The Shutter Sounds of Our Most Popular Cameras
As a leading authority on optical testing and product reviews, it occurred to the Lensrentals staff recently that we owed it to The Internet to explore the final frontier of camera comparisons, a comprehensive examination of shutter sounds. Our thorough and scientific testing covered multiple models from nearly every major camera manufacturer. After weeks of debate and analysis, we believe we’ve finally reached a consensus on which camera shutters are the best and which camera shutters are the worst. But first, let’s take a look at some of our most popular cameras, and how each of their shutters sound.
The video above highlights some of the most popular cameras, and the sounds of each of their shutters. After hours of playbacks and diligently taking notes of each camera’s shutter sound, we’ve decided to put together a small list highlighting some of our favorite sounding shutters, and of course, some of our least favorite, which we’ve listed below.
Worst Sounding Camera Shutters
Leica SL 601
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/media/2019/07/Leica-SL.mp3
Sure, Leica is a German company, but, for this amount of money, the camera should speak French. We expected more rounded corners and less hard edges. The shutter needs to drop some vowels.
Sony Alpha a77 II
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/media/2019/07/Sony-A77.mp3
We think our problem with this one is mostly instinctive. Imagine that high-pitched burst coming out of an animal. What animal are you picturing? A snake, right? It’s snake-like. That scares us subconsciously.
Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/media/2019/07/Panasonic-lumix-DC-S1R.mp3
Sounds like a mousetrap.
Best Sounding Camera Shutters
Nikon D850
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/media/2019/07/Nikon-D850.mp3
This one is an absolute classic. The shutter on the D850 is the default “professional” camera sound in our collective mind. It evokes the feeling of being one of the hundreds of pool photographers shooting the Olympics, or a red carpet, or an elected official’s public apology. Just fantastic.
Olympus PEN E-PL7
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/media/2019/07/Olympus-PEN.mp3
Frankly, adorable. This camera sounds like a bird on its first day of school. Read it stories and nurture its interests while you can because one day it’ll drive off to college and the last 15 years will feel like the blink of an eye.
Pentax 645Z
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/media/2019/07/Pentax-645Z.mp3
No one within fifty feet of the Pentax 645Z will have any doubts as to who has territorial dominance in the area. Prove to your friends and neighbors that you’re recording more pixels than they are and, therefore, are the better photographer. I bet your iPhone can’t make this much noise!
Choosing a camera can be a very tough decision, and we hope this fact-based report will help you make the right choice for your project. If you have any questions, comments, or issues with our methodology, as always, let us know.
72 Comments
J.L. Williams ·
I know your exhaustive testing was limited to stuff you have for rent, but it’s too bad you couldn’t have gotten hold of a Bronica S2a, which sounds like a volcanic eruption compared to that wimpy Pentax…
J.L. Williams ·
I know your exhaustive testing was limited to stuff you have for rent, but it's too bad you couldn't have gotten hold of a Bronica S2a, which sounds like a volcanic eruption compared to that wimpy Pentax...
Andre Yew ·
The Leica and Panasonic sound like a manual typewriters, so you’d impress all the rangefinder-carrying hipsters in your vicinity.
Andre Yew ·
The Leica and Panasonic sound like a manual typewriters, so you'd impress all the rangefinder-carrying hipsters in your vicinity.
Boris but No Johnson ·
The M9 sounds way more epic than anything you’ve show eh.
Boris but No Johnson ·
The M9 sounds way more epic than anything you've show eh.
Earl Garber ·
My vote for worst goes to the Kodak Pixpro S-1. It sounds like chopping wood. It sounds like it has TWO mirrors in it. Also, it fails regularly (I’m on my fourth replacement.)
Earl Garber ·
My vote for worst goes to the Kodak Pixpro S-1. It sounds like chopping wood. It sounds like it has TWO mirrors in it. Also, it fails regularly (I'm on my fourth replacement.)
bwoodahl ·
The original Contax RTS (circa 1975) had quite the shutter sound. Back in the day, it sounded better than the Nikon F2 or the Canon AE-1.
Athanasius Kirchner ·
A “professional” camera without a whiny shutter (and these days, preferably also a noisy motorized film advance) is NOT a professional camera at all. So you can shove your review of the D850’s shutter sound and stuff it up where the sun don’t shine ?
Hans J ·
looks like someone is butt hurt.
Athanasius Kirchner ·
A "professional" camera without a whiny shutter (and these days, preferably also a noisy motorized film advance) is NOT a professional camera at all. So you can shove your review of the D850's shutter sound and stuff it up where the sun don't shine 🤣
Hans ·
looks like someone is butt hurt.
Eddy Summers ·
645Z “FIRE IN THE HOLE!”
Eddy Summers ·
645Z "FIRE IN THE HOLE!"
JordanCS13 ·
Invalid ranking, as the camera with the best shutter sound wasn’t reviewed. The Fujifilm X-Pro 2 has the most satisfying shutter sound of all the cameras I’ve reviewed.
jg collins ·
Not to mention the Speed Graphic.
JordanCS13 ·
Invalid ranking, as the camera with the best shutter sound wasn't reviewed. The Fujifilm X-Pro 2 has the most satisfying shutter sound of all the cameras I've reviewed.
Thomas ·
Please could you include also the Fujifilm X-H1 ??
Jim H ·
That Pentax sounds like a seal with a cold. Of those tested, Olympus’s E-M1 II & Panasonic’s GH-5 are the least offensive to my ears. The Leica just shouts maschinengewehr!
Jim H ·
That Pentax sounds like a seal with a cold. Of those tested, Olympus's E-M1 II & Panasonic's GH-5 are the least offensive to my ears. The Leica just shouts maschinengewehr!
Reed Loefgren ·
I suppose someone had to imply as long as all cameras weren’t tested then things are wide open. I am certainly swayed by an M3 at 1/50 sec. but an F3+MD4 is iconic enough to be used in at least one radio hit. I have five Fs and they all sound like a Checker Cab. Driving nails with them doesn’t appear to help either.
Reed Loefgren ·
I suppose someone had to imply as long as all cameras weren't tested then things are wide open. I am certainly swayed by an M3 at 1/50 sec. but an F3+MD4 is iconic enough to be used in at least one radio hit. I have five Fs and they all sound like a Checker Cab. Driving nails with them doesn't appear to help either.
bdbender4 ·
We need to be serious here. Very, very serious. Whatever brand I am a fan-person of, you either didn’t include something you should have, or included something you shouldn’t have. Tsk, tsk.
What kind of a microphone is that? Do you have the calibration curve? Were the recordings made in PCM or DSD? 24 bit high resolution? Are these the default recordings out of the recorder, or are they RAW recordings processed in Audio Pro?
Ryan Hill ·
bdbender4 gets it.
Alec Kinnear ·
If you are going to go to the trouble of doing this, it would be nice to be sure you’ve got automatic gain turned off. For those of us shooting in quieter spaces like concerts, shutter noise (lack of it) is a very important issue when choosing a camera.
Your A7 III shutter sounds much quieter than mine did. It’s night and day with the Z6 which replaced it.
Alec Kinnear ·
If you are going to go to the trouble of doing this, it would be nice to be sure you've got automatic gain turned off. For those of us shooting in quieter spaces like concerts, shutter noise (lack of it) is a very important issue when choosing a camera.
Your A7 III shutter sounds much quieter than mine did. It's night and day with the Z6 which replaced it.
bdbender4 ·
We need to be serious here. Very, very serious. Whatever brand I am a fan-person of, you either didn't include something you should have, or included something you shouldn't have. Tsk, tsk.
What kind of a microphone is that? Do you have the calibration curve? Were the recordings made in PCM or DSD? 24 bit high resolution? Are these the default recordings out of the recorder, or are they RAW recordings processed in Audio Pro?
Needles Balloon ·
“Choosing a camera can be a very tough decision, and we hope this fact-based report will help you make the right choice for your project.”
ida bigho ·
I actually shoot in silent mode with my digital camera in my right hand, with my Pentax K1000 in my left hand in my pocket and click it while shooting, just to make sure the picture turns out. Only problem is sometimes I forget to advance the film.
Needles Balloon ·
"Choosing a camera can be a very tough decision, and we hope this fact-based report will help you make the right choice for your project."
Franz Graphstill ·
You are missing the Canon 1 series – the 1D Mark IV always sounded authoritative to me. Not discreet, but definitely not one that anyone would miss.
Franz Graphstill ·
You are missing the Canon 1 series - the 1D Mark IV always sounded authoritative to me. Not discreet, but definitely not one that anyone would miss.
Dimy ·
1. Nikon 1 in silent Mode
2. Nikon Z
3. OM-D
ida bigho ·
OM-D mk2 most elegant shutter, nobody else can hear it, while just the right click (not to mention iq)
nuitamericaine ·
Fuji X-Pro 2/X-T2 are way ahead of any of these in terms of shutter sound.
Dominique Conan ·
Best sound is the one of Fujifilm x-h1.
Alec Kinnear ·
Yes, absolutely. The X-H1 is almost silent.
j.a. ·
The Hasselblads were left out!
Roger Cicala ·
Well, yeah, cause it takes a working copy to make the shutter sounds. 🙂
Sickheadache ·
They make cameras?
Ashley Pomeroy ·
I used to have a Nikon F3 with the motor drive. By gosh it was awesome. Bassy, meaty, whirry – it sounded like the beginning of Duran Duran’s “Girls on Film”. Eight AA batteries, off the top of my head.
Ashley Pomeroy ·
I used to have a Nikon F3 with the motor drive. By gosh it was awesome. Bassy, meaty, whirry - it sounded like the beginning of Duran Duran's "Girls on Film". It took eight AA batteries, off the top of my head. Whenever I photographed something I imagined I was documenting CIA-funded South American death squads, even if it was just flowers and cats.
Close second is my OM-2, which has a nice authoritative clunk. Least impressive were the Nikon F80-based digital SLRs (the D100, Fuji S2, Kodak 14n etc). They had a shutter that sounded like two bits of plastic sliding against each other in a hollow plastic box.
ipdouglas ·
Most wildlife photographers would prefer a silent or as quiet a shutter sound as possible. This is also true of event and street photography were either the event is a sensitive one (wedding/funeral) or in the street where the less attention you attract the better the images.
Ashley Pomeroy ·
I have an Olympus XA, and the shutter just makes a very soft click noise. With long exposures you have to be careful to wait for the second click, when the shutter closes, because you can’t feel it go off. The Yashica Electro was similar. The biggest problem is the sound of winding on the film.
Off the top of my head the Fuji X100 has a leaf shutter, and that’s digital. I think a couple of the early pro SLRs had electronic shutters (the D1?) but there was no way to disable the physical shutter except for mirror lockup.
Ashley Pomeroy ·
I have an Olympus XA, and the shutter just makes a very soft click noise. With long exposures you have to be careful to wait for the second click, when the shutter closes, because you can't feel it go off. The Yashica Electro was similar. The biggest problem is the sound of winding on the film.
Off the top of my head the Fuji X100 has a leaf shutter, and that's digital. I think a couple of the early pro SLRs had electronic shutters (the D1?) but there was no way to disable the physical shutter except for mirror lockup.
Claudia Muster ·
Could you please add a recording of Olympus’ electronic shutter? And then, no test is complete without a final one-number score.
Roger Cicala ·
Claudia is absolutely correct! A one number score must be done. Preferably using an arcane weighted formula.
Roger Cicala ·
Claudia is absolutely correct! A one number score, preferably using an arcane weighted average formula is a must!
Sickheadache ·
100% Flawed Test…Since No Photographer is going around shooting a camera without a Lens Attached..??? The Sound would be 100% Different if the Cameras All had Lenses Attached to buffer? The Sound.
So let’s do a Redo.
Sickheadache ·
100% Flawed Test...Since No Photographer is going around shooting a camera without a Lens Attached..🥴🤭🤔 The Sound would be 100% Different if the Cameras All had Lenses Attached to buffer? The Sound.
So let’s do a Redo.
T N Args ·
In your video the E-M1 II is the Swiss watch sound next to a shelf full of $5 tick-tock clocks.
T N Args ·
In your video the E-M1 II is the Swiss watch sound next to a shelf full of $5 tick-tock clocks. And, as Eddy Summers commented, one hand grenade.
EricDH ·
That was a really fun test. Did you also measure the dB levels?
Alec Kinnear ·
You can measure the DB levels yourself by playing back the videos and measuring the sound at the same distance. DB levels are not a constant but change radically depending on distance. Effectively loudness is only relative.
Of course, it depends if LensRentals used constant recording levels or AGC (automatic gain control). There’s some reason to believe LensRentals made this mistake.
Alec Kinnear ·
You can measure the DB levels yourself by playing back the videos and measuring the sound at the same distance. DB levels are not a constant but change radically depending on distance. Effectively loudness is only relative.
Of course, it depends if LensRentals used constant recording levels or AGC (automatic gain control). There's some reason to believe LensRentals made this mistake.
walterunderwood ·
Does the iPhone count as mirrorless? That shutter sound is a slowed-down AE-1. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/0...
Duke ·
One of the few tests that Sony mirrorless doesn’t excel at! I assume they were somewhere in the middle of the pack. I think my a7R III sounds decent. I like a nice, crisp shutter sound. Room for improvement, I suppose.
Duke ·
One of the few tests that Sony mirrorless doesn't excel at! I assume they were somewhere in the middle of the pack. I think my a7R III sounds decent. I like a nice, crisp shutter sound. Room for improvement, I suppose.
f2point8 ·
Which camera sounds most like a typewriter?
Ertan Ozturk ·
I think EM1 II’s sound is great
seowgila ·
I like my rx1 shutter sound.
Mike Earussi ·
Bring back the leaf shutter.
spider-mario ·
The Canon G1 X Mark III has one.
Goodytwoshoes ·
YES !!!! Bring it back !!!! … As in a “complete set of lenses” ( but not as loud as Hasselblad )
so far nothing beats the x100 Series but I wished there were other lenses for the XPro3 or Sony A series cameras
Calaverasgrande ·
This is one of the reasons I went mirrorless. And can’t believe more press photogs havent as well. I can turn off all user sounds on my Fuji. And use the quietest of the various shutter settings (I forget which one that is at the moment).
So when I am doing a discrete street photography shot, or an event shot. There is no disturbing click, or chattering. Just a very, very muted tick sound.
That said, my favorite was my old film Canon decades ago. After that would be the Canon 6D. Which had not just a great clack, but you could kind of feel that the entire mechanism was centered in the body.
Calaverasgrande ·
This is one of the reasons I went mirrorless. And can't believe more press photogs havent as well. I can turn off all user sounds on my Fuji. And use the quietest of the various shutter settings (I forget which one that is at the moment).
So when I am doing a discrete street photography shot, or an event shot. There is no disturbing click, or chattering. Just a very, very muted tick sound.
That said, my favorite was my old film Canon decades ago. After that would be the Canon 6D. Which had not just a great clack, but you could kind of feel that the entire mechanism was centered in the body.
Analog Nomad ·
The Hasselblad 500 C/M is the all time king…nothing else comes close.
Analog Identity ·
The Hasselblad 500 C/M is the all time king...nothing else comes close.
Nick ·
That looks like an RE320 mic. I’m not sure why the mic is pointed at the floor and not at the camera. Normally you should point the mic at the sound you’re recording.
Nick ·
That looks like an RE320 mic. I'm not sure why the mic is pointed at the floor and not at the camera. Normally you should point the mic at the sound you're recording.
jg collins ·
My broker got bit by a dog while taking photos of a prospective listing. Yeah, the pooch thought it was a snake and lunged.