Smoothest, quietest - FSU cam

It's true, Brian, that camera noise will vary for reasons of design and materials. However, unless we are speaking only of cameras fresh from the factory, variation in noise will depend rather more on the condition of the particular bodies. A competent technician alone can see to it that a camera makes as little noise as possible -- as little as its design allows.

Such places as recording studios and board meetings (not to speak of confessionals) excepted, camera noise is seldom an issue. Most SLRs are certainly louder than most RF cameras, but in actual use the noise is seldom found objectionable.
 
My Zorki 2c is very quiet -- it makes a soft chunk. I took a photo on the bus a week or so back, and the woman sitting in the seat next to mine didn't even hear the shutter go off. My Fed-4 and Kiev are both louder -- or least the noise they make is higher pitched and more obtrusive.

As it happens, the Zorki also has a very smooth shutter release and wind -- I think the ebay seller I bought it from may have CLA'd it before I got it as it's smooth as silk.
 
triplefinger said:
I'm thinking of a fed 1 or 2 or a Zorki 1 or 2 or 3.

I know they can be very clunky and loud. does anyone have knowledge of the smoothest quietest one?

Thanks!
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Hi Triplefinger,
After reading your question and following thread, I find that there are two aspects: One issue is what camera has been better designed for smoothness and silent operation, and wether today several decades after is it still relevant .

For the practical issue, how you can achieve the smoothest and silent possible camera, I would propose to contact Oleg, offering him either to select from his stock or to buy specially for you a camera to which he will perform CLA.

It will not harm if you concede Oleg the treatment a master repairman should get, and remind him you are not in any rush and he can take his time.

As you have posted your question at the leica screwmount forum, I would recall the fact that a recently purchased from Oleg Fed-2, with special request to make it silent, is more silent than my local buddy Mike Leica M4. Oleg is your key person for the practical issue.

Cheers,
Ruben
 
Hi Triplefinger and all...
There's some great and useful comments above, and I want to appreciate the technical expertise of more than a few of our members, regarding quiet shutters, smooth winding... and, which cameras are the "classics."

Further, I want to support Ruben's comments above, although the Leica he refers to for comparison, is an M2 ;-) Ruben's Fed 2 has an exceptionally smooth film advance & shutter cocking mechanism, and it is the quietest FSU rangefinder camera, I have ever had in my hands.

The Fed 1g that my son brought me from the flea market in Yerevan, has just gone off to Oleg for similar treatment. In an exchange of emails with Spyderman, I learned that the Fed 1g and the Zorki 1 are nearly the same camera, manufactured by the KMZ factory.

More later and cheers, mike
 
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As one of our number mentioned some time ago, the noise that a nice FED2 can make can be an advantage, a nice ker-lop. My CLA'd Fed2 s and 3s can be quiet, but none so quiet as my later model Kiev4. This is by far the quietest shutter noise, much quieter than the Bessa R too. I have had some Kievs which had a heavier shutter "thump", so they must vary too.
 
Very good tip Rueben, thank you.

ruben said:
Hi Triplefinger,
After reading your question and following thread, I find that there are two aspects: One issue is what camera has been better designed for smoothness and silent operation, and wether today several decades after is it still relevant .

For the practical issue, how you can achieve the smoothest and silent possible camera, I would propose to contact Oleg, offering him either to select from his stock or to buy specially for you a camera to which he will perform CLA.

It will not harm if you concede Oleg the treatment a master repairman should get, and remind him you are not in any rush and he can take his time.

As you have posted your question at the leica screwmount forum, I would recall the fact that a recently purchased from Oleg Fed-2, with special request to make it silent, is more silent than my local buddy Mike Leica M4. Oleg is your key person for the practical issue.

Cheers,
Ruben
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As someone allreday said, Kiev is mechanical miracle! I was very suprised, when I saw it's metal shutter - my main dissapoitment about BESSA camera was shutter sound - compared to Kiev machine it's noisy - and with Kiev you don't need soft realise ;) -my Zorki 4 is louder than both - interesting, it has cloth shutter!
 
One more shout out for the Kiev 4. Mine was made in 71 and obviously saw little use. I was out shooting at the Zoo the other night and I couldn't even hear the shutter myself. That was with a noisy crowd. Most people did not ever realize I was shooting. A good Kiev will beat even the best CLA'd FED or Zorki. My Z6 would be the next best thing.
 
So far I've not changed shutter speed often on my Kiev 4AM, and at 1/250 it has that SHNICK! shutter sound. Very short and not loud at all.

Love it!
 
Out of my collection, the quietest LTM is my Zorki 1 and the loudest is my FED 2; both of these have been CLAd as well. However, I have to disagree with ZorkiKat's suggestion of the wrapped/versus crimped metal laths. My Zorki 2C is significanlty louder than my Zorki 1, even though both use wrapped laths and some of my crimped-lath models are quieter. I understand the idea but in practice I don't think it makes much difference, there must be other factors accounting for the differences.

Saying all this, the differences in my bunch are not huge and none of them is particularly noisy or attention-getting when used. In real-life use no-one's ever turned around, startled, when I use them!

Overall, I'd also agree that the Kievs are quieter too, the sound is much softer. Again, my nicely lubricated 4A is quieter than the never-touched 4, with a soft sound that's less noticeable.
 
The Colonel's Zorki 4 that Oleg CLA'd is rather quiet. Compared to my Yahica Electro, Minox GL or Iskra it sounds loud, but not as loud as my Canon T90, T70 or the Speed Graphics focal plane shutter. :D Regards.
 
Without a doubt my Kiev (kneb) II is the smoothest quietest FSU in my stable. The shutter is barely audible and focusing, film advance etc are silky smooth ... it came from Fedka and no mention was made of it having been CLA'd before I got it but it is very impressive and is one of my best cameras ... period!

Apparently this early model had a lot of Contax parts in it which may or may not be relevant ... all I know is it's an amazing camera. When shooting with it in a slightly noisy environment I tend to feel the shutter more than hear it! Did I mention I think it's a great camera? :D
 
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Just a sidenote....My Zorki 4k maybe rather quiet when the shutter is released, but thwhen I wind it up and release the lever then the reasalt is a clear and rsonating "Kaplok!"....so ´shuold we check out which FSU winds up quietly?
 
Spider67 said:
Just a sidenote....My Zorki 4k maybe rather quiet when the shutter is released, but thwhen I wind it up and release the lever then the reasalt is a clear and rsonating "Kaplok!"....so ´shuold we check out which FSU winds up quietly?
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You surely don't just let the lever bang back against the case do you? No wonder it's loud then, any lever would be. Keep your thumb behind it and release gently, that way all you will hear is two ticks of the ratchet.

Quietest lever-winders would be Zorki 6 or FED 3b/4/5, since they are pretty much silent. Noisiest winder overall would probably be a Kiev (with all the clockwork and gear trains) or, maybe, a Zorki 5 with the "zip-zip" double-ratchet noise. None is noisy though!
 
My smoothest/quietest is an export Zorki.1c (link in sig) purchased out of the Bay from SOVDEPIA. It's the only FSU I have that I've done absolutely nothing to except load n' shoot.
 
wolves3012 said:
You surely don't just let the lever bang back against the case do you? No wonder it's loud then, any lever would be. Keep your thumb behind it and release gently, that way all you will hear is two ticks of the ratchet.
!
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No wolves I don't. The sound I describe comes when you finally have to release the lever ( about 2 cm Space between lever and housing-except take it between your thumb and index finger and put it gently on the housing). I must admit I did let the lever bang....when I was 16...and I was awarded with a "KAAPLOWK!"....24 years later (that somehow hurts):p I managed to quiten it by change of handling to "plokk!". I could also try to fill the empty space in the housing...but I doubt the rangefinder mechanism will like it.;)
 
I'd heard about this legendary "Leica quietness". After firing a few Leicas off on the "Northern Day Out", I'm quite unconvinced.

Now... a Kiev... oh yes. :D
 
After winning the title of the most complex rangefinder camera, it seems Kiev is going to win the quietest camera title, then the most accurate rangefinder, the most under valued,....:D :bang:
 
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