? about SDLR noise - and it's not picture noise.....

[KaitlinsMom]

Hello - Just looking for any advice out there -

I am a recent new owner of xti (love it!) - My daughter's Christmas musical is tonight - I have gone from a P&S to DSLR - I have turned off the 'beep' the camera makes when focusing - but when I take the picture, the shutter noise seems pretty loud to me - Now it might just be because I am used to the silence of the P&S (I always turn off all the beeps and clicks and such) - I was expecting some noise, but it just seems loud to me -

Does the shutter noise change depending on which lens I have attached? (I am waiting to see if Santa brings me one before I buy my next one)

I guess I am worried about annoying the other parents around me when there is a quiet moment in the musical and all they can hear is my shutter clicking away!

Thanks in advance -

Karen

 

[Anewman]

Shutter noise is pretty constant, I have not noticed a lens affecting the loudness of it.

The 20D is much louder(IMO) than the rebel line, and I have used them in very quiet places(church, library) and only persons very close to me can actually hear the shutter.

During the Musical I dont think it will be an issue.

 

[PoohJen]

I feel your pain, OP! I just took pics at my son's concert, and I was very aware of the noise and sensitive to those around me. As a result, I took very few pictures!

Even at my son's baseball games, I am often aware of the noise - it can draw unwanted attention to the camera. I knew about it before I bought my Rebel XT, and didn't think I would care, but as it turns out, it can be a nuisance.

 

[ktulu]

Bah, take it off full auto, darn the torpedeos and turn on continous shooting and take all the pics you want!

 

[boBQuincy]

The SLRs are loud, some more than others. The 20D might be one of the loudest, the 30D allows slower operation and seems quieter in the 3fps mode.
The Rebel XT has a different noise, maybe no quieter but it seems less offensive.
The lens won't make much difference, it's the mirror that makes most of the noise.

Try standing a few feet from the camera while you press the shutter and you might decide it's not really that loud to those around you.

Also try to time your photos for the louder parts of the musical. If you can go to a rehearsal you can get a good sense of the timing of the performance beforehand.

 

[skr8pn]

The only thing about the lens I've noticed is my 75-300 ultra sonic is super quite focusing, really quick too. As far as the shutter be glad it's not a Nikon (not trying to start anything) but it's way different and sounds (to me) like a tinker toy winding up. The canon tends to be a quicker, sharper noise than the Nikon. The Nikon is more of a Ka-Chunk. So, just sit next to a Nikon user and blame them.

But I'll agree with Ktulu, take all the pictures you want and one day tell the grandkids about how everybody was looking at you when you took these pictures of their mother. They'll be glad you did.

 

[ukcatfan]

I say don't worry about it. It was not that many years ago that people did not have digitals and you would hear the film advancing or even worse, a manual advance with all that clicking. You might want to avoid sitting right by someone trying to video it, but that is the only precaution I would take. If it is anything like my kid's performances, there will be more noise than just cameras firing. There is always going to be a fussy baby or two and chatter from every parent pointing out their kid. Then you have the people that do not know how to mute their digital or the ones that just think it is amazing to have a dog bark as the shutter sound and won't turn it off You cannot recreate the event, so you may as well capture it with your camera.

Kevin

 

[ktulu]

Oh, what about sitting next to someone with a one-time use camera! *CLICK* *WIND* *WIND* *WIND* *CLICK*

 

[Groucho]

Excellent point on the disposable cameras! Quite a few years ago, I took a summer job at a tiny factory assembling Kodak Fling cameras... they really are extremely simple.

The charming and happy sound of a DSLR shutter can also be a curse if you're trying to remain unobtrusive. (Hey, what can I say, I love the shutter sound!) There's not much you can do about it. I suppose if you were really nervous about it, you might be able to squeeze a little Akasa Paxmate (or comparable) inside the lens mount, if you can find somewhere to stick it without it interfering with anything. It's designed for muffling sound and is often used inside PC cases by folks like me who build their own PCs but are sick of the fan noise. It's basically a thin foam with a sticky back - remove the adhesive and stick it.

I'm certainly not recommending this - if the adhesive lets go, you'd have a loose piece of foam in there that's very capable of damaging the mirror or CCD or who knows what. But there are probably options if one were really desperate.

 

[Geoff_M]

There are sound dampening options out there for SLRs. Here's a prime example: Link If you don't want to cough up $150 for a camera "muzzle" or "blimp" (as they are sometimes called), look around the house for something similar that might work. For example we have some insulated reusable "brown bag" lunch sacks that would work. Cut an opening for the lens and viewfinder and... there you go!

 

[KaitlinsMom]

Thanks everyone - You all have some pretty useful advice (especially ktulu! very funny) I forgot about the ones that don't know how to turn the beep off on their camera - or dog bark - or birds chirping -

I was able to go to rehearsal today and know the louder sections and where I want to take pictures - I took some pics today - and going by those - there is no way I am going to take my P&S! I can get much better shots with my new camera -

So I will bring it - and try my best not to bother the ones around me - but I am sure there will be crying babies, people talking, or cell phones ringing!

Now to go charge up that battery!!!!!

Thanks again!!!

 

[robertchance]

you r making memories when you take pics of family,, if i were you i would not even care what anyone thought or did not think when it comes to noise from your camera,,

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I can sympathize. My 10D is noisier than a Rebel. My 1D is much noisier than the 10D. When it is shooting 8fps, it makes an unbelievable racket. There is nothing subtle or quiet about it.

 

[KaitlinsMom]

Just wanted to let you all know that it went fine! I didn't get any glances/looks (that I know of anyways) - But I forgot about the video cameras! Parents were holding those up high (blocking views from the people behind them) - Then other cameras were beeping and flashing away as well. And yes, of course, the dreaded cell phone went off!

So I clicked away, not too many - chose my shots wisely - and just kept thinking that these are memories that I can not recreate, so take 'em!

Thanks again -

Karen