why do we like quiet cameras?

back alley

back alley

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i admit it too.

when i had the m3, the thing i liked best about it was the quiet of the shutter when i pressed down on the shutter button.

clearly i don't value that quiet shutter or i never would have traded it back to ray.
my zi makes a bit more noise when i click the shutter, it true, but i value that camera more. it does more for me and in a more modern and convenient manner. (swing door for instance)

none the less, a quiet shutter comes up as a criteria for a camera purchase on many a post.

i have no real need for the quietest shutter as most of my shots take place outdoors on the street. if it's busy and there is traffic i could fire off a small pistol and maybe not be noticed. if it's early with little or no traffic, vehicular or pedestrian, well, then clearly sound makes no difference if there is no one around to hear it.

yet a quiet shutter seems to be attractive to many.
even though a metal shutter has benefits that a cloth one does not.

why is this?

i can't remember the last time i was in church let alone took a photo in one.
where else might i need a very quiet shutter?
a restaurant with coffee machines hissing or serving staff running about?
a museum? a library? have not shot in either in a long time.

a beach with people laughing and playing and the waves crashing on the surf? a ballgame, a hockey game?

perhaps a funeral?

so, tell me, why we do we value the quiet of a shutter?

joe
 
It's a self conscious thing, for me. The louder it sounds to my ears, the more self conscious I am, even if it doesn't make sense to worry about the noise. It's also why I don't sing as I walk around in public, or mumble to myself although I could get away with it I'm sure.

That's basically it. Some people think that black cameras make them stealthier and they're more self conscious when using a chrome one. I feel the same way about a loud vs soft shutter. *shrug*
 
I tend to take photos with family and such...I like the quiet shutter so that they don't constantly look at the camera when I want them to just act natural.
 
Joe,

I have to agree with you questioning why it seems so important. Whether I use my M5 or my D200, the shutter noise is not what makes people notice that I'm shooting photos. Actually I don't remember the last time I took a photo even at a fairly quite show where there was not enough ambient noise to cover the shutter sound of any camera.

Having said that, I still like a quiet camera. Go figure?:rolleyes:

Ray
 
Everyone turns their head when they hear the whap of a mirror flapping back and forth. Doesn't matter if it's in a church or not. The peace before the moment is gone. Even if shot away from the eye, the advantage is still lost because of the noise. May still get a decent pic, but it won't be the same one as before the disruption.
 
Because...it's...quiet?

I don't think I've ever seen anybody complain about how quiet a camera is. Or praise how loud it is.

Except legislators, but they're not using the cameras, anyway.
 
You only need one time when you need a quite camera to get the shot, and thats all the reason. Oddly I'd think twice before using my Bessas at an accoustic folk venue even though the times that I frequent such places is rare with a camera. I guess it's like getting a very fast f1.4 lens and using it at f4 or slower most of the time. Now thats made me think.
 
Sparrow said:
Joe, when you’ve finished with Frank’s stick may I borrow it?
Click to expand...


no stick, no hornet's nest.

i am sincerely curious and as i said, i am caught up in it too.

if the zi sounded cheap or tinny i could understand it better but it doesn't, it's just a bit louder. and the m3 i had didn't sound expensive, just a bit quieter.

but if we constructed a list of criteria for a 'best' camera body purchase we all know that quiet would be on the list of most of us.

as i said, i considered it and found there were other more important criteria for me but that doesn't halt my curiosity.

joe
 
I was in an exhibition and museum on Sat with my CL and was really glad of the quite shutter, although most of the time I'm shooting in the street or places where you wouldn't even notice a SLR shutter...
 
I guess that is what has been my biggest disappointment with the Bessa R2...because everything else has been great. It is one of the main reasons why I want a M2...but I hear you can't walk around with the lens cap all day like the R2???
People do notice the sound even on the street...but since I've been doing hip shoots lately I think it is not so much about the sound. So, I agree with Crasis that it is more in my head than it is about the actual sound.

However, lately I've prefered my xpan for the street camera, it is much more quiet, like the zi I believe...but I think I just like the format of the xpan and not the sound of the shutter???

Im beginning to think shutter sound is one of those things that keeps us buying new equipment---we (rff'ers) seem to think that one camera will have it all and this causes GAS and on we search...

But, I'm slowly coming to the realization that although the R2 is loud, it has everything I need to take great photos in the style I like, so I guess I need to learn to live with a loud shutter and learn how to sing so no one hears it :)
 
back alley said:
no stick, no hornet's nest.

i am sincerely curious and as i said, i am caught up in it too.

if the zi sounded cheap or tinny i could understand it better but it doesn't, it's just a bit louder. and the m3 i had didn't sound expensive, just a bit quieter.

but if we constructed a list of criteria for a 'best' camera body purchase we all know that quiet would be on the list of most of us.

as i said, i considered it and found there were other more important criteria for me but that doesn't halt my curiosity.

joe
Click to expand...


OK then it is a received opinion, it’s not important just talked about a lot
 
I think that most people talk about it for the same reason that they talk about a camera being mechanical (not battery dependent) and other things that really don't make much difference in the real world: it allows them to reinforce their lust for or pride of ownership of a specific camera. :eek:
 
Andrew Sowerby said:
I think that most people talk about it for the same reason that they talk about a camera being mechanical (not battery dependent) and other things that really don't make much difference in the real world: it allows them to reinforce their lust for or pride of ownership of a specific camera. :eek:
Click to expand...

Pride of the ownership, and fear of the fall?
 
Crasis said:
It's a self conscious thing, for me. The louder it sounds to my ears, the more self conscious I am, even if it doesn't make sense to worry about the noise. It's also why I don't sing as I walk around in public, or mumble to myself although I could get away with it I'm sure.

That's basically it. Some people think that black cameras make them stealthier and they're more self conscious when using a chrome one. I feel the same way about a loud vs soft shutter. *shrug*
Click to expand...


This explanation nails it for me. I don't have the bravado attitude to go about disturbing people by taking pictures in their face. A quiet camera makes me feel less intrusive. i have to say that my attitude towards this may be rather extreme because i am a very shy and sensitive person.

The other reason i prefer the leica shutter sound is that with my understanding and appreciation of mechanical mechanisms, the shutter sound reinforces the feeling of quality. To me it sounds like what I think a quality mechanical shutter SHOULD sound like. it's not just the sound level, it is the nature of the sound. I have other cameras with leaf shutters that are much quieter, but not as "satisfying" to listen to.

I hope I have not offended anyone by expressing these heart-felt feelings honestly.
 
I like them for the same reason I like fast lenses (and I don't own the fastest of the fast... but just regular fast).

They're exceedingly cool and get the job done without so much effort.

I also agree with the self-conscious factor. Sometimes when I photograph I like to go unnoticed, and the quiet shutter contributes to my "invisibility."

It really came in handy in Germany, especially when taking photos of people in markets and festivals in which a shutter would have broken the spontaneity of the moment.

There you go, joe!

Oh, as a PS... I really envy you with the black ZI. Not so much the camera, as the feeling of having a nice, nifty camera to learn. That thread of yours was clearly as disturbing for me as a loud shutter! :)
 
The only person who can make you feel insecure and inadequate is yourself. If you feel like you are being beaten with a stick, guess who's weilding it? Not me. If I read someone go on and on about japanese chisels and how great they are... yes so what? If it is important to me,I'll try one. if the craftsman chisel doeswhat i need it to do and i'm more into results than the process of woodworking, then I'd use the craftsman chisel, but I would not begrudge the Japanese chisel owner for owning the tool of his choice and for talking about how good it makes him/her feel to use it. My feelings would not be hurt by that, (even though i am a sensitive person.)
 
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