shutter noise? - 5d / 20d / 1d mrk2

I own a 20d right now and the shutter click on it is HORIBLE for some

of the photography i do (wedding ceremonies, solem speaches, etc).

I'm getting ready to upgrade and and am still agonizing between the

5d and the 1d mrk2 (I do some sports as well).

 

my question is specific to the shutter noise generated by these 2

cameras in comparison to each other and the 20d. which one is the

quietest? by how much?

The 5D is significantly quieter than either of those cameras. I'd say it is quieter than the 10D.

There's audio samples of 5d vs 20d here:

 

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EOS-5D-DSLR-Digital-Camera-Review.aspx

The 1D Mark II is very loud...the 5D is very quiet, more so then the 10D and 20D.

 

It whispers....

You should go to a camera store and listen to it yourself.

that's no whisper from a 5D that I just heard on Mendels link........sounded about the same as the 20D

Thomas I can confirm that what Dan wrote above is absolutely true. I owned a 20D (after a

10D) and was really taken aback at first with the shutter noise. I got used to it, but if you're

trying to be clandestine the sound level can be obtrusive. The 5D has a whispery slink noise

compared to the 20D's clap. I think DP Review has their shutter noise back to back, though

it's hard to tell over these recordings.

Erick, do you have a URL? I haven't been able to find it on DP Review. I found a sample for the 20D, but not the 5D.

I laugh at myself, I just spent a few minutes looking for it ... well there is a 5D sample noise

in the Nikon D200 <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond200/

page5.asp">review</a>. I'm not sure how good a method it is to judge recordings of

shutter noise. I believe the testimony of people who have heard them "live" so-to-speak ... I

don't know if these recordings really capture the noise that carries in a room. Well, you

decide. Hope that's the link you were looking for.

thanks for your responses, that helps alot. anyone else experienced the 1d mark2 as being loud like the 20d?

 

I wont be able to go to the camera store and try them for a couple weeks yet, and i need to have my decision mostly made by then

My 1D MkII is loud. When I want it quieter, I use the Personal Function #21. This delays the "Rewinding" or "Shutter" cocking sound. It sounds almost like a slow shutter speed.

You guys are funny....you CANNOT judge the volume of a shutter from a sound clip...too many variables, especially if the sound of one camera's shutter was taken at a different time, different recording levels, etc.

Erick, thanks! Yes, that's what I was seeking. Would have been more ideal if the 20D was in the same file, but this is better than not having it. :)

 

Dan, I don't know about that. DP Review's shutter recordings all appear to be at the same volume and with the same level of background noise/echo. I would say their recordings are pretty scientific. To be sure, they were spot on about their comparison of the Digital Rebel and 20D, so I would be likely to trust their recordings of the 5D as well.

 

I opened the recordings in separate tabs in Firefox and then offset the playing of the files so I could hear the 20D, then 5D (I skipped ahead to the second half of the MP3), etc.

Yeah, I see my link is pretty useless. You really need to try them all in-store.

"...You guys are funny....you CANNOT judge the volume of a shutter from a sound clip..."....I disagree. Amplitude is amplitude. If they did the sound bytes correctly, and kept everything even when recording them and you have any Auto level controls off on your media player......then there will be a difference if there actually is one. I don't doubt that dpreview screwed up however........they may be photo knowledgable but that don't make them audio knowledgable. I was just commenting on the fact that the actual sound I heard sounded the same.

 

I own a 20D. I KNOW how loud the sucker is....although it doesn't really bother me much as I also own a Minolta X-370.....you wanna hear loud, heh, try one of them. Anyhow, the reason it doesn't bother me is that I've snapped off both those cams within 4 feet of my subjects and they never even flinched. One was in a subway car, sounded like a gun blast echoing off the inside of the car. In my opinion the sound is a lot less annoying than the flashes from all the P&Ss at some of the weddings and other quite groupings I've been at.

 

....but that's me. So, how is the 30D?....is it pretty quiet compared to the 20D?

<p><a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos30d/page5.asp">EOS 30D</a></p><p><a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos20d/page6.asp">EOS 20D with D70 and EOS 10D</a></p>

I have both the 20D & 5D

 

The 5D is much quieter, I use it for stage photography.

 

-Ian

Hi all!<br>

Well I guess listening to sound files is the best way to compare ... without leaving your

house! This method has its uses, though the final word should really be based on hearing

it "live." Just as studio recordings don't capture that spacial acoustic quality of being at a

classic symphony hall, these sound files likely have their limitations. But they're not

without value.<br>

I don't think anyone's mentioned it, but I see a direct correlation between noise and frame

rate:<br>

1DMkII (Supposedly loud)<br>

<i>8.5 fps</i> max 40 JPEG or 20 RAW<br>

20D (Somewhat loud/noticeable clap)<br>

<i>5 fps</i> up to 23 JPEG images<br>

5D (Whisper-like slink)<br>

<i>3 fps</i> max 60 JPEG, 17 RAW<br>

If a camera shoots ≥ 8fps, the mirror has to slap up and down much quicker, and doing

so requires more force. For the slower 5D, the mirror can travel at a more leisurely 3fps

pace, hence the mirror doesn't have to slap back with so much force or noise. Well, that's

my unscientific pet theory on shutter noise...

the other factor involved in how loud a camera appears that doesnt show up as well in the recordings is the tone of the noise. My 20d makes a definate higher pitched "click" when it goes off. Some cameras that i've listened to make a noise that is just as loud if you stick a microphone next to it, but the tone is much lower, more of a thud. The lower tones travel less distance, so 10 feet away, the two cameras that sounded the same from 6 inches out now sound significantly different from each other.

Thanks to Kirk, Dan and Ian. Just what I want to hear. The shutter sound on my 20D is really loud, and I'm glad that 5D is much quieter. One more reason to buy the 5D :)