The shutter sound your camera makes can draw attention to you as the photographer in an awkward way sometimes.
This article has you covered - it will tell you 1) if it is possible to turn off the clicking sound on your camera, 2) if yes, how, and 3) if no, how to mitigate by dampening the sound.
We will also look into why cameras make such clicking sounds, and how the technology is changing the build of cameras thus gradually lessening the noise.
DSLRs make a clicking noise because they operate using a mechanical shutter; the mirror claps twice and back to its original position after every shot. It is not possible to get rid of it entirely, but manufacturers like Canon have come up with ‘soft-shooting’ modes. These modes make it possible to dampen or delay the clicking sound. Mirrorless cameras make a softer noise because of they don’t have mirrors and only run on electronic shutters.
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Why do Cameras Make Shutter Sounds? Can you Turn it Off?
The bottom line is, both DSLR and mirrorless cameras make shutter sounds, but for different reasons.
When we say ‘shutter sounds’, we are actually referring to two sounds at the same time - the shutter sound, and the mirror sound.
The shutter is the layers of curtains immediately in front of the camera sensor, while the mirror is another layer in front of the curtains.
Finding out what is causing this clicking noise on your camera helps you figure out the correct way to silence or dampen it.
DSLRs
DSLRs operate on a mechanical shutter. That is, it is built with a mirror that flaps upwards when you press the shutter, and claps back down after the shutter duration. It is not really the shutter that is responsible for the most of the sound, but the mirror.
In other words, this mirror flapping action is essential for the camera to capture an image. Light can only reach the sensor by lifting the mirror.
How the mirror in DSLRs move throughout the shooting process, thus creating the click sounds.
(my humble attempt at being an illustrator~)
It follows that it is impossible to eliminate the click sound on DSLRs completely; the sound can only be dampened.
See the last section for an outline of how you may mitigate the clicking sound associated with the shutter.
Mirrorless Cameras
Mirrorless cameras make a clicking sound because firstly, shutter curtains make a noise; and secondly, some mirrorless cameras do have a mechanical shutter too and in this case, the mirror action accounts for most of the noise in this case.
Even without a mirror, the shutter curtain still creates a shutter sound when the shutter button is released, albeit much softer as compared to the mirror clicking sound. This shutter sound cannot be avoided, but it is less usually an issue given its soft volume.
Some mirrorless cameras though, are also built with a mirror to enable the option to shoot using the mechanical shutter. This is desirable mostly in situations where flash lights are required, which is warrants a separate article to explain.
For now, it is sufficient to understand that under certain circumstances, photographers would opt for the mechanical shutter despite using a mirrorless system. In this case, the camera will produce the same clicking sound due to the same reasons mentioned above regarding DSLRs.
Some cameras play a clicking sound for the sake of mimicking the user experience of shooting on a DSLR, and to give photographers a better way to know that the picture has been taken. If your camera does not contain a mirror, which you can find out if you take the lens off, the loud shutter you hear is artificially created and can be turned off in the settings menu on your camera.
What is the Silent Shooting Mode on DSLRs?
To call these modes ‘silent shooting’ can be misleading, depending on how you take it.
As we have discussed above, even removing the mirror will not guarantee complete silence when shooting because other parts in the camera, like the shutter curtains, will still generate a slight clicking sound.
These modes, as Canon later renames it in its cameras, can effectively lessen the sound to circumvent the issue so that the sound doesn’t hit at such an awkward way.
For one, which is a method developed way before the era of mirrorless cameras, the camera is built to slow down the speed of the mirror clapping back, and dampening vibrations caused by the hit. (Source: Canon Europe FAQ)
This function is available in an array of Canon cameras, most notably the mirrorless Canon EOS R. Other professional grade cameras that come with the silent shooting function include the Canon 5D Mark II, Canon EOS 1D X Mark II, and enthusiast level cameras include Canon EOS 70D, Canon EOS M50, among others. For their latest prices on Amazon, check out the above links.
Another relatively more recent development involves delaying the clicking sound - the mirror will stay in its lifted position after the shot as long as you are still pressing the shutter button. You can opt to release it once the situation deems appropriate for the click sound to be let go, thus delaying the onset of the click.
These are work around methods to the embarrassment of having the shutter sound go off when it shouldn’t have. Again, the bottom line is that on a DSLR, it is impossible to turn off the clicking sound because it is necessary for an image to be taken.
Summary
In this article, we talked about:
What creates the clicking sounds when the shutter is released, in DSLRs and mirrorless systems respectively;
Whether or not these sounds can be turned off on DSLRs and mirrorless systems; and
How to turn them off, or minimise the noise generated.
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