Embrace the Noise! Who has the loudest shutter?

[wiltw]

All I have and have had are (were) loud comparing to Oly XA and Agat-18K.
My Canon 5Dc DSLR very loud shutter actually forced me to film street photography with little and next to silent 35mm XA..

Huh? among the quietest of the cameras measured by me...

Olympus OM-1: 69 dB (cloth horizontal travel shutter)
Canon 5D: 69dB (metal vertical travel shutter)
Canon 40D: 69dB (metal vertical travel shutter)
Olympus OM-4: 71dB (cloth horizontal travel shutter)
Bronica ETRSi: 71dB (MF leaf shutter)
Topcon D-1: 72dB (Copal Square metal vertical travel shutter)
Topcon Super D: 72dB (cloth horizontal travel shutter)

 

[darinwc]

Canon A series with the dreaded shutter squeal that affllicts so many.

 

[hamradio]

The WideLux has a distinctive wrrr, the my noisiest goes to my Hasselblad 503 CX, Pacemaker Speed Graphic and Graflex Model D. The Hasselblad has a distinctive THUNK while the focal plane 4"x5" shutters have distinctive ZZZZIPPPP Thunk of their own.

My 5x7 Graflex is definitely the noisiest thing I own. Even louder than my RZ67...

I saw the Vivitar 220/SL mentioned earlier in this thread. That body wins 'most unsavory' shutter sound. The mirror returning produces a horrible undampened 'TWAP' that makes the camera sound not-long-for-this-world, but it cheerfully keeps on shooting.

 

[BradS]

Of the several 35mm cameras I've had or have....
The most annoyingly unpleasant shutter sound came from a Yashica FX-3 Super 2000.
The loudest, most pleasing sound comes from the Vivitar 220/SL.

At present, I have two Spotmatics and have had a few others come and go over the years. I cannot say that any of them are particularly loud or even memorable.

The Bronica RF645 has, by far, the quietest shutter of any camera I've ever owned. It sounds rather like a mouse sneezing.

 

[hoffy]

I know its been mentioned before, but I have to again add my support to the Bronica S/S2/S2a as the loudest shutter. As a matter of fact, I think the old 22 rifle my father had was quieter then my S2a! I certainly think the Bronica has more recoil as well, as I swear the thing is going to rotate out of my hands when I press the button.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

Canon A series with the dreaded shutter squeal that affllicts so many.

The squeal is actually coming from the mirror mechanism. It's easily fixed.

 

[flavio81]

Huh? among the quietest of the cameras measured by me...

Olympus OM-1: 69 dB (cloth horizontal travel shutter)
Canon 5D: 69dB (metal vertical travel shutter)
Canon 40D: 69dB (metal vertical travel shutter)
Olympus OM-4: 71dB (cloth horizontal travel shutter)
Bronica ETRSi: 71dB (MF leaf shutter)
Topcon D-1: 72dB (Copal Square metal vertical travel shutter)
Topcon Super D: 72dB (cloth horizontal travel shutter)

No, i also own a Canon 5D and the problem is not the shutter sound per se but the whirr from the motor that re-cocks the shutter. It is annoying.
Or... my camera needs a re-lube. Which would be strange for such a recent camera.

The squeal is actually coming from the mirror mechanism. It's easily fixed.

+1

 

[hamradio]

No, i also own a Canon 5D and the problem is not the shutter sound per se but the whirr from the motor that re-cocks the shutter. It is annoying.
Or... my camera needs a re-lube. Which would be strange for such a recent camera.

I don't think that my 5D is obnoxiously loud. It's not as quiet as a Nikon FE or something of the like, but doesn't draw attention. Perhaps your body is indeed problematic? Mine does get noticeably louder if I'm using it in below-zero temperatures.

 

[qpoiz]

I once owned a Kowa Six MM that made a rather authoritative sound when releasing the shutter.

Right now my loudest camera is my AE-1P (no sneezing sound). My quietest are my Voigtlander Vito and Olympus XA.


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[David A. Goldfarb]

The Bronica S2A is indeed impressive in this regard, thanks to its triple shutter mechanism. To enable the mirror to drop instead of rise to the top, it has to slip into a metal sheath, to avoid reflecting light back onto the film, and another shutter curtain closes to black out the viewfinder before the focal plane shutter can expose the film, and then the mirror and viewfinder shutter return to their previous states. If you have the leaf shutter lens, that shutter fires while the focal plane shutter (set at 1 sec or B) is open, in case there weren't enough shutter mechanisms operating. The earlier models work the same way. The EC models use a split mirror instead of one that drops down, and the later models (SQ and such) use conventional shutters.

My 5x7" Press Graflex seems more gentle. There's a dull thud when the mirror hits the velvet padded frame under the groundglass, and then it's like a spring loaded window blind suddenly rolling up.

 

[McFortner]

My Kowa/SIX definitely is not a camera you can use and not be heard. It has a good, authoritative sound when the shutter is fired.

 

[Pioneer]

I think this is great!

I don't want to imply that I don't appreciate a quiet shutter, because I do. I mean it is probably not a good idea to photograph the Pastor in the midst of his Sunday Sermon with your loudest camera.

But there are times when I just don't care. I mean, I'm taking a picture. If you don't like it at least you know who did it. I am proud to be a photographer and I am not ashamed of what I'm doing.

Sometimes I have to chuckle at Leica owners who insist that their quiet shutters make them more discreet. Hmm. You are walking down the street with a camera using a 28mm lens. Suddenly you lift your camera to your eyes, lean in towards someone walking towards you and take their picture. That was certainly discreet all right. I am pretty sure that I could do the same with my Spottie and the person photographed probably would not have heard the shutter either.

Edit - Couldn't resist taking a poke at the Leica guys and gals. Not to worry though, I own a Leica too.

 

[cliveh]

The first time I fired a Bronica, I thought a bomb had exploded. If it makes that much sound, how much vibration does it make?

 

[Theo Sulphate]

Maybe the story is just anecdotal, but I remember reading that Leicas were the only cameras approved for use in a courtroom somewhere. Both my M3's and M6's aren't what I'd call super quiet. My Canon QL17 GIII's leaf shutter is much quieter (maybe true of all leaf shutters).

I almost bought a camera *because* of its shutter sound: my camera dealer friend showed me a Kiev 88 he'd gotten. I expected a crude device, but it was really nice! The eye-level finder was amazingly bright and sharp. It had a focal plane shutter, but it was gold tinted, not cloth or rubber. Anyway, the sound of it was so solid - absolutely wonderful. I don't know if 2000- or 200-series Hasselblads sound that way. It was much nicer than my 500-series Hasselblads.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

The first time I fired a Bronica, I thought a bomb had exploded. If it makes that much sound, how much vibration does it make?

Lots (speaking of the early Bronicas here), but most of it takes place after the exposure, as the focal plane shutter arrives at its destination, and the viewfinder shutter and mirror return to viewing position.

 

[Pioneer]

Maybe the story is just anecdotal, but I remember reading that Leicas were the only cameras approved for use in a courtroom somewhere. Both my M3's and M6's aren't what I'd call super quiet. My Canon QL17 GIII's leaf shutter is much quieter (maybe true of all leaf shutters).

I almost bought a camera *because* of its shutter sound: my camera dealer friend showed me a Kiev 88 he'd gotten. I expected a crude device, but it was really nice! The eye-level finder was amazingly bright and sharp. It had a focal plane shutter, but it was gold tinted, not cloth or rubber. Anyway, the sound of it was so solid - absolutely wonderful. I don't know if 2000- or 200-series Hasselblads sound that way. It was much nicer than my 500-series Hasselblads.

I have to agree. My M3 is actually very quiet, but when compared against the leaf shutter in my inexpensive Ansco Super Memar it sounds like a virtual thunderclap.

I also find your comments regarding the Kiev 88 to be very interesting. I tried one out many years ago and have always had a fascination with these cameras for the very same reasons. I have resisted buying one because of their internet reputation but one of these days I'm sure I will end with one anyway, just for the fun of it if for no other reason.

 

[darinwc]

Weird, I had a bronica many years ago and I thought it was pretty quiet. Kind of a long sound because of the many things going on, but not loud.

I briefly had a chinon memotron but sold it quickly. Mainly disliked it just because of the loud and cheap sounding shutter.

For quiet shutters, the vitessa is super quiet. And of course the Olympus XA. But that's just cheating.