Eos 3 shutter noise vs. Canon F-1n

[doug_harhai]

Hi All,

I am considering upgrading my Elan 7e to an Eos 3, mainly because of the better

low light autofocus in the Eos 3 and build quality, not to mention the fact

that used prices are very low. My question is: I keep hearing how noisy the

sound of the shutter is in the Eos 3 with the power booster (which I would

probably buy with it). There are no cameras for me to see locally, I am

wondering how the shutter noise compares to my Canon F-1n, which I consider to

be a pretty loud shutter? By the way, while the Elan 7e is quieter than my F1-

n, it is not as quiet as my medium format TLRs. I am not sure if some posters

are exaggerating the noise a bit. One thing is for sure, I do lose some shots

with the Elan 7e in low light situations, and I think that the benefit of the

better autofocus would tend to offset the disadvantage of the louder shutter,

providing that it is not as loud as a firecracker ;-). Thanks for your input!

 

Doug

[athinkle]

I can't comment about the F1-n, but I can definitely say that the 3 is noticeably louder than a 7 or Rebel or any of the lower end bodies. However, no one has ever said to me "dang, that's one loud camera" or anything like that. I think it's mainly noticeable to the user due to the fact that our ears are just a few inches from the motor drive. The only time I could see it being a problem is in situations where stealth is a necessity, such as a quiet church ceremony. BTW, you can tell the thing to rewind at a slower rate so that its loud motor drive isn't shreaking its way through an entire roll of film. Its rewind is almost inaudible in this mode. Finally, nothing is as quiet as a TLR (except maybe some rangefinders.) The leaf shutter and absence of a mirror make for a very quiet piece of gear. My Mamiya makes so little noise that it's almost impossible for anyone but me to hear. Finally, remember that to take full advantage of the 45 point AF setup you really should be using 2.8 glass or faster. I know that with my Sigma 28-70 2.8 mounted the camera almost never fails to focus. Overall, the small flaws of the 3 are more than made up for by it being a piece of hardware in which you can have complete and total confidence.

[byronlawrence]

the elan 7e, was called one of quietest cameras in it's day,, maybe still is. and no SLR camera can fairly compete with a TLR camera interms of being quiet. the only noise a TLR makes when going off is the shutter,, and if it is a blade shutter (or leaf shutter) on the lens (like many are) then it is just a click.,, a SLR will have the mirror slap and the big vertical or horizontal travel shutters,, a lot more mechanical parts and a lot more movement..

 

the EOS 3 will be louder than your elan because it has a more powerful mirror (for faster action) and the dampening is more difficult in a more rigid body. as for comparison to the 1n,, it may be similar ,, but I can't claim to know that.

[kerry_grim]

I can say that my son's Elan 7N is quieter than my EOS3. But, I use the camera outdoors only, so it does not bother me at all. It might, if I were a wedding photographer.

[w_t1]

I use both of these cameras. I can say that when I got the 3, the noise was noticeable, compared to my previous use of an A2, but it's not a firecracker. That's without the power booster. I can't compare the two, which is louder, I dont have a motordrive on the F1n, so it's that nice mechanical clunking sound that you already know about. If you want quiet, what the other guy said about leaf shutters. My canon G3QL rangefinder is pretty quiet, except when the film is being wound. (Interesting about camera sounds, I was watching CSI or similar show recently, they were using a dslr, but when they shot, the sound was of a motor drive film camera, hilarious.) Tom

[alan_myers]

Hi,

 

I've used a pair of EOS3 w/PB-E2 very extensively for wildlife photography and don't recall ever really startling an animal or bird with them, although a few would notice me and perk up when I started shooting. (Yes, as noted, I always kept the film rewind set on the slow/quiet setting).

 

I've also used Elan 7E with BG-300 and, yes, it is quieter than the 3s. But I agree with the other responses, it's unusually so among all cameras in general. Keep your Elan when you need quiet, use the 3 for it's speed and general purpose shooting. I've never found the noise level obnoxious in any way.

 

I don't have an F1-n to compare, but do have an A1 with MA motor drive that is significantly louder than EOS3 w/PB-E2. I haven't used other A1/MA combinations, so can't say if this is atypical or not. The camera was serviced not too long ago and doesn't have the "shutter squeek" A1 so often do.

 

The build quality of EOS3 is excellent and they are a durable workhorse of a camera.

 

The only problem I ever encountered with EOS3 was a rare lockup due to a lens not being fully mounted or a low battery. That was extremely rare (happened to me perhaps twice in five years, averaging up to 400 rolls of film per year). Simply correcting the lens mounting and turning the camera off and back on, or replacing the batteries as needed, solved the problem quickly.

 

Set on continuous shooting, EOS3 w/PB-E2 can sure burn through a roll of film in a hurry! (approx. 6 seconds for 36 exp.) Also, when using the camera with big tele lenses, I.S. and Autofocus could drain the camera's batteries in a relatively short time.

 

A nephew who was assisting me when I was shooting a wedding dropped one of my spare AA battery packs and broke it. That was the only real casualty in 5 years of heavy usage.

 

I think the world of EOS3 and have some regrets not using mine more often now because I largely shoot digital. Among 35mm film cameras, only the 1VHS surpasses EOS3, IMHO.

[doug_harhai]

Thanks guys, that helps to clear up my concern. Andrew raises a good point, that we may hear more of the camera sound because of the proximity of the camera to our ears. I like what I am hearing from you--now I just have to watch KEH for the right body.

[ernie_targonski]

I have both EOS3 and Elan 7n. EOS3 is louder in the shutter department, but as outlined here, never had any complaints or startled any animal. Have had EOS3 with PBE2 for over 3 yrs. now and shoot at least 1 roll a week, on average. No problems. I love the camera. One thing you will notice is EOS3 is allot heavier than 7n, I personally like the heft.

[tuan_tran]

The sound of the F1-n is loud but is very short and solid sounding. On the 3, it's loud and the sound seems to resonate. If you're shooting wildlife, they don't care since a lot of them are used to people taking pictures of them. If you are shooting an opera or something similar, then people will give you the stare. I always try and use quiet mode on my Mark II and a lot of the time, prefer to use my 10D which is pretty darn quiet.

[doug_harhai]

I just received an Exc body from KEH. The shutter noise is less than I anticipated. I think that is less noisy than my F-1n with power winder. I am not sure if I will keep this body, as there are 2 things that bother me about this particular body, but I will be keeping an EOS 3. I guess that means that I will be selling my FD gear...I hate these decisions.