Could you enlighten me about the silent shooting?

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Darionett
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Could you enlighten me about the silent shooting?

Post by Darionett »

Hello, I have some doubts about the silent shot, I will have to use my future camera paired with microscope lenses, where we know that due to magnification, micro-motion is a significant adversary.

Could you recommend any APS-C or FF cameras capable of taking photos without the use of an mechanical shutter? Thank you.
Last edited by Darionett on Wed Feb 01, 2023 10:19 am, edited 1 time in total.

Pau
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Re: Could you enlighten me about the silent shooting?

Post by Pau »

Darionett wrote:
Wed Feb 01, 2023 5:59 am
Could you recommend any APS-C or FF cameras capable of taking photos without the use of an electronic shutter? Thank you.
Maybe you meant without the use of a mechanical shutter?

Only full electronic shutter mode* is totally free of vibrations although many cameras with Electronic First Shutter Curtain EFSC can do very well for micro work.

* present in few DSLR models but available in many mirrorless ones.
Pau

Darionett
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Location: Sardegna, Italy

Re: Could you enlighten me about the silent shooting?

Post by Darionett »

Pau wrote:
Wed Feb 01, 2023 9:11 am
Darionett wrote:
Wed Feb 01, 2023 5:59 am
Could you recommend any APS-C or FF cameras capable of taking photos without the use of an electronic shutter? Thank you.
Maybe you meant without the use of a mechanical shutter?

Only full electronic shutter mode* is totally free of vibrations although many cameras with Electronic First Shutter Curtain EFSC can do very well for micro work.

* present in few DSLR models but available in many mirrorless ones.
Yes, I made a mistake in writing, I meant: without using the mechanical shutter*. I corrected my first post.

Do you know of any camera models that are capable of using a fully electronic shutter? Thanks

wwheeler48
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Re: Could you enlighten me about the silent shooting?

Post by wwheeler48 »

I have a Sony a7iv with full electronic shudder. Unfortunately you can’t use flash in that mode. I don't know if that is a Sony issue or for electronic shutters in general.

bbobby
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Location: Indianapolis, IN

Re: Could you enlighten me about the silent shooting?

Post by bbobby »

Darionett wrote:
Wed Feb 01, 2023 5:59 am
Hello, I have some doubts about the silent shot, I will have to use my future camera paired with microscope lenses, where we know that due to magnification, micro-motion is a significant adversary.

Could you recommend any APS-C or FF cameras capable of taking photos without the use of an mechanical shutter? Thank you.
Most, if not all, mirrorless cameras can shoot "without the use of an mechanical shutter". Even older and cheaper ones... Just look at the specification of the camera for "electronics shutter" and/or "silent shooting". Nikon Z9 did not even have mechanical shutter anymore... Probably other cameras will follow this trend and in few years mechanical shutter will be something from the past... like the incandescent bulb. Recommendation based only on this feature is somewhat pointless - too many brands and models which are capable of that.

Darionett
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Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2022 4:45 am
Location: Sardegna, Italy

Re: Could you enlighten me about the silent shooting?

Post by Darionett »

wwheeler48 wrote:
Wed Feb 01, 2023 10:28 am
I have a Sony a7iv with full electronic shudder. Unfortunately you can’t use flash in that mode. I don't know if that is a Sony issue or for electronic shutters in general.
Thank you, this information is very interesting.
And thanks to bbobby too

Doppler9000
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Re: Could you enlighten me about the silent shooting?

Post by Doppler9000 »

wwheeler48 wrote:
Wed Feb 01, 2023 10:28 am
I have a Sony a7iv with full electronic shudder.
Electronic shutter don’t shudder.

Marcepstein
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Re: Could you enlighten me about the silent shooting?

Post by Marcepstein »

There is a silent mode in some cameras but it is not the EFCS. The silent mode in my Canon 1D uses a setting that locks up the mirror for continuous shooting. I believe the 5D also has this feature. So for example, I can use live view to compose the subject then switch to silent mode for continuous shots, the mirror is up until released by the photographer. I use a 2 to 6 second timer between frames to reduce vibrations. It’s 1st curtain by default. Flash is usable during this setting.

Beatsy
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Re: Could you enlighten me about the silent shooting?

Post by Beatsy »

I use Sony mirrorless cameras for everything these days - micro, macro and, umm, "normal" photography. For static scenes (no motion) silent/electronic shutter works in all circumstances.

However, there is a dynamic range penalty with older models in that the bit depth drops from 14-bit to 12-bit in electronic shutter mode. This happens with my A7rii. Later models maintain 14-bit depth due to faster readout speeds from the sensor (A7riv, A9 and A1 in my direct experience). As noted above, you generally can't fire a flash in electronic shutter mode, but the A1 supports that, at 1/400th sync speed. A beast of a camera, but with a price tag to match.

Anyway, I didn't think dropping to 12-bit would make much difference, especially as I'd "managed" with 10-bit using Canon DSLRs before I switched fully to the Sony mirrorless system, starting with A7rii. After getting newer models over time, I eventually dedicated my aging A7rii to studio macro and left it permanently attached to a macro rig. I always used electronic shutter to save wear on the mechanical one.

Then one day I used my A7riv instead (for the slightly smaller pixels) and put that in electronic shutter mode too. I got quite a surprise from the 14-bit images it produced. The (mere) two extra stops of dynamic range made a noticeable difference. Many images looked more "punchy" straight out of camera and less "muddy looking" than the 12-bit ones from the A7rii and all responded far better to extreme contrast stretching - for obvious reasons.

That's it really - just a little detail to look out for.

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