[reh321]

I agree that a lot of what gets praised or panned in photo equipment is largely cosmetic.

There's nothing to say you can't take perfectly good pictures with a camera with a dim, pokey viewfinder, a clunky sounding shutter, or a buzzy focus drive. But we all seem to prefer a brighter, bigger viewfinder, and silent, or purring mechanisms. It just makes us feel we have a more precise, responsive piece of equipment in our hands - even if it isn't.

This is what the car manufacturers call "NVH". Noise, Vibration and Harshness. Teams of engineers try hard to ferret out NVH sources because that makes car buyers more happy - even if it doesn't get you home any quicker, safer, or more economically.

Camera noise is more than cosmetic. Most of what I take is unposed. The last thing I want is any noise that might call attention to me.

I used Pentax 1979-1995, and then went to Canon when I went to AF; I came back to Pentax in 2015 because of the bodies. I still think the Canon USM lenses were/are the best solution.

[BrianR]

BIF, bums in flight photography

Exit stage right:



This was the flappy mirror of the k100d that consistently made chickadees feel they had to flap themselves, not the AF. I started making guesses on which way they would fly in the hopes I'd snag something cool, but my luck was weaker than my ability to withstand the absurdly cold temperatures that day.

Granted I was pretty close (100mm lens), but the flight response isn't anywhere near 100% with the much quieter mirror/shutter of the k5iis. For the overwhelming majority of what I do, this definitely gets filed under 'cosmetic', but it was complete with the unsettling feeling that the k100d's mirror assembly was going to fly apart at any moment.

AF noise was never a deal breaker for me personally, MF was usually an option, but it's certainly a consideration. I'd definitely agree to a psychological component here as well, and I wouldn't be surprised if silent AF is often perceived as being faster just because the operation sounds slicker.

[butangmucat]

When I first started photography all cameras were manual.

The quality of shots then and now hasn't changed that much, but people seem to think they have to use a the auto features in a lens/body in order to make a half decent photo.

Well, the big news is you don't need to!

Yes, it makes it easier, but try turning off the auto features and be surprised at what you'll achieve. The sky won't fall in!!! (And it'll be much less noisy).

Agree. Having used various MF primes for trainshooting (all my fellow buddies suggested AF zooms) I really found that the auto features are not musts.

Sent from my Android phone, please forgive any possible typos.

[bxf]

Birds or other skittish wildlife ... if you're up close a loud whirring screw drive can set then fleeing before the loud flappy mirror sends them fleeing, which can lead to a photo of the animals bum.

The way society has been going lately, that should become the desired point of focus quite soon anyway.

[cali92rs]

This thread brings up another point.
What does not matter to some folks matters a lot to others (may be deal breakers in fact).
Some people don't need more than a camera phone to be happy. But it would be kinda silly for that person to tell a DSLR owner that his camera is a waste and not necessary.

[Flipmack]

As an engineer, I try to understand the cause of the noise and rationalize if the noise is "per design" or "out of spec" - in this case, screwdrive noise is acceptable since it's a purely manual mechanism and I try to picture the screw turning multiple gears and of course, the resulting noise.

However, a 'squeaking' noise for a supposedly silent mechanism is questionable. My 16-50 squeaks slightly when autofocusing and it bothers me. If I had the tools and the time, I'd take my lens apart to determine the root cause of the noise. I, for one, don't know if it's the SDM motor or the chassis or something else without knowing more.

So, what bothers me is hearing a squeaking noise and going completely off conjecture regarding the noise.

If I hear something and I know why I'm hearing it, then no big deal. I actually like having a loud screwdrive lens like the DA 50/1.8, but I'm somewhat of a Luddite in that respect.

[jatrax]

However, a 'squeaking' noise for a supposedly silent mechanism is questionable. My 16-50 squeaks slightly when autofocusing and it bothers me. If I had the tools and the time, I'd take my lens apart to determine the root cause of the noise.

Just search for SDM failure and you will find lots of threads that squeak.

[reh321]

This thread brings up another point.
What does not matter to some folks matters a lot to others (may be deal breakers in fact).
Some people don't need more than a camera phone to be happy. But it would be kinda silly for that person to tell a DSLR owner that his camera is a waste and not necessary.

Over in the K-70 forum area, there is a "First Impression Report"
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/193-pentax-k-70/328869-pentax-k-70-first-...pressions.html
which originally was prepared for DPR - written by a Sony user for others who are not currently Pentax users. His one seriously negative comment was about AF noise ... he was using a screw-drive lens, of course.

I was a Pentax user 1979-1995, but moved to Canon when I moved to AF, because I liked their USM lenses so much better than what Pentax was doing. At the end of 2014, I got a Q-7, and really liked it; from my perspective, one of the pluses to the "Q" system was its lenses which had the same feel I was getting from my Canon lenses. Previously, I'd had a Canon Rebel die on me, but since I hadn't done any research and didn't have a viable backup, I just went out and bought another one. Six months after I got the Q-7, my second Rebel died; since my Q-7 had proven itself, I was willing to use it as my backup, and eventually I ended up buying a K-30 as my primary camera. My one big disappointment was that it was kitted with a noisy {to me} screw-drive lens, so I bought an 18-135 DC lens.

This "First Impression Report" demonstrates I am not unique. Pentax is the only company still supporting that kind of system, and if they want to expand their market they will have to win over guys like me and the author of that report - noisy screw-drive lenses is not the way to accomplish that, regardless of how accustomed people here have become to them.