Bessa R3M more silent than R3A?

darkosaric · Jul 23, 2009

Hi,

I had Bessa R2A in my hand, tested a little, played ... everything is perfect, but shutter it is pretty loud. Are shutters for R2M and R3M more silent or same in comperising with R2A and R3A?

ps. I both minox 35 EL last Sunday - that is one silent shutter! Comparable with M leica.

thanks,

Larry H-L · Jul 23, 2009

They sound about the same.

I have noticed a slight sound difference depending on which lens you have on the camera, some lenses seem to soak up a bit more sound.

If you want quiet, look at a Konica Hexar (the one with the fixed 35mm f2 lens, NOT the RF). Almost silent, great lens. The only downside is the top shutter speed of 1/250. About $ 450 USD.

darkosaric · Jul 23, 2009

Larry H-L said:
If you want quiet, look at a Konica Hexar (the one with the fixed 35mm f2 lens, NOT the RF).

thanks.

Yes, I am looking for quiet one. I have no problem with nikon F3, but from expensive rangefinder - I am asking to be quiet. I know that M6 is the best solution, but again...

2F/2F · Jul 23, 2009

They are not really that much different than the R2A. IMO, it is the fact that it is relatively high in tone compared to a Leica that makes it more noticeable.

Any leaf shutter RF puts a Leica to shame as far as quietness; even a $5 Electro 35. I don't find Leicas to really be that quiet.

This being said, I think comparisons of relative shutter volumes of viewfinder cameras are pretty much irrelevant in ones stealthiness. I would say that the way you carry yourself is 95% of that stealth, while the other 5% is equipment.

darkosaric · Jul 23, 2009

2F/2F said:
This being said, I think comparisons of relative shutter volumes of viewfinder cameras are pretty much irrelevant in ones stealthiness. I would say that the way you carry yourself is 95% of that stealth. The sound of your shutter might make up the other 5%...maybe.

Well - now you made me think ... ...
You definitely have a point.

arealitystudios · Jul 23, 2009

2F/2F said:
Any leaf shutter RF puts a Leica to shame as far as quietness; even a $5 Electro 35. I don't find Leicas to really be that quiet.

This being said, I think comparisons of relative shutter volumes of viewfinder cameras are pretty much irrelevant in ones stealthiness. I would say that the way you carry yourself is 95% of that stealth, while the other 5% is equipment.

Totally agreed. In fact, I have a Yashica Electro 35 and it is so silent I actually thought the camera was broken the first time I used it. My Bessa R3A is for sure louder, but I pretty much consider it splitting hairs. The Bessa is silent enough for any situation I can think of.

RobertV · Jul 23, 2009

Take a Bessa III 667, the (leaf) shutter is even more quiet then my (Leica) M7.

Greetz,

Robert

kivis · Sep 18, 2009

I had a Bessa R3A and a R3M. The M seemed just a little quieter. The addition of a half case like Luigi helped. Now I have a Leica M7 and the difference is huge. I can point the M7 at someone and click the shutter and they do not hear it.

Andy K · Sep 18, 2009

The quietest camera I own is a Voigtlander Vito CLR. Fantastic camera made by the real Voigtlander company, leaf shutter, and you can meter without putting the camera to your eye, so it is very discreet too. I also have the Bessa R3M and the Vito is quieter.

elekm · Sep 18, 2009

First off, there is no such thing as camera being more or less silent than another camera, mostly because if it's silent -- it makes no noise. So it's not possible to make less noise if there is none or make more noise if there is none. It's like being more dead or less dead. Dead is dead.

But I understand the intent of the message.

It's correct that leaf shutters generally will emit less noise than a focal plane shutter. However, some cameras -- such as the Voigtlander Prominent -- aren't that subtle. Others, such as the Voigtlander Vito I, II and IIa are reasonably quiet.

The Retina IIIS has the quietest leaf shutter that I've encountered. The Yashica Electros are sort of quiet too, until you advance the film (clunk).

My Contax IIa (black dial) set at 1/25 is a very quiet camera. I've used it inside a church at that speed, and no one turned their head. The loudest camera that I have by a wide margin is the Rolleiflex SL66.

In the mid-1970s, Olympus (again) led the way, downsizing SLRs and making them quieter. The OM-1 is a reasonably quiet camera, as are some of its contemporaries: Pentax MX (only partly successful in damping the shutter sound), Canon AE-1 and the Minolta XD-11.

MattKing · Sep 19, 2009

The Canonet G-III 17 is very quiet.

Matt

mablo · Sep 22, 2009

Olympus 35 RD is also very silent. You feel more than hear it when the shutter goes off. It has very sharp f/1.7 lens and the shutter goes up to 1/500s. I use mine a lot.

Bessa R3M more silent than R3A?

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