Recommend me a quieter camera

carlostaiwan · May 24, 2017

ongakublue said:
Hi everyone

Was shooting on the streets today with my F801s. If any of you know it, you will know it has a loud electronic-sounding shutter that can be heard across the street. I thought maybe a more mechanical shutter sound would be less intrusive. So I am looking for a Nikon body that is relatively quiet and relatively cheap. Thanks! I would also consider a compact camera with a fixed 28mm lens. I now love 28mm.

In my opinion:
In a moderate budget: 28mm f2.8 Ai (almost as good as the Ais) and a FM2,FE2 or even F3, with the F3 you can lock up the mirror, f8 and prefocus, is almost as quiet as a Leica.
In a really low budget: A random 28mm (I had a Tokina RMC that was great) or the Nikon 28mm f3.5 and a FM or FE (the first one). You get a great setup for around 100-150$. I believe for street shooting you will shoot at f4-5.6 onwards, so, not a big deal using a cheap lens.

Nowadays I'm using the moderate budget setup, along with a 50mm f1.8 ai and a F100. The results are great. The F801 is also great, one of my favorite cameras, a little bit noisy though

CMoore · May 24, 2017

Mike Bates said:
I'm amused by people suggesting Leicas and such to someone who's requirements are "relatively quiet and relatively cheap."

Not to mention the very first part of that sentence....."A Nikon Body".

Other than events, family get together, happenstance, and the occasional jet crash on the highway....."street photography" is about all i do.
I typically use a Canon A-1 or Nikon F2 or FM. "Noise", for me has never been an issue. There is usually enough noise and movements on the streets that my camera is not a problem. If people are involved, they see a guy with a camera way before they hear anything, and after Shutter/Mirror moves and makes noise, the frame is done.
There certainly are SOME noise sensitive situations, but not many. Cameras do make some noise.
However, I have never owned or heard the type of camera that the OP is complaining about.
good luck with getting something a bit quieter. i think it would be hard to beat the FM.?

Mainecoonmaniac · May 24, 2017

Harry Stevens said:
I agree about the Retinas it's hard to tell if the shutter as fired, the rangefinder is the answer but which model.

You can get decent cheap quality Canon point and shoot and the shutter fires but if you keep your finger pressed on the shutter the camera silently takes the picture and does not make any other sound until you release it.

The Olympus XA range are quite as well, a right sneaky little bugger in fact.

They're very quiet. The lens is sharp too. I love mine.

GarageBoy · May 25, 2017

People who think motorized SLRs are loud haven't used a late model cameras. My f100 is quieter than the loud clack of many earlier non motorized Nikon.

cooltouch · May 25, 2017

GarageBoy said:
People who think motorized SLRs are loud haven't used a late model cameras. My f100 is quieter than the loud clack of many earlier non motorized Nikon.

Man, is this ever true. I went to a photo shoot, complete with a young model, a few years ago. Everyone there had DSLRs -- mostly Canon -- except for me. I brought my old Canon F-1, complete with Winder F. These other folks would be busy using their DSLRs, click-whir sounds barely heard. And then I'd fire off a shot with my F-1. Kaplunk-grind-grind-grind. Every time I fired off a shot, the model would look up at me with a puzzled look on her face. Probably the first time she ever heard a manual mechanical camera with winder in operation.

Agulliver · May 25, 2017

Having just acquired a Konica Off Road 28, I would second this It is very quiet and judging by the test roll I ran through it over the last 24 hours it's got an impressively sharp 28mm lens.

However, it has very little in the way of manual controls. Really just the flash mode (auto, on or off). You don't know what shutter speed or aperture the camera is using, nor have any influence on them.

carlostaiwan · May 26, 2017

GarageBoy said:
People who think motorized SLRs are loud haven't used a late model cameras. My f100 is quieter than the loud clack of many earlier non motorized Nikon.

My Nikon F100 is way quieter than the FM2 with the MD12 motor drive. The advantage of a manual crank winder is that gives you the advantage of shooting and walk away, you can crank it after a few steps. That's why I also recommended the F3, If you shoot from the hip, or with a wide angle, you can shoot, walk, release the mirror and then crank.

ron917 · May 29, 2017

My Nikon F is the quietest film SLR I've ever used. VERY quiet if the mirror is locked up but that requires advance planning, wasting a shot, or finding an F with the Questar mod. My F3 is louder, even with mirror up.

LarsAC · May 29, 2017

An F5 is among the loudest cameras I ever had.
Lars

Sirius Glass · May 29, 2017

LarsAC said:
An F5 is among the loudest cameras I ever had.
Lars

Obviously you have never photographed with a Hasselblad, a Speed Graphic nor a Graflex.

LarsAC · May 30, 2017

Yes, I do regularly use a Hasselblad, but from my memory my F5 was more like the 'blad than a Hexar AF or a Mamiya 7.

Lars

Huss · May 30, 2017

Pioneer said:
The f6 is the quietest Nikon I know of. It is a stealth monster.

My Leica M-A is also very quiet.

My Nikon F6 is very quiet, for an SLR. And my film Leicas are also very quiet.
But the quietest film Nikon I use, and have ever used, is the Nikonos V. The heavy metal body (that makes it near to indestructible) completely smothers the sound of the shutter.
The standard 35mm lens is fantastic too. AE metering as well as full manual metering. Scale focus only, but that's pretty easy with the 35mm lens.

So if you want the quietest film Nikon, it's the Nikonos.
And the OP did specifically say he wanted a Nikon....

Kino · May 30, 2017

Sirius Glass said:
Obviously you have never photographed with a Hasselblad, a Speed Graphic nor a Graflex.

LOL! Yeah, the air pressure from the falling mirror in a Graflex would knock hats off for yards around!

wiltw · May 30, 2017

I downloaded an app for my smartphone to measure the sound level of various cameras, for comparison...all lenses set to f/5.6, shutters set to 1/60, no mirror lockup used, distance of measurement is 10', three measurements per camera

Canon 7DII: 34dB
Olympus OM-4: 35dB
Topcon Super D: 37-41dB
Bronica ETRSi: 40-43dB
Topcon D-1 (Copal Sq shutter): 46-47dB

Jon Goodman · Jun 14, 2017

I realize this is an older thread, but if you can find an unmolested Zorki 4 built in 1956 (the first year of production), buy it. I owned one and it was the quietest and smoothest camera I've ever seen. It was as close to perfection I think the Russians ever got. Sadly the world agreed and in 1957 they quadrupled production, relaxed standards and the poor Zorki 4 was never the same again.
Jon

Arklatexian · Jun 14, 2017

Sirius Glass said:
First of all drop Hasselblad, Speed Graphics and Graflex cameras from the selection list.

Consider the Nikon N75 or Nikon F100. But is you want a truly quiet camera you should consider a range finder camera. I recommend that you learn about Leicas and give them serious consideration.

But Sirius my Hasselblad makes hardly any noise at all. Until I put my hearing aids back in. But, as you say, my M2/3 Leicas make hardly any noise even with the hearing aids in.....Regards!

Sirius Glass · Jun 15, 2017

oldtimermetoo said:
But Sirius my Hasselblad makes hardly any noise at all. Until I put my hearing aids back in. But, as you say, my M2/3 Leicas make hardly any noise even with the hearing aids in.....Regards!

It the sound bothers you, turn off the hearing aids

narsuitus · Jun 15, 2017

ongakublue said:
So I am looking for a Nikon body that is relatively quiet and relatively cheap.

I have used my waterproof watertight Nikonos with 35mm wide-angle lens when I needed to shoot in bad weather. However, if you insist on using a quiet Nikon, this is a viable option.

Nikonos III by Narsuitus, on Flickr

Recommend me a quieter camera

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