Noisy DSLRs at Reagan funeral

OK, after hearing the loud whirling and clacking sound of digital

SLRs at the Reagan funeral yesterday evening I think it is high

time someone get on with the digital M camera. It's too bad the

better point and shoots don't have better shutter response and

better high ISO noise levels as these cameras work great in

situations (court rooms, funerals, etc.) where noise is frowned

upon. Thoughts?

A bunch of years ago (late 1970's?) the Miami-Dade County Courts decided that you could only photograph inside a court room with a camera no louder than an M Leica, and it actually stated "Leica".

Thoughts? I think you complain to much. 20 years ago it would of been F3's with MD4's.

Not as bad as the 'stadium optimists' who dazzle all those around them in the audience at major nighttime events by using the flash on their P&S cameras in the sure knowledge that their flash is equal in output to a battery of floodlights.

 

They end up with overexposed/out of focus backs of heads and dim, dark, distant, shaky backgrounds despite being convinced at the time that THEY were taking prize winning action shots! They also end up angering people whose wide open (nighttime adjusted) pupils catch the full close range intensity of the flash!

I've seen Leicas during the testimonies of C. Rise, Ashcroft etc, i haven't seen any cameras at all for Reagan's events.

 

I took my Leica to a townhall meeting where people were protesting zoning laws... performed flawlessly, the only noticeable sound was below 1/30 shutter speed.

It is not chutter clack is it mirror slap

To bad Reagan has passed away, otherwise he could have signed a

legislation which outlaws noisy cameras and use of flash forever.

If they made load whirling sounds why would you think they are DSLRs and not SLRs. DSLRs don't make whirling sounds.

 

DSLRs do have shutters. That is why they clack.

 

The shutter on my 10D makes a soft clack.

Oh and those 'Pushy Parent' types with the jumbo sized PRO videocams at school plays who are standing on top of other people and elbowing everyone out of the way to run to the stage as soon as little 'Victoria' comes on dressed as a shepherdess or tiger or whatever. Screaming directions at the poor hapless tot like they were some demented hollwood veteran.

But I agree, hundreds of noisy cameras at a funeral is bad taste and bad manners when the pros all have access to quieter means. (Or should do.)

Since that ceremony was performed completely FOR the cameras, the noise

seems appropriate...

Personally, I'd ban ownership of a flashgun unless you had a certificate signed by two psychologists saying that you actually had enough brains to use the bloody things correctly. If there's one thing that gets all photographers a bad name it's morons with flashguns who spoil events for everyone else.

DUCK VOICE: Aff-cclack.

From experience, my camera loudness scale:

<p>

Hassy 2000FC (deafening)

<br>

Contax RTS III (loud)

<br>

Canon D30 (noticeable)

<br>

Leica M (quiet)

<br>

Contax T (detectable)

<br>

Nikon Coolpix 900 (silent)

<p>

The first three are SLRs (moving mirror & focal plane shutter); a DSLR is <i>not</i> inherently quieter than its film cousin. I find an M too noisy for a classical music event, and take the Contax T (leaf shutter, manual advance).

<p>

As noted already, a digi P&S is the most quiet but shutter lag is usually awful. Even worst is sensor noise at 400 ASA: film P&S has a major edge here.

The mirror has to flip up and down as well. That accounts for much of the noise.

A lot of what you hear on TV may be because the TV cameras & microphones

and press photographers are mostly bunched togther and sound louder on

TV than they are when you are actually there.

 

Leica rangefinder or camera blimps (www.soundblimp.com ) are required in

most if not all court rooms.

The whirring sound is probably photographers gunning at 8fps. At that speed the sound of each frame becomes indistinct and they all sort of run together to make that noise. In any case, the sound is no worse than any high fps film camera.

The noise is due to the mirror and shutter. And you want to talk about deafening, grab a hold of my 1d mkII. Sounds like a train.

 

Its actually kind of cool in a sports environment, but blows chunks when shooting wildlife. The MkII does have a quiet mode, which helps when needed but you lose the 8.5 fps.

My cameras by noise:

Yashicamat silent

M6 silent

D30 tasteless plastic slap ;-)

Nikon EM slightly less than the next two

Konica T1 almost identical as Canon 650

Canon 650 clackity clack

Try an Olympus E-10 or E-20. Pretty damn silent for a DSLR.

Eric, thanks for the thoughtful and thought-provoking input. That's

why I love the internet, every moron can make his statement

without consequences.

Stop clobbering the poor bloke who shoots with a flash in a stadium at some event

happening 100 meters away. He is probably using a P&S with no way to turn the darn

thing off. Not everybody can afford plush Leicas and Summiluxes. That said, those useless

and ubiquitous flashes firing from every direction every tenth of second make for a

fascinating spectacle in a 100,000 seats stadium at the Olympics.

 

As for stealth shooting in courtrooms and at funerals, I think the Miami-Dade County

could go one better than a Leica M with a Rolleiflex.

Quietest camera? got to be a huge thing with plates and bellows, top hat as the shutter! All that dof, dof, doffing of hats.

SLRs are noisy regardless if film or digital. The same shutter covers either film or the chip. The motor drive is the same.

The comment by Ellis Verner re. the proximity of the tv microphones to the cameras was most interesting and would explain the noise heard on tv news clips of Bush & Company. However, one is left to wonder why so many photographers are taking pictures of them at every news conference. We already know what they look like. Seems like a waste of film and/or time.