How to quieten the shutter, any tips

[Rainbow One]

Has anyone got any suggestions to quieten the shutter on my D500, I’m noticing that the birds are reacting to it.

i have used the quiet 3 frames/ sec mode, but didn’t make much difference.

 

[jcgamble]

Buy a Z6 II like I did. I was in the same situation. The Z6 II mechanical shutter alone is very quiet. Silent shutter is just that. First time I played around with it, I shot 19 frames without even knowing it. Last summer I was scarring warblers with my D500. I now have two bodies with different strengths and weaknesses. I am very happy with using both of these bodies.

 

[Rainbow One]

Great idea, one problem, I haven’t got the money. Looking for a cheaper option.

 

[jcgamble]

Great idea, one problem, I haven’t got the money. Looking for a cheaper option.

Did you try live view? Tough hand held, but OK on a tripod. Focus can be a challenge too.

 

[bleirer]

I thought this was a joke at first

https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/apparel/sound-blimp.html

 

[SandyW]

I have no idea how well this works, but it looked interesting. A google search brings up a number of ideas.

https://www.dpreview.com/articles/9006521989/diy-sound-blimp-makes-d800-waterproof-for-80-dollars

 

[DRwyoming]

I thought this was a joke at first

https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/apparel/sound-blimp.html

Nope, sound blimps have been around for the better part of a century. They've been heavily used on motion picture sound sets to grab stills during film shoots.

I had a third party sound blimp many years ago. I used it for a while and it does take the shutter release sounds way down but it sure makes the camera a pain to use especially if you have to change settings on the fly.

Some animals, especially birds at close range can get a bit jumpy with shutter sounds but personally I haven't found silent shooting whether with sound blimps or using Live View silent shooting or my mirrorless camera silent shooting to be all that useful. Yeah, it may help for some skittish subjects but IME, some subjects are super jumpy, many are not even for some of the same species. I haven't found super quiet shutters to be a game changer and not something I'm too worried about.

 

[Pistnbroke]

A silicone skin and single-shot is the best you will do

 

[Rainbow One]

Thanks everyone, I’m going to try various items of clothing, I see Paul Miguel was using a fleece, will try a towel, and a soft bean bag. Will report back if I have any success

 

[Harry.G]

Thanks everyone, I’m going to try various items of clothing, I see Paul Miguel was using a fleece, will try a towel, and a soft bean bag. Will report back if I have any success

I sometimes use a long woollen scarf and wrap it around the Lens a few times were it meets the body of the camera and it appears to deaden/ muffle the sound a fair bit ..

experiment with a few different items and see what works best .. OR treat yourself to a new Z6ii

 

[Niels.hr.Hansen]

Are you sure it's the shutter, I bet the mirror is the source of the CLACK!! Try shooting with live view, for my D7200 it is quieter.

 

[Calson]

A viable pro sound blimp will cost a lot more than a Z6 II camera. The neopren blimps are worthless. And you would need different ports for each lens and no way to get one for a 500mm or 600mm lens.

A used Z6 (currently selling for around $1200) is the more economical solution though I myself would put the money into a used D850. With the D500 there are two Quite shutter modes that are worth trying as well.

 

[Rainbow One]

Thank you some good points.

 

[Woodpecker]

Great question !

I would love to be able to shoot my D4S more quietly as well, but IMHO anything that goes in direction of wrapping or housing the body isn't practical in the field.
That said, I regularly made the observation that the animals tend to be more affected by single shots or slow series while if shooting with full speed 11 fps. Of course this strongly depends on the kind of animal, but it seems to have something to do with way they interpret the noise. A single shot might sound more like a cracking branch, while a 11 fps burst goes more in direction woodpecker . Of course the silence of a ML body would be best ...

One thing I seriously thought about was adapting the noise cancelling technology used for headphones. Just a little unit sitting on the hot shoe of the camera body with a mic listening to the shutter and then playing the recorded sound 180° phase inverted towards the critter. No idea whether something like that could work, but I like the idea ...

 

[geoawelch]

Buy a Z6 II like I did. I was in the same situation. The Z6 II mechanical shutter alone is very quiet. Silent shutter is just that. First time I played around with it, I shot 19 frames without even knowing it. Last summer I was scarring warblers with my D500. I now have two bodies with different strengths and weaknesses. I am very happy with using both of these bodies.

Not to hijack the thread, but how have you found the Z6II for warblers? The Z6 was not up to the task?

Cheers

George

 

[jcgamble]

You can check out my instagram site @johncgamble, I list the camera and lens for every shot, in the hashtags. I have missed a few shots early because of the startup delay, but I've learned to half press the shutter button as I bring the camera up. That solves the problem. I use the mechanical shutter exclusively right now and it does not bother the birds at 25-30 ft. I have the U1 set up for silent shooting and have not used it yet.

 

[Drbobcameraguy]

Great question !

I would love to be able to shoot my D4S more quietly as well, but IMHO anything that goes in direction of wrapping or housing the body isn't practical in the field.
That said, I regularly made the observation that the animals tend to be more affected by single shots or slow series while if shooting with full speed 11 fps. Of course this strongly depends on the kind of animal, but it seems to have something to do with way they interpret the noise. A single shot might sound more like a cracking branch, while a 11 fps burst goes more in direction woodpecker . Of course the silence of a ML body would be best ...

One thing I seriously thought about was adapting the noise cancelling technology used for headphones. Just a little unit sitting on the hot shoe of the camera body with a mic listening to the shutter and then playing the recorded sound 180° phase inverted towards the critter. No idea whether something like that could work, but I like the idea ...

I have thought the same thing. I would build one if I wasnt workubg so much. I will definitely research the nouse cancelation tech a little further. I'm thinking it won't work because of the inability to match all the signal released. I'm not saying what Im thinking very well but in a set of headphones it works because of the captive environment. I like your style of thought. Similar to mine. Lol

 

[Rainbow One]

I’ve completed my review of various item, such as a bean bag, fleece, towel etc, and the best I have found was suggested by Harry G, a scarf, it works well is easy to carry or wear, and can be wrapped around several times.