ronald_smith2 Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 I am tossing around the idea of moving up to a DSLR within the next year or so. I come from a background of shooting film for almost 25 years with Canon gear, from the legendary AE-1 to the EOS A2. To boot, I presently own two high-end compacts - the G6 and S80. The A2's shutter is the quietest I have ever heard on *any* SLR camera and is a very welcome feature when shooting such things as weddings or any event where the photographer should only be seen and not heard. I keep reading about the complaints regarding shutter noise of modern DSLR's and wonder if we are where we need to be in terms of this invaluable function. Perhaps I was/am spoiled by the old A2, but I don't want to invest a lot of $$$ in something and have it sound like a 12-guage shotgun when I use it. Thoughts? Do the higher-end models like the Canon EOS 5D have reasonably quiet shutters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucecyr Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 Check out dpreview.com, which records and analyzes shutter sounds. Maybe other sites as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronaldo_r Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 The 5D is not too bad. The 30D is quieter than my 20D (which most people find quite vocal, but in a good way:) The quietest SLR I ever used was the EOS 30 (Elan 7e). My 20D is definitely louder, but not as loud as some pro film SLRs like EOS 3... Go to the shops and try for yourself. Alternatively check out shutter sound recordings as part of some dpreview reviews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_Ingold Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 My D2x is quieter than my F5. Both are too noisy to use alone when things need to be really quiet - like a classical concert. That's when I use a blimp. I've never needed a blimp at a wedding. People use Hasselblads at weddings, which are a lot noisier than any small format SLR or DSLR. If I were you, I'd pick a camera that does what I need it to, then worry about making it quiet. There are no standards for testing. It's easy enough to measure the sound pressure level, but not the level of irritation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew robertson Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 The 10D is the quietest SLR I have ever heard. Far quieter than any other film or digital SLR. The newer ones seem to be quite a bit louder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc_van_lommel Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 Shutter sounds? Not that bad, it's the mirrors clapping up that can be noisy ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milton arrow Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 I would suggest that you go to a camera store, they have different models, and listen to them in person, then you can make an informed decision if they are too loud for you and you can find the one that you like the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronald_smith2 Posted March 19, 2007 Author Share Posted March 19, 2007 I have heard the audio clips on the Web, many seem to be overbearing in this regard. As technology improves, this problem will be licked. Funny how older motorized film SLR's have no issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfcole Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 As a violinist I've played a zillion or so weddings. Often during the service I'm not playing, but rather just sitting and waiting for the recessional or something. And often watching the photographer. Most photographers around here use either a Canon 5D or Nikon D200, and to tell you the truth they're both quiet--and photographers have stood right next to me as they shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markd2 Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 Scott: that's interesting (and good!) to hear. I recently photographed a woodwind quintet recital at a library. The D200 shutter sounded deafening to me, so I stopped lest I bug the folks next to me. I had a Coolpix P&S with no shutter sounds I took all of the while-playing shots, and relegated the D200 for the in-between stuff. Next time I'll get some listeners to calibrate with rather than assuming it's too loud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dg1 Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 The 10D as I remember mine was not only relatively quiet, but also quite smooth and vibration free. That said, the Sony R1 is pretty much silent. There might be other shooting characteristics it lacks for weddings, I don't know, because I have no real experience there, but the IQ is excellent given the quality of its lens and APS sized sensor, and it might work as a special purpose/backup camera for those occasions that require really quiet. At less than $700, it'd be no more than a decent lens added to your kit. Also the live LCD, and flexible angles would offer some options that could compliment a DSLR very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicaglow Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 I have both the 5D and D200 and they are very similar in volume. Sound is slightly different. Frankly, I'm surprised they are as loud as they are. I was hoping for some miraculous elimination of moving parts (and corresponding noise) from a DSLR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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