The smoothest SLR shutter button ?

What is the smoothest and quietest SLR shutter button you ever experienced. I know this is a loaded question,

because everybody has their own preferences. In any case, I have handled a variety of SLR cameras during my 20+

years involvement in photography. From Minolta, to Olympus, to Canon, to Pentax, to Nikon etc. It was only when I

had to shoot a funeral a couple of years ago, that I realized that shutter clatter plays a very important part in the

outcome of a shoot.

 

I was using a very noisy Canon EOS-3 camera during that shoot and the noise of the shutter seemed to put some

people there on edge. It was like I was intruding on their peace.

 

My EOS-3 is the champion on the Decibel Scale of all my cameras. My Canon 30D's clatter sounds like something

out of a toy camera shop. My 5D has a clunker of a sound, it is not as annoying but still noisy. My manual Nikon

FM2, FE2 shutter buttons feel much silkier than the button on my DSLRs, but they still scare the birds away. Out of

all the Canon DSLRs, I experienced so far, the shutter button on the 40D is about the silkiest.

 

Yesterday a friend of mine let me hanhold his FUJI Fine Pix S3 DSLR(remember those guys) and I could not beleive

the shutter button on this camera. It was silky smooth and very quiet. So quiet and silky smooth that I wanted to

borrow the camera and start taking pictures right away. The Fine Pix was developed on the now obsolete Nikon 1D

body.

 

I'm not sure about the Leica's, but so far this is the most satisfying DSLR shutter button I ever pressed. Does

anybody else have other expriences ?

Of the ones I've tried, my preference is for the Olympus E-1.

<p>Are you talking strictly about the sound of firing the camera? If so, the Nikon N70 is a very quiet camera. It used to be an advertising point when it was a current model.</p>

<p>for the Nikon F and F2 there was an aftermarket acessory called "soft release. it was a button that screwed on the shutter button and raised it about 1/3 of an inch, and magically smothed out the release.<br>

<img src="http://i715.photobucket.com/albums/ww160/jml0306/soft.jpg?t=1254064283" alt="" width="605" height="629" /></p>

<p>My favorite shutter/mirror damping is on the Contax RX. Nothing has been close. </p>

<p>After I file my fingernails they all work pretty good. <br>

I tend to focus/concentrate what's going on in front of the camera. <br>

Happy shooting!</p>

<p>Noise has nothing to do with the shutter release. The noise is the mirror and shutter working. All time kings for quiet operation are the old leaf-shutter rangefinder cameras. P&S digital cameras are usually very quiet too. SLRs, d or not, are not good "stealth" cameras.</p>

<p>Another source of noise can be the lens aperture blades doing their thing. Stopping down and opening up can be loud on some lenses. </p>

<p>I have a Yashica Electro that can take one picture very quietly, but the film advance is so loud that it is not great for quiet picture taking.</p>

<p>The latest batch of electronic viewfinder cameras are god for quiet photograpy, like the Olympus EP1 and the Panasonic GF1.</p>

<p>Contax RTS II, no contest, though the one on the Contax RX is nearly as good.</p>

<p>Minolta XE-5.</p>

<p>I have to agree with Maciek. The Minolta XE-series cameras (XE-7 in my case) have such a silky smooth and relatively quiet shutter release that it's addictive, and the XD-series are also very nice. As far as EOS cameras go, I think the nicest I've used has been the 10D. It was very smooth and quiet although the mirror blackout was not the quickest. The 20D was loud while I find that the 30D has a slightly dampened sound (I read somewhere that Canon did make an attempt to soften the sound of the 30D's mirror return). My 1vHS has a nice shutter sound and feel, not the quietest but the whole process is certainly the quickest I've used. The loudest sound from it is the film advance motor which, at 10fps, can make a little bit of noise. If you want to hear a loud camera try using the Konica Autoreflex T...it sounds like you're closing a truck door! Great camera though.</p>

<p>I like the sound of the Olympus E-1 also. I have used the Konica Hexar Film Rangefinder Styled Autofocus in its Silver version. ( looked like an updated Canonet) Though the shutter is quiet enough, the motor that advance the film makes a squeak. I know that one can have it modified to be quieter ( slows down the motor as I recall). The original black Hexar model was so quiet that it was used on movie sets. Said so right here by Rich Caruana in his review of the camera. I live in a world where ambient noise is pretty loud most of the time. ( Apropos of nothing special, I read that electric cars are so quiet they can sneak up on pedestrians and will have to have a "chirp" or something alarm sound).</p>

<p>I am wondering-anyone know- how the recent Olympus models fare as far as <strong>disturbing</strong> noise (however one defines that). Also didn't someone record shutter and mirror sounds on a website?</p>

<p>Harry, I got used to camera mirror bounce clunk, haven't you? I am more interested in release button feel. I want a positive point feedback to my finger when one focuses and meters,-- and then another positive point feel and some noise to confirm,not a musical note :-)- when one fires away.</p>

<p>Hexar did not always do that ...still a darn nice vintage style camera for the film days and well built,-true, a little quirky to fit us old time" Quirks." :-)Cheers.</p>

"The Minolta XE-series cameras (XE-7 in my case) have such a silky smooth and relatively quiet shutter release that it's addictive, and the XD-series are also very nice."

==================================

I have a Minolta MG-16(non-slr) that I use as a conversation piece, bar none this is the silkiest shutter I ever used.

<p>The RTS II is better then the RX? I may have to look into getting one of those. </p>

<p>The softest sound I have used is the Nikon N80. They say the Leica is very quiet but I have never used one.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>What is the smoothest and quietest SLR shutter button you ever experienced.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>As has been pointed out, there is a difference between "smoothest" and "quietest".</p>

<p>As a general rule any SLR will be noisier than a rangefinder, and cameras with a leaf shutter generate the least noise. I have an RTS II and find it a lot quieter than any digital SLR I have used.</p>

<p>Yes I have to admit, the Minolta XD--11 is very smooth. Now lock the mirror up and I can give you a whole list of very quiet, smooth releasing slr's starting with the Nikon F2. The absolute smoothest, quietest shutter I have is a leaf shutter on a Kowa Kallowflex 6x6cm camera. Whisper quiet as you would expect from a leaf shutter.</p>

<p>I will meet your bet, Louis, and raise you one. I have a Zeiss Tessar in a mechanical Prontor leaf shutter, all mechanical, mounted on a plate to fit a small press camera. Wee cricket sound. Except for buzzing at slow speeds like 1 sec. Wonder what causes the slow speed buzzing noise, some timing gizmo I suppose like a windup clock. Haven't used it in ages.</p>

<p>If you have regular need for something, ie your question is more than a hypothetical one. You may find that one of the bridge cameras will fit your needs, shutters are almost silent, they're small and less intrusive for things like funerals, they have comprehensive abilities in the lens department and should cover most similar subjects where lens quality doesn't necessarily have to be the prime importance. </p>

<p>The Olympus OM-1 is very quiet. Far more quiet than most digital SLR's... especially Canons... they sound like cannons! Supposedly the new new Olympus digis are as quiet as the OM-1. Unfortunately, in the 30+ years since it's introduction, the miniature shock absorbers that dampen the mirror in the OM-1 can go bad... but even when those are pretty worn out the OM-1 is still a bit quieter than other SLR's, including other SLR's in the OM line. MOST of the noise of an SLR is the mirror flapping around. The proof of that is that Leica's, which are famously quiet, use the same kind of shutter of any SLR, they just lack a mirror. So SLR cameras that integrate some kind of mirror dampening system will be quieter than ones that don't. Such systems may slow the mechanical action of a camera down meaning that you get lower FPS rates, but honestly I don't see why anyone other than racecar photographers needs more than 3 FPS anyway.</p>

<p>Gerry, you are right about the mechanical leaf shutters like the Prontor and Compur being very quiet. The whirring at longer shutter speeds is the slow speed gear train doing its thing.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>The Olympus OM-1 was very quiet compared to the competition. Though lots of Canons have been real clackers, the Elan 7N and 7NE are very quiet for film SLRs.<br>

You also mentioned smooth, which to me is different than quiet. In recent decades many cameras have had electronic releases which take very little pressure, but for me, it's still possible to get camera shake when overcoming that last little bit or resistance. My favorite "smooth" release is on a properly serviced Pentax KX. You slowly push and at the split second when the shutter finally trips, the finger pressure doesn't change a bit. My favorite release of all time.</p>

<p>as far as sound, like the canon a1 sound, very sure feeling and sounding. the shutter release is also smooth all the way through which i like. As opposed to my rebel, which has a hard point for half way and release.</p>

<p>The quietest SLR of my experience is the EOS Elan 7N, whisper-quiet including the motor drive. <br>

After that the EOS RT, on account of the lack of mirror bang.</p>

<p>The -smoothest- shutter I've ever felt is the Minolta XD-11. Louder than the others, but a joy to use.</p>

<p>As others have said though, if you need silence, you need a rangefinder.</p>