in 35mm, though, so medium-format is out of the equation. If the upcoming Zeiss Ikon has a lower-pitched shutter sound than the latest Bessas then it'll be a no-brainer, otherwise I'll just sell a kidney to get an MP...
Cheers
Vincent

 

[photodog]

The quietest camera camera I've come across is an old Petri 35 with a leaf shutter. About as noisy as a Rollei TLR. The finder leaves a lot to be desired but it's affordable at about $25.

 

[DougK]

?? 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.

I'm probably being too literal with my definition of "rangefinder camera", but since it's a scale-focus viewfinder camera and doesn't have a coupled or uncoupled rangefinder in it, that's what prompted my first sentence.

 

[iDude]

Shmutter choice. It is indeed a no brainer.
In my experience, when you come with a RF like any Leica or even a FED, shutter noise is never an issue. People won't notice.
When you come with a big fat DSLR like a 20D (which has an amzing quite shutter), people willl notice and look disgusted.
When you come with an ancient SLR like my Rolleiflex SL66 (which will wake the dead with its shutter), people will notice and look friendly and amused, maybe even starting an interesting conversation.

 

[TPPhotog]

When I've been out street shooting with my folder I've even been asked if it works 🙄 I agree it's the look of the camera more than the noise it makes that gets attention.

 

[jrong]

Try walking around Petticoat Lane market with an M.P.P Microcord. 😉

You get interesting reactions, mostly from old market traders who want to tell you all about their old Rolleiflexes that they've got rid of in car boot sales.

Once however, a young market trader was suspicious and abusive.

You do meet all sorts. But an old camera definitely attracts a lot of unwanted attention. Seems like the best "stealth" camera these days is a shiny silver digicam... 😛

Jin

 

[sf]

buy the Mamiya 7II

buy the Mamiya 7II

M6 with the new 75mm(?) Summicron or digicam, see my post below.

 

[sf]

don't buy the Mamiya 7II

don't buy the Mamiya 7II

very quiet leaf shutter - 6x7 and quieter than my R3A - much quieter.

But, I went into Samy's Cameras in Los Angeles today, and played with one a little and was not that impressed - actually, I found them somewhat toylike. They certainly lack the nice, solid, reliable heft of the Leica M cameras, but their lack of weight might be attractive to some. Certainly the optics are among the best in the world. The focus is very very smooth, but the focusing on the Leicas is more sure (more contrast in the center image).

I really lust after the Mamiya because I love their other cameras and love big negatives. But actually, the M6 I held was more satisfying, in a primal, GASsy sort of way. And quieter. A tad.

Another but: you want to take pictures during performances. . . sorry to say it, but if you want total silence, you'll have to settle for the digicams. They can be totally silent - if it is dark there, you'll have to find some way of killing the LCD screen.

Yeah, hands down, the digicams are the quietest of the quiet. So, you'll have to decide if you need the "decisive moment" capturing ability of the Leica or the utter stealthiness of the digicam with its terrible lag time. In a rock concert, I'd choose the Leica. For Mozart, the digicam, with some degree of remorse. Just choose the very best digicam you can. Not a DSLR though, they are loud.

 

[NorthAvenue1]

I recently on a flee market got an Canon A35F (from ca 1978) for 1 Euro (!).

I has the most quiet shutter of all cameras I ever have tested.

 

[Duncan Ross]

It might be a bit unwieldy for street photography but the quietest interchangeable lens leaf-shutter camera I have personally used is the Werra. The film advance is very quiet too but perhaps awkward to do unobtrusively!

 

[peter_n]

If you know your Mozart the Leica does fine. The new Zeiss Ikon probably will too. Latest release date: 10/29/2005 in Japan, black one in November.

 

[ZeissFan]

Quiet cameras:

Minox 35mm series, although the camera is not a rangefinder. This probably is the quietest camera that I've encountered.

Retina IIIS -- very underrated, shutter is nearly silent, especially at slower speeds, which is what you'll be using indoors.

Black dial Contax IIa/IIIa -- at slower speeds (1/100 and slower), the shutters are very quiet. I've used a IIa inside a church, and no one glanced at me. The shutter on a color dial IIa/IIIa is slightly different and a bit noisier.

Many of the folding Retina b/B and c/C models are very quiet, although not as quiet as the IIIs, I think. The fixed-lens Retina IIS also has a very quiet shutter.