Any practical trick to mute or reduce D3s shutter noise ?

<p>I was complained by audience about the shutter noise from D3s in one classical piano recital last weekend. I set to Q mode but due to the nature of quiet concert and small size theater, the noise was annoying and embarrassed despite I was the appointed photographer. I have another quiet piano recital coming this weekend. That's really a headache. I can use D300 which produces less noise but it's too weak in low light concert hall. I did some research, some suggested camera blimp but it's not practical or too big to carry around. I don't do quiet concert very much or don't want to invest time and money on a bulky blimp. <br>

Any quick and effective trick to reduce the D3s shutter noise ? or other suggestions to take picture in silent and tiny environment like talk show or lecture in small classroom ? Thanks. </p>

<p>Back in the day of film cameras for movies, there was always a problem with the sound of the camera motor getting picked up on the sound track (unless you were using a high-end, expensive, self-blimped camera). There were various soft blimps you could buy or make. I once made one out of layers of vinyl, foam rubber and shag carpet. The more sound-deadening material the better. I "sewed" mine together with cord laced through holes punched in the outer layer of vinyl. Not elegant but might do the job. <br /><br />Another alternative is to shoot from the back of the room, but that might only put you the position of annoying someone in the back instead of the front.<br /><br />The solution when camera were first allowed in courtrooms was to use a Leica, which is very quiet. It still has a shutter, but no mirror slap. You could rent if you're making enough off the job to make it worthwhile.</p>

<p>In film days, I would have suggested a rangefinder with a fast lens, but I don't have any experience with their digital descendants - quiet or not? At any rate, some of the mirrorless cameras might work, since you're not willing to use a noise-reduction device.</p>

<p>It seems to me that the listeners have the highest priority over your picture taking.The event is held so people can see and hear the performers, not some photographer.</p>

 

<p>If you're the appointed photographer, why not get access to rehearsals and shoot those? I'm sure the pianist/musicians wouldn't mind wearing their gowns or tuxedoes during a rehearsal for the purpose of publicity photos.</p>

<p>Once upon a time, Nikon made a felt-lined leatherette cover that helped mitigate the sound to some extent. It really didn't fit cameras with built-in hand grips that well, and mine has deteriorated with age. Most of my work involves concerts of the non-electric variety (classical), and the shutter of my D3 limits me to the sound booth or well off-stage. I'm giving serious thought to a Leica M9. While not truly silent, the shutter is quiet enough for anything other than a sound stage. (It's also smaller and lighter, as a concession to my aging back.) I have lenses, but my DR Summicron won't fit the M9.</p>

<p>The best solution is a full-blown blimp, like used on movie sets. Blimps are modular, with separate body and lens covers. The controls are sealed, to prevent noise transmission. Budget about $2000 for a blimp of this sort for a body and a couple of lenses.<br /> http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=sound+blimps&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ta</p>

<p>A modestly priced alternative would be a modular weather shield, such as made by Portabrace and others. These consist of a semi-rigid box with separate tubular lens covers.<br /> http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?atclk=Brand_AquaTech&ci=3313&N=4075788778+4291273372</p>

<p>A leaf shutter is about as quiet as it gets, as any Rollei or Hasselblad (mirror-up) owner can attest. However winding the shutter on a Rollei is noisy, and it's rare you can use an Hasselblad without the mirror (an EL camera can keep the mirror up between shots, but the winder itself is noisy). A film Leica makes a soft "snick" when the wind is complete.</p>

<p>You can always take most of your pictures between movements and when the pianist takes a bow after a piece. Also study the music beforehand so that you can anticipate when the pianist is most dynamic and the instrument makes the loudest sound so that you can take your pictures when the music can cover up the shutter noise.</p>

<p>In some large cities you can rent the movie industry standard hard shell blimps. You may also be able to rent them online - check the pro lens rental online shops.</p>

<p>There are a few soft blimps that cost less than the movie industry standard hard shell blimp:</p>

<ul>

<li><a href="http://www.augenblicke-eingefangen.de/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=544&anc=y&language=en&translation=&osCsid=745b119c7119091caba19b2a764c1514">Cranston's</a> </li>

<li>This bulky looking non-formed fitted <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Camera-Muzzle-Muffling-Enclosure-Digital/dp/B001DIWMR2">Camera Muzzle brand</a> on Amazon and <a href="http://www.adorama.com/CZM.html">Adorama</a>.</li>

<li>On a tight budget and to dampen noise just a bit, a Zing neoprene foam body and lens case will help.</li>

</ul>

<p>Be sure to muffle the lens too. That's where nearly half the noise is transmitted. Typical dSLR bodies are actually pretty well damped as-is. But lenses are sound chambers. Even with the lens barrel damped some shutter noise will still be transmitted forward through the front of the lens.</p>

<p>If you have time and are so inclined you can make your own soft blimps from closed cell foam, soft fabric covered inserts for camera bags, Velcro or other fasteners. But those ready-made soft blimps are probably more cost effective.</p>

<p>As Lex said, you can make a blimp for a fraction of the cost of commercial units. There are many examples of these using modified Pelican cases.<br>

<a href="https://www.google.ca/search?q=diy+camera+blimp">https://www.google.ca/search?q=diy+camera+blimp </a></p>

<p>Having looked at that camera muzzle, I suspect that cutting the nose off something like a CCS "Tusker" case would give you almost the same thing.</p>

<p>http://www.ccscentre.co.uk/</p>

<p>After reading all advice, I think it is too late or too expensive to order blimps for next quiet concert coming this weekend. Taking suggestions from Shun and Rodeo to shoot in final rehearsal or understand the recital rundown may help. Other than that, I'm thinking if wrapping the camera with bubble wrapping paper, thick towel or felt cloth will help ? </p>

<p>I was not that impressed by how quiet a Leica is, after being told they're amazingly silent for so long. The metal shutter on a Bessa R is actively loud - I'm not sure how the more recent Leicas compare to the older cloth shutter ones for noise. A leaf shutter, like a Rollei or Mamiya 7, is really "did I take a shot?" quiet, and I've used one while next to a table full of fussy tiddlywinks players (the WLF also helps). Something like a Fuji X100s is the nearest - if slightly louder - current equivalent, though there are some mirrorless cameras with completely digital shutter options. It may not be much of a substitute for a D3s, though.<br />

<br />

If a D300 noise might be good enough and we're not too worried about being completely silent, I'd really just wrap the whole thing in a scarf, sweater or overcoat. If it's a posh recital, maybe you could get away with a muff. It depends how much you're planning on moving about, though - if you need to move, the fixed solutions have an obvious advantage. And only shoot during the loud bits. When shooting tennis or tiddlywinks, I make a point of releasing the shutter at the point of or after the shot, which means at least you can't distract someone, but that's not such an option for a concert.<br />

<br />

If that doesn't cut it, hire a 1Dc, record 4K video, and pull out the still frames you want?</p>

<p>Cross-over: I would be very wary of bubble wrap, because the squeaking noise of the plastic rubbing against itself can be louder than whatever you're muffling with it. I'd just go for thick material. If you want to make something yourself, acoustic cladding is available for computer cases, that comes in "eggbox foam"-coated sticky bitumen sheets, designed for sticking on the inside of case panels. It's extremely effective - I've considered using the sheets without the foam (which is cheaper) to wrap around tripod legs to reduce vibration, though it wouldn't feel nice. It might be worth investigating - the stuff isn't ridiculously cheap, but if you're on a time limit you might find it in your local electronics store. Good luck.</p>

<p>Bubble wrap and terrycloth won't help. Tried it for my own homebrewed blimps when I was photographing live theater.</p>

<p>The best material I've found for a homemade blimp is closed cell foam. It's the same stuff used as padding in many camera bags. It's also used as padding for sleeping bags, so you can find large rolls of the foam cheaply in sporting goods stores. Cut it to fit and duct tape it together.</p>

<p>For the lens barrel, try plumbing pipe insulation. The foam insulation comes in all sizes, is tubular shaped with a slit down the side. The slit can be taped shut around the lens.</p>

<p>By the way, white duct tape is preferable to the familiar gray for this. It can be peeled off and reapplied more easily and with less tearing of the foam. And it doesn't leave as much sticky residue weeks or months later.</p>

<p>My homemade blimp was so bulky and awkward I used it on a tripod with a remote, either a cable release threaded through the blimp or a Pocket Wizard radio trigger. It was virtually silent. Even with a Nikon F3 and MD-4 motor drive, nobody in the rear audience seats less than 3 feet in front of me could hear anything. I was careful to take photos only during fairly loud sections of the theatrical performance, which masked the tiny bit of noise emitted through the front of the lens.</p>

<p>With a bulky blimp you'll want to use a camera with a long eye relief finder. I'm assuming the D3s has a long eye relief finder ("High Eyepoint" in Nikon-speak), since most or all Nikon pro level SLRs do. Otherwise you'll need to center the subject and leave plenty of room for cropping to avoid accidentally omitting anything important from the frame. That's one reason I preferred the F3HP over the FM2N, as well as the D2H's long eye relief finder.</p>

<p>But eventually you'll want a properly made blimp if you plan to do this often.</p>

<p>Hoi, I wonder what type of lenses you are using?</p>

<p>Once I was at the San Francisco Symphony, and there was an official photographer set up at the very back of the concert hall with a 500mm/f4 lens on a tripod and a Canon DSLR. If you have a set up that big, it would be hard to warp that up to dampen the shutter noise.</p>

<p>What I have in mind is perhaps this New York Times image of Yuja Wang playing at the Carnegie Hall in New York last year: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2013/05/18/arts/18WANG.html<br>

(from this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/18/arts/music/yuja-wang-at-carnegie-hall.html?_r=0)</p>

<p>I am not sure exactly what piece she was playing at that moment, but she must have been pounding on the piano. She looked very dynamic and most likely, the sound from the piano would have covered up a lot of the shutter noise, especially if you manage to use the quiet mode on the D3S.</p>

<p>As I said, if you know the music, many of such moments are predictable, and that will give you a huge advantage as a photographer.</p>

<p>Hey Shun, I only have 70-200 and 24-70 for this concert. </p>

<p>Hey Shun, I only have 70-200 and 24-70 for this concert. And.... I'm helping my friend, the pianist, to shoot his recital in a 400 capacity small theater. Not a paid job, anyway. </p>

<p>By the way, out of curiosity I just tested the sound muffling of a couple of my padded camera bags. The mechanical shutter of the Fuji X-A1 is louder than I'd expected - pretty comparable to a Nikon dSLR, despite the lack of a mirror on the Fuji - presumably due to the rather lightweight plastic construction. The Nikon V1 mechanical shutter is much more subdued, possibly due to the heavier metal body.</p>

<p>My small Lowepro waist bag padding feels like closed cell foam, fairly stiff and comparable to the thin, resilient foam found in rolls of sleeping bag padding. It's sewn inside the familiar ripstop/ballistic nylon used by many camera bags. My older Beseler Lifestyle bag uses very soft foam sewn inside smooth polished cotton, comparable to fairly luxurious bed linens. The Beseler bag's outer shell is polished cotton canvas with a weight and feel about like a favorite pair of jeans.</p>

<p>Surprisingly, the Beseler bag's softer, mushier padding was much more effective at muffling the shutter sound of the Fuji X-A1. The sound was very subdued and would be good enough for live theater use from the wings, tech booth or even just behind the last row of seats. It might even be okay from the audience area during a fairly noisy performance - a comedy or musical.</p>

<p>The Lowepro bag muffled the sound quite a bit, but there was more perceptible resonance and a bit more high frequency sound that's more likely to carry.</p>

<p>I'm going to rethink my plans for my next homemade blimp for live theater and try some padding comparable to my Beseler bag's if I can find it. It would certainly be more comfortable to hand-hold as the material would conform more naturally to the shape of the camera and lens. Even the cloth shell would make less of a rustling noise, compared with nylon fabric.</p>

<p>D610.</p>

<p>Since you know the pianist and most likely can get his cooperation, shooting at the rehearsal (probably from the same day, just earlier) would be a good option. At least you can get additional images to supplement ones from the actual concert.</p>

<p>If you do not mind looking a bit silly, a blanket over your head & camera dampens most sounds very effectively, just cut a hole to stick the front side of your lens through otherwise your pics turn out a bit dark too :-) ....<br /> For me this dampens sound enough to be able to take pics of deer at reasonably close range without spooking them when sitting still for some time at the right place...</p>

<p>I probably wouldn't mind looking silly in front of some deers. Inside a concert hall in front of a bunch of audiences, it may become a different kind, perhaps a worse kind than shutter noise, of distraction.</p>

The Camera Muzzle is a complete waste of money If you are looking to silence the camera. It makes a slight difference

but is nowhere near as effective at silencing camera noise as the Jacobson Instruments Sound Blimp. http://www.soundblimp.com

 

I've heard others others say that they have made their own out of small Pelican Cases. I don't know what they do for lens

tubes however and much of the noise from a DSLR is transmitted through the lens.

<p>Unless you are insulated in a booth with double-glass...the noise can still be detected whenever the piano player stops. Ha, maybe 500mm from the balcony ? Never mind, I'm kiddn.</p>

<p>Les</p>

<p>We had to dampen sound coming from high flow blowers in a cleanroom environment. We maximized the deadening effect by lining the blower housing and ducting with polyurethane foam. It's very complaint, and hence absorptive of acoustic energy in the audible range. It is quite effective on higher frequency sounds. Of all the foams we experimented with, the polyurethane gave the best results.</p>

<p>For a quick show and tell, here is a range of products -</p>

<p><a href="http://www.mcmaster.com/#sound-absorbing-foam/=rr64s8">http://www.mcmaster.com/#sound-absorbing-foam/=rr64s8</a></p>

<p>In DIY-speak, softer foam and the thicker foam are the key to dB reduction.</p>

<p>Jim</p>

 

<p>Without a blimp or some home made blimp like covering, a your camera is going to make audible noise that won't be appreciated by the audience. Can you rent a mirror less camera that can go noise free? There's several choices. I guarantee you no audience during a quiet piano piece is going to be happy if they hear the shutter blasting away during the concert, especially during the quiet periods of the music, even if you friend is the musician. I'd either get a mirrorless camera that can go silent.</p>