ye old rangfinder question

[foolproof]

im in the process of researching into a couple of rangfinders for a probable purchase next year. in know its miles away but i like to mull over these things for a good while 😉 leica, voightlander and maybe ziess are the ones im looking at. my only thing i cant get straight is the old 'shutter noise' question. for most of what i do i would like a relatively quite shutter. i have/am using a f3 and fm2.
can anyone give a straight answer as to ho these rangfinder shutters would compare in sound / noticability to the nikons i use ?

 

[dll927]

Assuming that you are talking about Nikon (or any) SLR's, the Leica shutters, at least, will be FAR quieter. RF's have no mirror to flop around in there, and Leicas are known for being the cameras of choice in places such as courtrooms, where any noise is likely to inspire the ire of the judge.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

The Voigtlander and Zeiss shutters are the same type as SLR's: metal. But in operation they are quieter than SLR's because the only sound is the shutter, and not the shutter plus the mirror flipping up and down noise.

The Leica uses a fabric shutter which is quieter.

In practice the Voigtlander/Zeiss being slightly noisier makes no real day to day difference unless you're planning on photographing monks in silent prayer.

 

[jaapv]

im in the process of researching into a couple of rangfinders for a probable purchase next year. in know its miles away but i like to mull over these things for a good while 😉 leica, voightlander and maybe ziess are the ones im looking at. my only thing i cant get straight is the old 'shutter noise' question. for most of what i do i would like a relatively quite shutter. i have/am using a f3 and fm2.
can anyone give a straight answer as to ho these rangfinder shutters would compare in sound / noticability to the nikons i use ?

If you are used to Nikon SLR you will have to check your exposure counter to know if you took a picture 😉 Ok. So that is an exaggeration, but it is true, not only do all of these camera's produce less than half the sound, with the Leica the most decent " tsjack" , the quality of the sound is nicer.

 

[foolproof]

thanks guys. ive heard recordings of the shutter for all, but at what level do you put your speakers and all that malarky. anyone shot with a nikon f3 or fm2 and be able to compare the voigtlander / metal shutter sound ?

 

[markinlondon]

thanks guys. ive heard recordings of the shutter for all, but at what level do you put your speakers and all that malarky. anyone shot with a nikon f3 or fm2 and be able to compare the voigtlander / metal shutter sound ?

The CV shutter sounds similar to an older Nikon (for a very good reason) but without the added noise of the mirror slap. It has a definite snap to it which Leica shutters don't have.

 

[bmicklea]

I've not handled an M7 but was under the impression that it, unlike all other Leicas, used a metal shutter. I assume that it will therefore sound similar to a Zeiss rather than to an older Leica.

Is that right?

 

[clintock]

I think you'd get a fair idea of the sound by locking up the mirror of the F3.

 

[Athena]

Within the 35mm world I like my RFs for some uses and my SLRs for others. Today I took my Bessa R2S on a "shoot" and then regretted having no taken my F3 instead! It was cramped and damp in a water tunnel and I was pushing film and really missed not having the AP feature and the TTL focusing.

But them's the breaks of the game.

The SLR is a more veratile camera. Which is why it all but replaced the RF and why, even in the digital era, it continues to do so.

But RF's are fun to use, they are relatively small, have some great lens options etc. So buy an RF because you want to experience a very nice photography format. Even if it is far from the mainstream and will always remain so.

Don't buy it because someone is trying to tell you that it is "superior" to your SLRs!

That's a cacca argument.

Oh, and any courtroom that allows cameras is not going to be concerned with mirror slap! This is a tired old argument - usually engaged in by folks more prone to fondle their cameras then ever shoot with them.

 

[foolproof]

not at all athena. i just would like something small and quiet for what i do thats all. no one has ever told me rangefinders are superior.

clintock - my f3 with the mirror locked up still gives out a fair woliop. didnt think itd be that loud 🙂

thanks guys.