Mirror lock-up noise scares smaller critters

[paul_bongaarts]

I just started doing nature photography a few months ago and I totally love it! I was wondering tho if anyone with more experience has had a similar problem with the noise that the mirror makes when it locks up just prior to the shutter release.

A few weeks ago I was carefully stalking a small chipmunk in a nature preserve near my home in New York. I was eventually able to set up my tripod about 10' from where he was hiding, and I waited paitently for him to come out so I could snap a picture. I noticed that every time the shutter clicked, he darted back in his hole and it took another 10-15 minutes till he showed his face again.

When I got the pictures back, the chipmunk wasn't even in most of them! Even when the shutter speed was cranked up to 1/1000 he was just a blur.

Now I relize that animals that are not accustomed to being photographed are going to be more sensitive to noises, but I wasn't even able to get one decent picture. Does anyone have any suggestions or advice?

 

<p>

 

Thanks!

[bobatkins]

<ol>

<li> Get a quieter camera

<li> Find a less timid critter

</ol>

 

<p>

 

Seriously, this isn't a problem I've seen very often. It's also when

you need an EOS RT. No mirror noise and a 5mS shutter delay. Even

chipmunks don't move <em>that</em> fast. You could try wrapping

something around your camera I guess. They make silencing enclosures for cameras, but for theater work, not nature work!

[glen_johnson]

If you are shooting at 1/1000 of a second, you do not need mirror lock up. Turn it off. You might want to do a search on the mirror lock up issue to see what others have already said about this. If you pick a film that is fast enough to shoot at or above 1/100th of a second, chances are you will not need mirror lock up with any but the longest lenses.

 

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One other point. If you were using a slow enough shutter speed so that mirror lockup was appropriate, then you've uncovered the disadvantage of the cameras that use mirror prefire instead of real lock up, i.e., the time between the lock and the fire is fixed, instead of flexible. It is much better to have mirror lock up set up so that you can lock, and then pick the firing point to best exploit whatever happens in the scene. If the mirror is locked up in advance, and then the chipmunk comes out and holds still, you might be able to get a decent shot as slow as 1/30th of a second. If you have one of the cameras that uses mirror prefire, you are just going to spook the animal unless you figure out how to muffle the sound.

[bobatkins]

Glen: If you read the question carefully (between the lines!) I don't

think he's talking about mirror lock up. He's talking about the noise

of the mirror flipping up. This happens about 100-200mS before the

shutter releases and is long enough to give a particularly nervous

critter time to react.

[paul_bongaarts]

When I was taking the pictures I was not using mirror lock up, I don't think my camera has that option. I'm using an elan IIe, and I think it only has a mirror pre-fire option with a 2 sec. delay. This would obviously not be very helpful, since I'm finding that the actual noise of the mirror flipping up is what's scaring the critter.

 

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What camera bodies allow you to lock up the mirror, then trigger the shutter whenever you want? I would have to agree that this seems like the best option... but probably not for my wallet!

 

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Bob, you mentioned the EOS RT. I've never heard of it, is it more of a "pro" camera that's going to cost a few thousand dollars?

[bobatkins]

Only the EOS-1n (NOT the EOS-1) has true mirror lock up. Expect to

pay around $1000 for a used one in good shape.

<p>

The EOS RT is an early EOS body with a fixed partly-refelecting mirror. That costs you 2/3 stop on all lenses, but there is no

mirror noise or shutter delay. You can find them used for around

$400 depending on condition. The partly-reflective mirror is quite

delicate by the way and needs to be kept clean (i.e. KEPT clean,

not cleaned!).

<p>

My <a href="http://bobatkins.photo.net/photos/CHIPMUNK.HTM">chipmunk</a> pictures were taken with a 300mm lens and an Elan body.

Shutter and/or mirror noise was not a problem. It's your chipmunk that was the problem. Maybe

he/she was having a bad day.

[bob_royse]

The camera you have is probably just as good as anything else out there for phtographing a chipmunk. As, Bob said, maybe you can find another that's not as timid. Or you can try taking some shots of it from a further distance so it has a chance to get used to the sound and you. It might then be less wary of such a close approach, which 10ft. is.

[dan_smith]

This is obviously a chipmunk who hears the noise, looks around and sees CANON and runs like hell. Think if he saw NIKON he would preen & pose?

[glen_johnson]

Bob, I have a hard time believing that a chipmunk is running back in his hole between the time you press the button on an Elan II and the time the shutter actually fires, unless you are using the mirror prefire feature. But if this is what is actually happening, then one of the cameras that has a minimal delay, like an F5, or a 1NRS, would be the way to go. I don't shoot with an Elan II, so I don't have any feel for the delay, but if it is long enough for a chipmunk to go back in his hole, then that is another reason not to buy an Elan II. I think a chipmunk would have enough time to gack in the hole with the delay on many point & shoot cameras, but I don't think that any decent interchangeable lens SLR's would have a delay long enough for this to occur.

 

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As for real mirror lockup, the mechanical mirror lockup on the F series Nikon's is better than the electronic lockup on the EOS 1N. On the 1N, the mirror locks up for 30 seconds and then flops back down if you haven't shot. This can occasionally be a pain in the neck. The other way to get a decent mirror lockup is to buy an older model mechanical camera, like a Minolta SR-T 101, but then you end up with a whole bunch of other problems.

[paul_bongaarts]

Thank you to everyone for your input. Now that I think about it, I've had little trouble photographing squirrels, cats and the occational deer in my back yard, so it must be the particular chipmunk at this nature preserve.

 

<p>

 

Although this may be one of the (few) disadvantages of trying to photograph in an environment that has not been disrupted by heavy human traffic. In an environment that is dead quiet most of the time, I would think that critters would be more sensitized to odd noises (ie camera shutters), whereas the same critter in your back yard is used to hearing odd noises on a daily basis (doors closing, cars pulling up, etc..). Joe chipmunk at home wouldn't think that much of a camera "click", whereas the one in the quiet nature preserve would probably percieve it as a danger, simply because it's "diffrent"

 

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I dunno... Just a thought.

[paul_bongaarts]

Just to clear up the issue again,

 

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I was shooting for a picture very similar to Bob's "Hiding" photo. I was using a 100-300mm zoom set at 300. I would wait till the chipmunk started to crawl out of his hole, then shoot the photo. It didn't take me long to relize that he wasn't standing still! So I figured that the 1/30 shutter speed I was shooting at wasn't going to cut it. After a few more tries, I relized that I might not be getting anything on film since there is that delay between the mirror lock up and the shutter release. So just for kicks I cranked the shutter speed up to 1/1000, (even tho this grossly underexposed the print, but it was a print so I wasn't too concerned). Even at 1/1000, the chipmunk was a blur, seeing that it had already reacted to the sound of the mirror.

[bobatkins]

The shutter delay on the Elan IIe is no longer than most current

SLRs. They all average about 150ms or so (1/6s), so unless you

change to a camera body with real MLU or a fixed mirror, buying

a new body won't help. The trouble with MLU is that when the mirror

is locked up, you can't focus or aim the camera! The only effective

alternative bodies

are the EOS RT ($400) and EOS-1n RS ($2000)! I have an RT. I don't

use it often, but for the things you need it for, you really need

it!

 

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The shutter speed doesn't affect the delay, so the only real difference

between 1/30 and 1/1000 would be the difference between a very

blurred subject and a less blurred subject!

 

<p>

 

Find a new critter. It's a lot cheaper.

[geoffrey_s._kane]

Nikon does make a blimp case for quieting their SLRs, but I'd recommend trying one before buying it --I wouldn't be suprised if the viewfinder/controls wouldn't line up correctly (maybe one of those ewa-marine bags would quiet things a bit?).<p>

Regarding Glenn's comment about F series Nikon SLRs and MLU.... The Nikon F has got to have one of the strangest means of locking up the mirror. If one were to buy a Nikon strictly for MLU, I'd have to recommend either the F2 or F3, or any of the Nikkormats.

[kferris575]

You must get the critters comfortable with you. That means you will have to "work" them. Start photographing from a distance so they get accustomed to the noise. Don't point the camera at them for every shot. Take some pictures of the ground, the sky and the trees to the left and right. In time, the critters will allow you a lot closer if they get used to you. Patience is very important in nature work. 99% of you shots will end up in the trash. The 1% that succeed will make it all worthwhile.

[Albins images]

Some years ago, when I started taking pictures of small mammals, I had similar 'problems' with the delay between pushing the shutter release and the shutter going up.

 

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I attracted woodmice (Apodemus sylvaticus) in front of the camera (F801 with TTL flash on tripod, with cable release), using peanutbutter+oats. The few pictures the mice allowed me to take showed them hanging in the air. Apparently the 150ms or so mirror flip was enough for them to react. The problem could be solved in two ways:

 

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* In complete darkness: leave the shutter open for as long as it takes and use a (non-TTL) flash cable release. As you will need minimal lighting to see where your subject is (like a worn-out torch), exposure times are limited -even at f22- to avoid an orange glow.

* Mirror lock-up, with cameras that allow this.

 

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Obviously these solutions only work in a static situation, where you can precisely predict the position of your subject. Concerning the reaction of small mammals: in a situation where you can take several pictures in a short period, I did observe some habituation to the clicking and flashing. 'In the wild' this probably will not help.

[john_macpherson]

Here's a tip folks which might be welcome. If you want to silence your camera (a bit) visit any wetsuit manufacturer and ask for some offcuts of neoprene wetsuit material in the 5 to 10mm range. For camera size bits it will most likely be free. A can of adhesive is only a few $$ and you can make ANY shape of case to silence your particular camera. Give the folks at wetsuit city a print or two of your work and they'll be delighted. I've made a few cases and they not only cut the noise but they make it a bit more water & snow resistant and make it able to withstand the odd knocks and scuffs they get out in the field. Making one up is also a good way to pass the odd winter night (when you're not sorting slides, captioning, cleaning cameras, working overtime to pay for the new F5/EOS2). Good luck with your photography Paul.