Sony A7r Shutter Sound Video

Sony A7r Shutter Sound Video

leicaanda7

Many have been wondering about this so here you go. This is NOT my video but found it on youtube. You can see the A7r in continuous shooting mode and hear for yourself what the shutter sounds like. It’s not quiet! From here on out, any news I find on the A7 or A7r will be posted HERE. Coming in a few..a cool guest post 🙂

Video is below…

97 Comments

  1. just got the a7r. yes, it is loud. louder than the m9 for sure and on par with the nikon d800, although with more metal in the mix. still, it feels right, not outrageous. i also have the rx1r which i will use for silent environments. hope this helps.

  2. If shutter actuation provides a given level of vibration (probably more noticeable for macro or long lens users), does anyone know if there is less vibration if triggering the A7 from Live View? I’m not familiar with mirrorless mechanics and only asking from my experience with SLR mirror lock-up as the means to mitigrate vibration (and more recently triggering from Live View, which includes the mirror lock-up.) I’m hoping the bulk of the vibration is caused by mechanics AFTER the shutter is closed. It sounds like the mirror is the largest contributor to problematic vibration for SLRs, so at least we are done with that (see reference below):

    http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/mirror-lock.shtml

  3. Wtf…
    There is a sudden appearance of the Bonanza titletrack in my head
    The shutter sounds like a galloping horse

  4. Why nobody can show us, yet, what A7 with Electronic Front Curtain Shutter sounds like ? if it is like the sound of a 5D mkIII… problem is solves. Please someone show us !

    • Because the cameras are still pre-release, without final firmware. No one has any to review yet. Just a few who handled them for a 1st look.

  5. Someone refresh me on the reason for a mechanical shutter. When manual and automatic shutter speed control is perfectly achievable via electronics only. Video cameras operate this way, except for some of the very high end tools, and even then, why is it necessary? Is the mechanical focal plane or leaf shutter preferred for buffering and offloading images more quickly?

    • …Or does the mechanical shutter solution help in minimizing the lag time between press of shutter and actual exposure?

  6. These types of videos would only be useful if they included the shutter sounds of other cameras at the same distance from the microphone.

  7. The name “sony” derived from the latin word for sound “sonus” & “sonny” (cf. sonny boys). Finally this shutter seems coherent with the brand name…

  8. Well, the A7 sounds nice enough, and i don’t believe for a sec that the 7r will “ruin” street shooting. It’s so loud outside, it’ll easily get lost in the din. Sounds much better than my 5D. Man, that thinks sounds like a clunker.

    • No one will notice it when out shooting, not at all. The whole silent shutter thing is overblown. Unless you need silence for a church wedding or something similar then that is a different story, but for street, no issues at all. Like I said, a Leica M or M9 is not silent. Like you said, a Canon 5D or 6D is loud and I shot the 6D for street without issues. It’s all overblown. I would have liked a smoother sounding shutter but it is not a “make or break” scenario in the slightest.

      • The 6D and 5DIII have ‘silent mode’ options that seem a lot quieter than this. Hard to say without someone comparing them. You had the 6D, did you use it in on ‘silent mode’ ? I think the issue is more than the din on the street. It’s any interior space that’s pretty quiet where it’d be an issue

  9. More serious than just the sound is the sharpness of a potential image. On the NEX-5 with its shot gun shutter, what looked sharp via live view is not often recorded. The plus side is that there will be no moire issues because of the shutter shock induced shakes. It is photographer who gets startled with the loud shutter resulting in fuzzy images. Would you kindly compare a live subject with the M and the A7r with the Summilux mounted on each? Hand held shots.

    This is not the purported “Leica killer”, for sure. It is also quite unlikely to affect Nikon and Canon DSLR market, it looks like.

  10. Hi Steve, Not sure if you’re aware but the A7 has the option to turn on an electronic front curtain shutter. This will be significantly quieter than the focal plain shutter. Unfortunately, it seems this options has been omitted from the A7R. Perhaps you can ask Sony whether it will be possible to implement this option on the A7R by way of a firmware update. Cheers, Walt

      • Well if that’s the case, this feature along with the PDAF system may swing me away from the from the A7R to the A7.

          • Well, at least with the photos I’ve seen so far, it didn’t look like the A7 with the AA filter was less sharp than the A7r. It could be my computer monitor betraying me though.

        • Same here. I have already preordered the A7r, but I may make the switch…

          Although, magnesium front plate… still waiting to hear if the dials are different. Sony’s website shows them as magnesium on the A7r, not sure about the A7. I really want the quality feel of all metal.

        • Now to choose between A7-A7r is the same as to choose an operator for your mobile phone! Incomprehensible offers. To stay out perhaps the best way… in silence!

  11. Sounds like the bad sub pump that was in my basement as a kid, lol! Actually, it’s loud so the model knows when to change poses. Sony thought of everything.

  12. How disappointing for me this would be a show stopper.
    The M is once again looking good.
    But remember we haven’t seen many images from the Sony as yet .

  13. The shutter sound may be a bit loud for some but its just a shutter sound.
    Now. After complaining about the shutter sound being the whole criteria for buying one of these Sony’s.

    Has anyone found a manual. All I can find on Sony sites are buy now buttons.

    Or is sensor size and shutter sound the only reason to buy. Nobody interested in what the buttons can and cannot be made to do?

  14. oh, i think i dislike it 🙁 im going to go listen to my em5 shutter awhile! heheheh 😀 its not outrageous, it just doesnt have a pleasant shutter sound, to me.

  15. Maybe it should be renamed Thumper.

    Sony and their shutter/mirror flap sounds have always been weird and odd sounding. I use to laugh at the videos of Nikon and Canon engineers who spent so much time to make sure the shutter/mirror sound was “just right.” Then I was introduced to Sony’s DSLRs.

    From appearances, this looks to be a system that replaces their FX line of DSLRs. In comparison to DSLRs it isn’t that bad.

  16. If you think that’s loud you should hear the shutter on my Alpha 850? It sounds like the shutter on a medium format camera.

    • Yes, Marc, I agree that the A850 has a very loud shutter sound, but it never bothered me as the camera is a monster, and is seen by your subject long before you press that shutter. Still one of my favourite cameras and a Sony classic.

      • I have yet to find a reason to get rid of my A850. The quality is there. It’s a monster as you say but handles quite well like an older oversized Minolta.

  17. Actually that’s not as bad as I thought it’d be. That’s about on par with a lot of other DSLR’s. It does mean there will be some places you can’t shoot it but outside of those, this shouldn’t sound any worse or better than what’s currently out there.

    At least it sounds like a camera and not like a car breaking down like some lower/mid end DSLR tend to sound like.

  18. Man that’s like a chalk board!! The lens looks like a escape pod from a apolla mission!

  19. This is worse than the Panasonic GX1, and probably even louder than an off-the-mill DSLR. I just don’t get why camera makers don’t use the technology to their advantage and also implement a “Silent” mode.

  20. I just turned down the sound volume on my computer and now it is OK.

    Seriously, it is difficult to judge from the video how loud the camera is .
    How close was the microphone?

    Still, thanks very much Steve.

  21. Sounds like a type writer. I was waiting for it to go ‘ka ching!’ at the end.

    Doesn’t bother me. My old Nikon SLRs are much louder.
    If I want quiet I’ll use my M3. If I want silent I’ll use my Canon S95

  22. Recorded loudness depends on the distance with the microphone, the type of microphone, recording level, the volume level on computers,… We need a comparison with other cameras to have an idea.

  23. Loudness of a sound also depends on the distance to the source, the record volume, etc.
    So don’t worry, be happy with this new Sony.

  24. I find the sound disturbing …definitely not for street shooting…My Nikon 1 V1 will not have the same IQ but at least I can go about in stealth mode and get the shot…silent shutter and faster autofocus are 2 of my top priorities…the V1 wins on those 2 fronts…fix that on the a7 and I’m all in

  25. Yes, electronic or leaf shutter lenses.
    I just sold a X100S in anticipation of this release.
    I could take a c/u picture of a sleeping child and not disturb them at all.
    I am not sure, I’m not a camera tech, but there must’ve been ways to do this without a loud focal plane?
    I doubt there’s a retro-fix with firmware

    • I just bought my X100S and I love it. I was thinking about selling it for the A7r but I decided not to. Partly because of the loud shutter, partly because of no phase detection auto-focus, partly because of the design, partly because I feel like Sony might have rushed this one just a bit, just a wee too soon after the RX1. Remember, never buy version 1.0 of anything. Always wait for version 2.0. Besides, I want to see if Fuji willl have an answer to Sony’s FF compacts.

  26. I’m not wild about the shutter sound, but I understand that the larger the sensor the larger the mechanism you need to cover it up. Still, it would have been nice to have an electronic shutter as a secondary option like Nikon did on the V1.

    • I read a comment on SAR and dpreview that the difference in sound between the A7 and A7R is that there is no electronic first curtain shutter on the A7R. Anybody else hear that? Unsure if that would make a difference.

      • That would make a big difference. I noticed a big change from the nex 5 to the nex 5n. On a tripod the mechanical shutter really shakes a lot. It was almost unpossible to take pictures on a tripod with e.g. 1/3 seconds with the 5!

        Can t believe that sony did that with a camera that is for high resolution…

        • Thank you for observation. This seems to be a dealbreaker for me: I’m losing stablity compared to my NEX-5n with both A7r and A7: I’m mostly shooting with EVF angled to 90°, so this turns the center of weight is just below my head and it’s easy to hold. With A7 and A7r center of weight will be somewhere in front and thus it’s harder to hold.
          And if I will have a shutter shake. Well … not my cup of tea. Hope for more players in this niche. Sony spoiled everything as usual.

          • A very valid observation. Am great minus for the A7 as far as I am concerned. Compared to my 5n, I’ll miss the touch screen too.

  27. Why is it so loud since there isn’t a mirror? I had a RX1 and it was silent and sometimes I didn’t even know I took a picture. I have to double check the LCD (usually I never turn ON LCD previews with a Sony camera).

    • The RX1 has a leaf shutter, whereas this is a focal plane. Totally different beasts in terms of noise.

        • Because leaf shutter is built into the lens.

          Therefore the camera can’t be used with most adapted and non-adapted lenses if the focal plan shutter is not used. There will be no shutter at all (or electronic shutter)

  28. Without a direct comparison between the a7/a7r and several other cameras in the same video with the same distance to the microphone you can’t really tell how loud it is, only the way it sounds (clunk, click etc.).

    • Good find.. I agree, the A7 sounds quieter to me, but it would be only objective a side by side comparison in the same conditions… 😉
      Different x-sync speed between the two bodies, looks like different shutter maybe ??

  29. It’s not that bad… Put the microphone where a human subject might be in relation to the shutter and see how loud it is. If the lens is as close to the subject as the camera is in the video, then shutter noise will not be the most distracting thing.

    I wonder if it’s the lack of mass in the camera body that is making the shutter seem louder. A larger body might insulate the shutter a bit….

    Kevin

  30. Do you know how loud the a99 is? Probably quieter which doesn’t make sense. Also I don’t get why the a7 x-sync is only 1/160. Major turn off for me…

    If they had included leaf shutter lenses this would’ve been soooooo dynamite!

    • The a99 is a completely different sound; quieter, more of a mechanical tick rather than a loud thud.

      I agree that Sony’s choice of shutter mechanism is odd, but while loud, I don’t necessarily mind the A7 shutter sound.

    • I agree, on the Sony website the A7 x-sync is 1/250 and for A7r it’s 1/160.
      So there is maybe a different shutter between the two bodies ?…

  31. Man, that M looks so much sexier next to the A7r. I bet the A7r will challenge it big time when it comes to image quality and reliability, but man……….

    • Yes, the only two downsides to the A7/A7r appears to be the design and lack of a set of high-quality, native, fast primes. They definitely should have put more thought into the design, as it is pretty ugly, in my opinion. The sensor and lack of AA filter in the A7r is very appealing though…

  32. OMG really ?
    That’s gonna scare the people you photograph.
    I posted this question before but maybe I’m the only one, or I’m unnecessarily, concerned about that shutter noise.
    How are you going to be quiet, discreet, unobtrusive?
    One of the reasons the leica became the favoured tool of the world’s great photo journalists was the quiet ‘click’.
    This is as rattling as a large dslr

    • You’re not alone.
      As I said in a previous post, I’m really concerned by this noisy shutter (streetphoot, theater, etc.), and it’s the main worry I have with this A7r. Could really be a serious reason to be out. Is there a way to improve this issue, by firmware or other solutions? I don’t know a lot about shutter. Any informations welcome, thanks.

      • It has nothing to do with firmware. It’s a physical sound from the focal plane shutter. In a theater or other genuinely quiet place then this will be noticeable and an issue, but on the streets of an actual city I can’t imagine it being a problem. Everyone was crazy about the M8 shutter sound when that came out, how it’d ruin street photography, etc etc, and in practice the shutter sound was never the issue. From this video and the couple others I’ve heard, it’s really not that bad–sure it’s not a leaf shutter like on the X100 where you don’t really hear it at all, but it’s not that bad.

    • Wow. Disappointing. I photographed the rehearsal of a choral group recently with my Fuji XE-1. The group thanked me afterwards for using such a quiet camera. No one heard the shutter at all.

  33. Not the re-assuring “thunk” I was hoping for.
    Hope their A99 replacement is coming soon…Should be a lot more “pro” than these A7/A7r bodies.

    • So a loud “THUNK” of the shutter means PRO? That is so not true. A shutter sound has nothing to do with the capabilities or build of a camera. At all. A silent camera can be pro, an E-M1 is pro with a soft sounding shutter. Many use the X-Pro for pro and it has a medium shutter. A D800 has a weird “snick” instead of a “thunk”. 🙂

      • Very true Steve; clunks don’t make a camera professional. And you’re right about the shutter sound of the D800; there seems to be a soft high pitched wooshy sound there, added to the mirror/shutter/mirror sound sequence. Gets progressively less in use though.

        • buy guys, we all know how important a “pro-looking” camera is, thus DSLR-like is a must! A7/r just looks like a regular and compared to the a99 is jerkwater shit. now the a99 is a real camera for men. and it should sound like REALLY MANLY too, to get the attention of everyone around and make them think “what a photogod! what a god!”

      • Very noisy indeed for a mirrorless camera. No wonder the A7r has serious shutter vibration issues. Nice camera, but without the electronic first curtain, it’s virtually useless. Just like the E-M1 that also suffers from shutter vibrations. Maybe the successor will have an electronic first curtain or some other solution.

        • Sigh, that’s not true at all. Do you actually own the camera or have you ever tried it? The shutter sound is not loud at all. Really, try it. Give your camera to someone else or use the self timer and step away a few steps. All that remains are modest clicks. I like the somewhat relaxed sound of the shutter in the A7R. Helps me slow down and think. I have not seen any problems with shutter vibration so far. What I do see, are beautiful amazingly detailed files that deliver all the resolution and dynamic range I’ll ever need for large prints. I can print the files from the A7R at 70x50cm without breaking a sweat.

          Every time I have the A7R in my hands I can’t help but marvel at it’s low weight and diminutive size. It’s like using a micro four thirds camera, but instead of a small limited sensor, this camera houses a 36 megapixel full frame sensor (without an AA filter) that delivers tons of detail and an impressive dynamic range. Sony did it again. They put a huge amount of useful modern technology in an unbelievably small body.

          I can carry this camera with two native primes all day almost without noticing it. I couldn’t do that with the Nikon D800. Photographing with the Sony A7R is like using a small classic film SLR. I love that feeling. It really is different from other mirrorless cameras.

          Nothing is perfect and there’s always something that can be improved. For me the Sony A7(R) has no serious flaws and it gives me a lot of freedom. Every new (innovative) camera is burned down tot the ground by people that never actually use a camera artistically. All these people seem to do, is stare at charts, numbers, resolution targets and comparative tests.

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