Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[John Roberts {JR}]

Are camera shutters as loud as they sound during photo opportunities, or is that just another audio cliche like microphone squeal as iconic of live sound?

I can imagine a bunch of extra gain from a heavily compressed room ambience mic in a previously quiet room, but it sounded hyped to me.

JR

[Riley Casey]

Every time I ask a photog if their shutters really need to be that loud they get VERY defensive. Every Fukkin Time.  Amateur or pro, it doesn't matter.  Instant push back.  Pretty sure now its a conspiracy.

[Stephen Kirby]

Old fashioned focal plane shutters can be pretty noisy.  Two windowshades snapping across.  Older ones weren't that well damped.  Was this from a movie or something where a mic with AGC was left open at a press conference?

[Jonathan Johnson]

Are camera shutters as loud as they sound during photo opportunities, or is that just another audio cliche like microphone squeal as iconic of live sound?

I don't watch movies or TV, so I don't know.

But I do know this: I have turned OFF the fake shutter sound on every digital camera and phone I have ever owned. Of course, that means that if I hand my phone to someone to take a picture of me, they think it's not taking a picture because they don't hear the shutter sound.

I don't need a fake sound effect for every waking moment of my life. (I can provide my own REAL sound effects. Especially if I eat garlic.)

[Bob Faulkner]

Are camera shutters as loud as they sound during photo opportunities, or is that just another audio cliche like microphone squeal as iconic of live sound?

I can imagine a bunch of extra gain from a heavily compressed room ambience mic in a previously quiet room, but it sounded hyped to me.

JR

I shot pictures for years.  Of the cameras I used (and was around), the shutters made noise, but nowhere near how they are portrayed in the media (how ironic). 

The shutter "noise" in movies/commercials/etc... have too much lower frequencies present.  The sound clips we now here of shutter noise are probably digital recreations, or could be an eq'd version of a real shutter.

Medium format SLR cameras can have loud shutters, but their sound is a bit different than the "standard" 35mm SLRs.

[Erik Jerde]

Depends on the situation.  In a quiet room it can be real loud.  What you hear in press conferences is people shooting at continuous high frame rate so that they can sort through 40 images (or more) to find that one that looks great or maybe doesn't (especially in political stuff).

I know that there have been companies that make cases (neoprene I think) for cameras to quiet them down.  Targeted at wildlife photographers and wedding photographers.

On my camera (Nikon D800) there is a shutter setting called Q.  It works by opening the shutter when you press the release and then closing it when you release the shutter release button.  It's hard to get used to, but once you do you can shoot much quieter since you can time the snap-back.  Since it's a digital sensor it doesn't overexpose the way the same thing would on a film camera.  The downside is you have to learn to use it and you can't shoot fast with it.  It's like single exposure mode and on some gigs that just doesn't work.  For instance if I'm shooting a large group of people I'll usually shoot a few images in quick succession.  Hopefully then I get one where everyone is looking at the camera and has their eyes open.  If not then usually they haven't moved enough that you can stitch a good composite together in post.

I believe the Canon product line also has an equivalent to Q mode.  Dunno for sure though, I scoff in their general direction.

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

Yeah, and I gnash my teeth every time they put squealing tire sounds behind film of a car peeling out ON A DIRT ROAD!!!

[Mark Cadwallader]

Sound effects in films - humbug! Who here ever listened to "Fibber McGee and Molly"? Now THOSE were sound effects that make you take notice. (Maybe you kids can Google that.)

[Chris Hindle]

On my camera (Nikon D800) there is a shutter setting called Q.  It works by opening the shutter when you press the release and then closing it when you release the shutter release button.  It's hard to get used to, but once you do you can shoot much quieter since you can time the snap-back.
 
I believe the Canon product line also has an equivalent to Q mode.  Dunno for sure though, I scoff in their general direction.

On my 1D's, it's called "Quiet Operation", and it SEEMS to slow the resetting of the shutter, and drops the max FPS from 8.3 to 3.something. It does make a difference in 1-shot mode. No, I have never used it outside of experimenting.

Hey, Nikon or Canon. Who cares. 2 great tools, if you can figure them out.
Photography is about capturing light, not how big your dick is.
Chris.

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

Sound effects in films - humbug! Who here ever listened to "Fibber McGee and Molly"? Now THOSE were sound effects that make you take notice. (Maybe you kids can Google that.)

Ooh! Ooh!  Me!  I did!

Gotta love Fibbers Closet.

[ProSoundWeb Community]