'Is the sound of clicking cameras at the White House nearing extinction?'

Article from the Washington Post:

 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2018/02/13/is-the-sound-of-clicking-cameras-at-the-white-house-nearing-extinction/?utm_term=.dc762bf6d21b

 

Looks like flash will eventually disappear, too, except maybe to create catchlights, for which you don't need a lot of power.

Cell phones are easily silenced, but most people let it chirp when taking pictures or receiving text messages. Because of my work, I have not had a "noisy" phone in years, but distinctive ring tones seem to be a matter of pride for many of my customers. So many cameras at news events going off at once sounds like the curtains are caught in a fan.

 

My Sony FF cameras have a totally silent shutter option, but the A9 can add sound effects if you prefer, LOL. Actually, if silence is not required, most people feel more comfortable if they hear your shutter (or sound effects). It lets them relax a bit between shots. Handling the A9, my son rapped off nearly 40 frames before telling me "it's not working."

Interesting article. I've covered events, speakers and politicians in the past and no doubt my motor driven F2 made quite a racket. It still does. I think it was copied into use for music once or twice. Freeze Frame rings a bell.The digital cameras are faster as we can hear at press conferences but I still think they are much quieter. Later film cameras such as the F4S have a quiet mode. I recall an article some years back about David Hume Kennerly in which he used regular slr bodies for most of his work but there were times when a Leica was used simply because it was quieter in situations where he wanted to be as invisible as possible. No doubt there will be mirrorless cameras coming in but I wonder if they will replace the current designs. Probably not for me.

 

Rick H.

I have the silent option on my Olympus e-m1, but there is a problem with the rolling shutter effect when shooting silent, so I shoot with the mechanical shutter.

With the silent electronic shutter on the Fuji, I can finally photograph golfers on the back swing, but the golf club can distort to a comical degree.

Some cameras do have rolling shutter, which is unfortunate. The Olympus at least has a discrete physical shutter. The A9 has no visible rolling shutter that I have seen, but I could be wrong.

 

Edit: There is also the case where some photographers will choose integrated cameras with large zooms, which have either electronic or leaf shutters. E.g. RX10, FZ1000. The press doesn't need to use cameras with big sensors and big lenses - that is just legacy stuff.

Electronic shutter with non-moving subjects shouldn't have any rolling shutter issues. Maybe it will be Fuji goes to the White House!

I think photography as trade coming close to extinction, shutter sounds may be silenced in different ways.

I think photography as trade coming close to extinction, shutter sounds may be silenced in different ways.

Not even close to coming close to extinction. What do you base this statement on?

Not even close to coming close to extinction. What do you base this statement on?

Kind of hard to make living of photography, when images available for free from internet.

With the advent of digital, photographers who earned a living only because they could take sharp well exposed images when most folks with a camera couldn't, quickly went out of business. Uncle Harry can do that now. But I'd like to see Uncle Harry make a simple 3 light shot like my profile photo. I'd like to see Uncle Harry consistently produce flattering poses and genuine expressions other than holding up some booze and yelling woo hoo. Does every bride, senior, sporting event, business have quality images of themselves "free from the internet?" Photography became easier for the masses with digital. I'll bet folks said the same thing when Kodak introduced the Brownie film camera for the masses. Funny, after it was released in 1900, for 100 years til about 2000 when digital took off, photographers still made a living using film.

Now now, it isn't Uncle Harry, he doesn't even own a camera. It's Uncle Bob! You should know that:D. Honestly though, I think photography has always been a hard way to make a living no matter what part of it you might work. The ones who can do it well generally survive but I wonder if the digital age doesn't favor a younger group.

 

Rick H.

And yet there are an increasing, not diminishing amount of young photographers that are looking to go pro. The problem is not diminishing amounts of photographers, but too many photographers seem to be flooding the market.

OMG there is an Uncle Bob besides me? Personally, I always liked Uncle Buck. John Candy was fantastic. I think uncle harry has a visual, a hairy guy, that uncle bob lacks. Uhooru, why do you think they are flooding the market more than they did in the early 2000's with the advent of digital cameras that took sharp well exposed images leading folks to believe they did "professional" work ? Are they leaving in just as high numbers when they discover how little shooting is involved and how much actual work there is running a business. Do they leave when they realize how much they don't know about photography, that their work sucks even though\ they were told by non photographer friends before that they had a "good eye" and after that are too lazy to do the work to master the craft? I think "photographer" is the kind of job that a youngster thinks is cool, like fashion designer, model, pro athlete or rock star but get left behind when reality sets in. What makes up for all of the down sides of photography is the groupies. I once asked a model if she had a boyfriend and she said she hadn't yet met her dream man. I thought, hey, I'm a photographer, aren't we every woman's dream man? sarc Another fantasy shattered for the young, and sometimes the elderly, models usually don't date photographers. So they can forget it if they think shooting models, even if they get most of their clothes off for the shoot, is going to get them laid. That alone should discourage a bunch of them.

Nothing folks like better than getting a glimpse of someone else's imagination, skillfully displayed in a way that subtly encourages their own.

I acquire something new every time I see a photograph or read a book that does that.

Oxygen for a curious mind......

Edited February 17, 2018 by Moving On

It looks like Sony is driving this, they have a feature of silent shutter, so approach prominent photographers in key positions and give them a camera. Look, it is silent. :eek: It is a marketing strategy that might actually work for them. I wonder when the rest of us will get our free Sony A7RIII?

It looks like Sony is driving this, they have a feature of silent shutter, so approach prominent photographers in key positions and give them a camera. Look, it is silent. :eek: It is a marketing strategy that might actually work for them. I wonder when the rest of us will get our free Sony A7RIII?

We had missed our chance, B&H was mailing 2 for price of 1:)

We had missed our chance, B&H was mailing 2 for price of 1

I never saw that, was it email or postal. I am on their mailing list. That would have been the offer that would have got me to buy.

If they had an A7RIII with metabones Canon lens adaptor combo for $1800 I would go for it, but there is no way I am going to invest $3800 plus tax for the privilage to shoot silent shutter with my lenses. I have a perfectly good 5D MK IV and a 6D and 2 bags of excellent lenses, even if the White House says I can't use my gear there. Do you think the GOP or the Dems want to anger every Canon and Nikon photojournalist? If anything, I could see this administration say only American made cameras. Better bring a Kodak.

 

Yes looks like I missed that oppourtunity. Sony would have to offer a very sweet deal to get me to come on board. Any way, Canon is due for a new release of the 5DSR MK II, if I am going to spend in the ball park of $3700 it might be a new 60 mega pixel Canon EOS that works 100% with my lenses. That will be worth more to me than the Sony A7RIII. I will have to see what Canon has to offer. I am in no rush, time is on my side. Go camera giants and battle for my dollars.

I never saw that, was it email or postal. I am on their mailing list. That would have been the offer that would have got me to buy.

If they had an A7RIII with metabones Canon lens adaptor combo for $1800 I would go for it, but there is no way I am going to invest $3800 plus tax for the privilage to shoot silent shutter with my lenses. I have a perfectly good 5D MK IV and a 6D and 2 bags of excellent lenses, even if the White House says I can't use my gear there. Do you think the GOP or the Dems want to anger every Canon and Nikon photojournalist? If anything, I could see this administration say only American made cameras. Better bring a Kodak.

 

Yes looks like I missed that oppourtunity. Sony would have to offer a very sweet deal to get me to come on board. Any way, Canon is due for a new release of the 5DSR MK II, if I am going to spend in the ball park of $3700 it might be a new 60 mega pixel Canon EOS that works 100% with my lenses. That will be worth more to me than the Sony A7RIII. I will have to see what Canon has to offer. I am in no rush, time is on my side. Go camera giants and battle for my dollars.

B&H is Shipping an Extra $3,200 Sony a7R III to Customers by Accident

DEC 07, 2017

 

LOUIS FERRIERA

Do you think the GOP or the Dems want to anger every Canon and Nikon photojournalist?

They don't need to allow anyone to fire off noisy cameras in the White House. Just like courtrooms don't have to allow them. So no, they're not worried. ;-)

If anything, I could see this administration say only American made cameras.

 

Whereas I could see this administration say only Russian made cameras. :eek:

 

Zenit, anyone?

Whereas I could see this administration say only Russian made cameras. :eek:

 

Zenit, anyone?

 

It seems the Mueller investigation is going nowhere fast... all it could find to indict were 19 Russians. Of course the Liberal Fake News media will only gloss over that, if they report it at all.

It seems the Mueller investigation is going nowhere fast... all it could find to indict were 19 Russians. Of course the Liberal Fake News media will only gloss over that, if they report it at all.

What is all this fuss about, US of A routinely interfering in all elections around the world, main reason they don't like dictators, they can't swing elections the way they want in those countries. It never was and never will be about democracy or freedom, it is all about economical advantige.

It was a joke, guys. Has the world forgotten how to laugh? Smiley-face . . . Smiley-face . . . Smiley-face . . .