What camera do you think has the sweetest shutter sound

[Mark A. Fisher]

I just sold mine, but I loved the sound of my Hasselblad. For the sheer fun of it, any Holga I've ever shot has made me smile! What a plasticky bit of noise that has!

 

[Tom A]

The almost inaudible "tick" from a Bessa 67 Wide.
The soft click of a well used M2.
The wonderful rattle and "clack" of a Nikon F36 motor drive - brings you back to the 60's photo-ops.
I also like the "burp" of the MD4 on a Nikon F3.

 

[Mablo]

The worst possible shutter (and whatever included) sound I've heard came from my Pentax 645. It was like KRACK - WHEEEE - CLUNK! The camera was an embarrassment to shoot in public 😛

I very much like the sound of the Leica M shutter. Yet I must say the best shutter sound comes from my Nikon F100.

 

[sepiareverb]

l wonder what happened to that web page

This isn't the same one I remember:

http://www.soundsnap.com/tags/camera

 

[Emile de Leon]

Rollie TLR...

 

[Out to Lunch]

My old Zenit, a gift from a friend in Chisinau. Think ''hammer on anvil'' but without the sparks...

 

[gb hill]

I had a Bessa R for a while, I snap the shutter on it all day just to hear the sound.

I was in at a Greek Orthodox festival & while inside the sanctuary snapped a photo with my Bessa R. Everyone turned to see what the noise was. I smiled & the tour went on. It does sound wonderful, you're right. I think even a Leica would of echoed in that place.🙂

 

[Archlich]

The Nikon FA makes what I call the ideal shutter sound. The kind of sound movies would use as sound effect, and disposable digitals would opt to play it when you hit the shutter button. Always feel a bit of loss as other FM cameras make only a dull metalilc clang.

The Nikon F6 gives a click that is decisive and assuring. Being an automated camera, there's no motor sound that follows the release. Just amazing.

 

[benlees]

My favourite was my M4P, sort of a snickclick. Least favourite was the Fuji GW690ii. I think the shutter itself was quiet but the mechanism was ridiculously loud...

 

[sevo]

I am divided between the Mentor and Graflex SLRs - wooden doors banging and a roller blind going up. Essentially a sound older than photography...

 

[Sym101]

Hexar AF in stealth mode.. The sweet sound of silence.

 

[Arbitrarium]

Currently enamored with my Voigtlander VF101 and I love the shutter on that. A good solid click. Metallic but not ringy. You definitely know you've taken a picture

 

[thawkins]

The leaf shutters on my two Retinas have a precise mechanical sound. The focal plane shutter on the M3 sounds business like and the shutters on my two Zorkies sound like a sick hay baler.

 

[LukeBanks]

+1 for a Hasselblad.

I do also miss the barn door sounding shutter on my old Mamiya RZ67. Don't miss the back problems that came with carrying that hunk of metal though...

 

[lxmike]

The leaf shutters on my two Retinas have a precise mechanical sound. The focal plane shutter on the M3 sounds business like and the shutters on my two Zorkies sound like a sick hay baler.

😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

 

[drew.saunders]

I rather like my Compound pneumatic shutter on one of my Zeiss large format lenses. No matter the speed, it's just a very quiet "click" followed by another "click." No whirring or buzzing of gears, since the speeds are determined by an air piston.

Years ago I was at Point Lobos shooting with my Mamiya 645E, which, like any MF SLR with a focal plane shutter, was quite loud. I took a shot and the fellow nearby using his 35mm SLR (DSLR?) gave me a strange look. He thought it was a video camera (an understandable confusion considering the "tube" finder on that camera) and was shocked to hear a mirror/shutter sound.

 

[maryland_fotos]

I rather like the description of the Bronica RF "asthmatic rodent" shutter sound. Have had it for a couple years and never came up with that apt a description for it!

 

[Pablito]

X100s but only on silent mode. In other words, no sound at all is preferable.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

Of the cameras I currently own, I probably love the Copal 1 that has Fujinon EBC 180mm glass hanging out of it. At least, I like that one for the results it can give if I do my job with the camera itself.
I really like the shutter of my Nikon F2 with the mirror locked up and my 2.1cm mounted.
My Leica M4 has a great shutter sound that is familiar like a very old friend.
My Kodak Retina IIa shutter is great as well. Satisfying "click."

Past cameras with excellent shutter sounds that I loved were: the Hexar AF in silent mode, Nikon F4 and Contax RX. That RX shutter really is great sounding.

Phil Forrest

 

[rbsinto]

WHAT? Theses guys

again? 😱

— Seriously: Care to explain what you mean?


Dear Robert,

as far as I've learned, that was/is a question, when you're shooting in an environment where silence is required. E.g., in a court room.

The original poster was not referring to the volume of the shutter, but the "sweetness" (whatever the hell that is supposed to mean) of it's sound.
Robert