40D Shutter release vibration

[brian_moody]

I have read many posts with respect to the shutter on the 40D. I upgraded today and bought a new

camera from Bear Images in Palo Alto. However when I got it home and pressed the shutter I was quite

shocked when the whole camera vibrated in my hand. There is a vibration and strange shutter sound

when compared to my 30D. Is this normal? I have seem posts mention that the shutter is quieter than the

20 and 30D. Not so in this camera. There are several posts that make light of this vibration as well. Take

it back?

 

bm

[jimstrutz]

It's hard to judge a sound or the vibration that you are experiencing. However, on a normal, healthy 40D the sound is quieter and more muffled. The 20D/30D's sound is louder and crisper. It's a clear difference, but I wonder if a person with high frequency hearing loss wouldn't perceive it differently.

 

The 40D's mirror return does induce some vibration. If you set the shutter to 1 second and fire it off a few times, you can generally pick up on the slight vibration after the exposure is complete. But I feel the 40D vibrate ever so slightly less than the 20D/30D before and during the exposure. In practice it never seems to be an issue either way.

 

But if your shutter is too loud and it shake the camera too much, you may have a bad one. Perhaps you could take it back an compare it to a display camera.

[PuppyDigs]

You must have a defective one. Return it.

 

My 40D is pianissimo, e.g., many times softer than my 20D and noticeably softer than my

5D. I can't feel any vibration in normal hand held shooting either. I've done many macro

shots with slow shutter speeds--1/4 to 1/15 sec--and can see no evidence of vibration

induced blur or softness (tripod of course and no MLU). Impressive camera.

 

However, perhaps you're hearing the motor driven return of the mirror. The 20D/30D

used a spring. I can't normally hear or feel the motor but if I let the wires from my

earbuds touch the camera body the mechanical vibration travels straight to my inner ear.

Kinda freaked me out. Realize the motorized mirror return happens after the exposure is

finished...

[des adams]

Isn't there a "silent mode" on this camera? I thought you could get that with "live view". Is this a mode you can use walking around the streets, or is it just for ornithologists.

[adam rosser]

There was a thread over at DP Review about this where posters linked to recordings of

cameras which had the vibration and ones that didn't. You could hear a clear difference. I

think the consensus was that the vibration was not normal.

[brian_moody]

Thank you for your responses. I have been shooting Canon for well over three years and

never felt a camera like this. I think I got a bad egg. I am going to go back and compare it to

a demo camera.

 

Thanks again.

 

bm

[alexdi]

The first 40D I had resonated in high-speed continuous mode. I could actually hear and feel a subtle metal twang when the shutter fired. It didn't seem to affect anything.

 

If the second one does this, I haven't noticed it.

 

DI

[HenryUK]

The 40D uses a motor to lift the mirror before the shutter opens, unlike it's predecessors which used a spring. The mirror return has always been motorised.

 

I could imagine that the 40D mirror/shutter action would feel different from the 30D because of the motorised mirror lift.

 

Take it back and get it checked otherwise it will always irritate you.

 

Henry

[conraderb]

the 40D is significantly quieter than the 20D and 30D.

 

however, it shouldn't vibrate!

[alan_green4]

mine has no noticable vibration. it's very solid and quiet

[gary_anthes]

My first 40D did that -- it sounded a bit like film advancing! It had other issues as well and I returned it. My replacement 40D does not vibrate.

[brian_moody]

Gents, Thanks again for your input. Took the camera back and recieved a replacement;

night and day difference. That camera was DOA and is on it's way back to Canon. The folks

at Bear Images were awesome in getting it traded out.

 

Thanks again.

 

bm

[Brad_]

Nice to hear Bear Images got you going quickly. It's a great store...

[vincent_arrington]

I noticed a strange on my 40d. I sent it to Canon two weeks ago and I'm waiting for it's

return. The strange sound started after 3 weddings. I would guess that i got less than 4000

shots before the noise started. Once the noise started, I started receiving e-99 messages.

The shipping cost really upset me, especially since the camera was a month old and on the

third job.

[jason_alexander3]

The shutter vibration is felt through the shutter mainly, and many have been getting a free repair in Korea through authorized canon outlets. Even gray market units purchased from the Japanese market, have the same problem, but canon will not repair these for free. They are charging somehwere between $100-$150 to install some type of shock absorbing material inside the camera to minimize this. Of course hundreds are furious and once again calling for a boycott of canons poor manufacturing and service