# Camera shutter sounds during press conferences **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 9, 2015, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-shutter-sounds-during-press-conferences/724700 "2015-07-09T21:56:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-shutter-sounds-during-press-conferences/724700/1 "2015-07-09T21:56:13Z")
I find that shutter sound during press conferences distressingly distracting and annoying. That is what I’m hearing, right? Loud shutter sounds, from what can’t be anything other than a DSLR. Are there DSLR models that absolutely cannot be muted? Are there models that really have such a loud shutter that’s not a manufactured fake shutter sound coming out of a speaker? It’s usually just one or two cameras out of the dozens of news people present. They should be instructed to mute their cameras or ban them. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-shutter-sounds-during-press-conferences/724700/2 "2015-07-09T22:09:07Z")
There was a previous thread on this. Apparently the sound is the mirror moving within the DSLR camera. This is a physical mechanism and can’t be silenced. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-shutter-sounds-during-press-conferences/724700/3 "2015-07-09T22:39:34Z")
Oof, thanks. I’ll search for the other thread. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-shutter-sounds-during-press-conferences/724700/4 "2015-07-09T22:46:22Z")
[Here ya’ go.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=649540) ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-shutter-sounds-during-press-conferences/724700/5 "2015-07-10T00:02:23Z")
Some camera models have quieter shutters at the tradeoff of less fps. The Canon 5d3 is one model that has this that I’m familiar with and it is significantly quieter. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-shutter-sounds-during-press-conferences/724700/6 "2015-07-10T00:15:41Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > Some camera models have quieter shutters at the tradeoff of less fps. The Canon 5d3 is one model that has this that I’m familiar with and it is significantly quieter. …I shoot with the Mark III and it is significantly quieter with silent shutter mode on, but it still makes a tiny bit of noise. Just an aside: I love the 5d3…best camera I’ve ever owned. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-shutter-sounds-during-press-conferences/724700/7 "2015-07-10T00:52:34Z")
Live view also helps with noise, since the mirror is out of the way already. Just shutter noise then. If more pro level full frame mirrorless come out, I wonder how quick it might all change. Way back when it was F1s and F2As with those mirrors slapping and those large motor drives shrieking, it was even noisier. Add in the POP/whine of a 283 or a Strobonar, and wow… The thing I find more distracting, tho, is the visual pain of strobing flashes at red carpet events or other paparazzi filled places. . ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-shutter-sounds-during-press-conferences/724700/8 "2015-07-10T02:45:42Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Apparently the sound is the mirror moving within the DSLR camera. > > This is a physical mechanism and can’t be silenced. The shutter itself is a physical mechanism, and makes noise. In fact, some mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras are as loud as DSLRs, because they still have shutter mechanisms. (In fact, their shutters are louder, because the shutter is normally open, and needs to close-open-close-open for each shot.) ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-shutter-sounds-during-press-conferences/724700/9 "2015-07-10T03:25:36Z")
I thought I recognized that question! ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-shutter-sounds-during-press-conferences/724700/10 "2015-07-10T05:37:43Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > I find that shutter sound during press conferences distressingly distracting and annoying. That is what I’m hearing, right? Loud shutter sounds, from what can’t be anything other than a DSLR. Are there DSLR models that absolutely cannot be muted? Are there models that really have such a loud shutter that’s not a manufactured fake shutter sound coming out of a speaker? > > It’s usually just one or two cameras out of the dozens of news people present. They should be instructed to mute their cameras or ban them. Also during pressers, they can have really sensitive microphones in the area and they are making it just a bit louder. Declan ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-shutter-sounds-during-press-conferences/724700/11 "2015-07-10T08:41:54Z")
I’ve been searching around for video of live (obvi not live now, but ones I’ve maybe seen and know the sound was present) press announcements - such as the one that happened today that prompted my OP. No such luck. Which lends to the theory that it’s an ambient mic picking up a really nearby shutter only during the live coverage. Since the video that ends up being posted on news sites isn’t the live camera’s sound, but the mic that’s up at the podium, the shutter sound is relegated to just the live feed. Still. Loud and annoying every time. Wish they’d turn that mic off or muffle it. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-shutter-sounds-during-press-conferences/724700/12 "2015-07-10T11:14:08Z")
As said, it’s not the shutter you are most likely hearing, but the mirror slap. While mirrorless cameras can and usually are quieter there are exceptions as mentioned above. But for now, most press cameramen are going to be using DSLRs because they are reliable, bombproof, and fast. These are the tools of their trade and DSLRs are going to be with us for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-shutter-sounds-during-press-conferences/724700/13 "2015-07-10T13:30:49Z")
Somehow I doubt the press is going to stop using such cameras, because one person finds the noise irritating while watching a press conference online. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-shutter-sounds-during-press-conferences/724700/14 "2015-07-10T17:27:06Z")
Re-read post 11. An attempt to find an example online failed, because this seems to be an ambient mic issue during live broadcasts. I’d love if anyone found an example. None were posted in the other thread, either. And it’s not just me. It can be fairly loud, distracting, and makes it harder to hear the speaking person clearly. There was talk of decibels of the noise in the other thread. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-shutter-sounds-during-press-conferences/724700/15 "2015-07-10T18:12:02Z")
It’s not just the mirror, it’s also the shutter itslef. Even mirrorless have it. Sony’s A7s and soon-to-come A7rII have (the option to use) completely silent shutters. [Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrabQQRN6WQ) ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-shutter-sounds-during-press-conferences/724700/16 "2015-07-10T21:32:17Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Somehow I doubt the press is going to stop using such cameras, because one person finds the noise irritating while watching a press conference online. :rolleyes: It’s a lot more than just one person. But thank you for your extreme oversimplification. I’m sure we’ll play this game again.