why do we like quiet cameras?

I really wonder why leica ownership is such a hot button issue! Maybe it's because folks get totally ticked off by SOME leica owners that are jsut posers who think that they can make better pictures than other photographers jsut because of their camera. I am NOT such a person.
 
just to clarify...i''m not talking about brands so much as the quietness of a shutter and how we perceive the value of that sound.

i love the zi but i'd like it to be more quiet, even though i know it makes no difference in the kind of shooting i do.

i never said it had to make to sense.
 
There's still a hunter inside us TV vegetables. You don't want a dry branch cracking.
 
even though i know it makes no difference in the kind of shooting i do.

i never said it had to make to sense.
Click to expand...

My point exactly.

Yes, I Leica is quieter than a Bessa or ZI, but so what. Bring that camera to your eye, black or chrome, Leica or Bessa, you will get the same result, you are noticed or not because of what you are doing, not because of what is in your hand.

Heck, if it really mattered we would have all saved a lot of money and stuck with our Canonets and GSNs, they are really quite, or maybe this should be the Rolleiflex Forum, even quieter yet.
 
The crack is after/as the shutter has fired. Your prey is already shot when they notice.
 
**Sound of branch and twigs breaking**

Ooops!

**Composing himself**

I like the simile between photographers and hunters! :)
 
SolaresLarrave said:
**Sound of branch and twigs breaking**

Ooops!

**Composing himself**

I like the simile between photographers and hunters! :)
Click to expand...


I prefer the analogy of a child sneaking a peak into the living room at the parents and their friends. He wants to observe; to take note without disturbing the scene.. or else he gets sent to his room!

Hunting is so.. violent :eek:
 
rover said:
The crack is after/as the shutter has fired. Your prey is already shot when they notice.
Click to expand...

you might miss and want to try a second shot.

above all else, a quiet shutter helps you get away with it.
 
1. We equate a quiet shutter with a piece of quality equipment. Of course, there are plenty of not so great cameras with quiet shutters -- and digital point and shoot cameras, anathema to many of us, are silent if you shut off the fake shutter sound and the focus chime. And, you can't call a Canon T90 quiet, though it's a superb camera.

2. We think a louder shutter disturbs subjects. What that really means is, you can only get one shot, since the shutter noise calls attention to you. But let's be honest, it's rare that there's not enough ambient noise to mask the shutter sound, and how many of us have actually heard the shutter noise from the distance of a subject? Remember, we're hearing it from several inches away, so it sounds a lot louder than it really is.

3. What disturbs subjects more than the sound of a shutter is seeing someone with their camera to their eye, pointing in their direction. If stealth is really needed, this is the more important consideration.
 
I have first hand experience where I've taken pictures of an unknowing subject and not been noticed after the fact with a Leica or leaf shutter camera, and also having been noticed due to the shutter sound when using a Bessa R, R2 and slr. It has happened to me. For that type of photo, I prefer not to get noticed, and a quiet shutter helps. It is/has been an issue for me, but admittedly those types of photos make up a small percentage of my photos. But, having the confidence that one is quiet, helps get photos I wouldn't otherwise try. It's both a head-game, and a real issue in some instances.
 
I once briefly owned an Argus C4. It's a surprisingly
nice camera, but its shutter sounded like a gunshot.
It was so loud it startled even me, the picture taker...

"Excelsior, you fathead!"
-Chris-
 
Quiet shutters are also essential during stage performances. And back in the film era, there were some U.S. courtrooms which, if they allowed photography, specified that it could only be done with a Leica.

Of course, most modern digital point-and-shoot cameras are utterly silent. My Canon G1 actually has a little speaker to make an optional "click" sound so you know you've taken a photo.
 
When I was single and looking for a woman, I liked a loud shutter. They noticed me and was impressed that I was a photographer. ;) After I got married and, well, had no reason to impress women anymore... I started using a TLR and RF with quiet shutters. :eek: Lately I've returned to the click-whizzzz of a SLR with motor-drive. I hope I'm not headed for another mid-life crisis :eek:
 
Brian, "another mid-life crisis"? :eek:

My wife was concerned about my impending one... and then I told her it was my Leicas. That calmed her down.

Do women go through MLC? :confused:
 
While a Leica shutter is great for moments when you don't want to hear a shutter, the NOISE of a Nikon F2 is simply beautiful. Each has its place and time.


Raid
 
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