[JimJohnson]

You know .... once upon a time I had a Pentax Super Program. As a SLR with its mirror flipping up and down, of course it was louder than my 6X6 TLR with its leaf shutter. The SLR didn't bother anyone ... unless I was shooting where absolute quiet was the expectation. And then I added a film winder to my Super Program. It added more noise, but it still didn't bother anyone. In fact until P&S cameras starting building in auto winders, the sound probably got more respect than annoyance (yeah, old story - better equipment does not mean you are a better photographer).

I laugh at all the digital cameras that try to simulate the sound of a mirror slap followed by a film auto winder. No, that's not true. Actually the sound annoys me because it is artificial.

Today, I use a K-30. The first thing I did was turn off ALL the artificial sounds. I don't know about other people, but those are the truly annoying sounds. The mirror slap doesn't seem to bother people.

[VisualDarkness]

I have a k-30 and a K-r. The K-30 with 18-135 WR lens mounted is significantly quieter than the K-r but with other lenses the difference is not that much.
Putting the WR lens on the K-r doesn't seem to make any difference but on the K-30 it does.

From time to time I shoot birds from a hide and I can safely say that other shooters I encountered there almost always have much quieter shutters than I do. In the hide, unlike in larger spaces, it is easy to compare sounds due to the confined space and the obligatory silence that one must keep. I have at times worried that someone would complain about me scaring away the nearby wildlife but it hasn't happened yet. Not necessarily a fair comparison though as it might be that bird photographers give particular attention to shutter noise when choosing their camera.

The only noisier camera I ever encountered there was a huge Nikon, I think full frame or maybe MF (do they exist?) from its size, and it was not just louder than mine but much louder. I would have asked about it because it looked like a very interesting setup (not because it was the only louder camera than mine) that he had but he was Japanese (I think) and didn't speak a word of English.

Are you sure that you're not just thinking that way because you're holding your camera so close to you? Even the difference between holding the camera an arm-length away or looking through the viewfinder is huge.

My brothers girlfriend has a 5D MarkII and the mirror "CA-CLONK" is slapping hard enough to make the whole camera move quite heavily. The 5D Mark III is even worse and sounds a lot when moving the mirror even in silent mode. Ever heard those machine guns smattering during press conferences? Both of the cameras are probably top 5 of the most common models in everything from wedding to press photography.

All in all it's all about what you compare it to and personal taste, my K-5 is the most silent of all DSLR's I've tried but compared to my Pentax Q it sounds like an earthquake.

[MBT74]

I've had the same concerns of late. Shooting a couple of quieter gigs with restrictions on where I can shoot from. Sitting in seats next to paying fans made me very self conscious of not wanting to spoil the experience for them. So my plan is to grab a K5II or maybe the K5II replacement when it arrives if it seems good (and still has the quiter shutter).

It may be just my imagination that the K30 is as loud as I think it is, but I'd still feel better knowing that I have a quieter shutter.

[VisualDarkness]

I've had the same concerns of late. Shooting a couple of quieter gigs with restrictions on where I can shoot from. Sitting in seats next to paying fans made me very self conscious of not wanting to spoil the experience for them. So my plan is to grab a K5II or maybe the K5II replacement when it arrives if it seems good (and still has the quiter shutter).

It may be just my imagination that the K30 is as loud as I think it is, but I'd still feel better knowing that I have a quieter shutter.

"Very self conscious" seems to be the keyword in many of the posts. I know that when I appear somewhat professional, not nervous and appear to know what I'm doing people don't seem annoyed or even care that I'm shooting. When I'm nervous, clumsy and don't feel like I belong there it affects the people around me so that they start to feel the same about me.

Note how pro concert photographers can shot on the stage and fit in, but people with cameras in the audience that appear amateurish may draw a lot of attention. That's not a question of gear, it's a question of being confident in what you are doing and if you are, the surrounding people will feel that you belong there.

[MBT74]

"Very self conscious" seems to be the keyword in many of the posts. I know that when I appear somewhat professional, not nervous and appear to know what I'm doing people don't seem annoyed or even care that I'm shooting. When I'm nervous, clumsy and don't feel like I belong there it affects the people around me so that they start to feel the same about me.

Note how pro concert photographers can shot on the stage and fit in, but people with cameras in the audience that appear amateurish may draw a lot of attention. That's not a question of gear, it's a question of being confident in what you are doing and if you are, the surrounding people will feel that you belong there.

The points you make are fair but there is a definite difference, in my experience, between shooting from the pit and shooting from a seat next to someone else. Particularly when you're shooting quiet acoustic or solo vocal performances. A big part of being professional is ensuring that you are as invisible to the crowd and performer as possible. The sound of your gear does play a part in that.

If you're shooting for publications that request decent sized galleries to be submitted you end up taking a lot of photos, often in burst mode. And often the best photos are gotten at the quiet parts if a performance. Consideration of those people around you is a requirement of being a concert photographer. Particularly when they paid to attend and I get in for free.

[VisualDarkness]

The points you make are fair but there is a definite difference, in my experience, between shooting from the pit and shooting from a seat next to someone else. Particularly when you're shooting quiet acoustic or solo vocal performances. A big part of being professional is ensuring that you are as invisible to the crowd and performer as possible. The sound of your gear does play a part in that.

If you're shooting for publications that request decent sized galleries to be submitted you end up taking a lot of photos, often in burst mode. And often the best photos are gotten at the quiet parts if a performance. Consideration of those people around you is a requirement of being a concert photographer. Particularly when they paid to attend and I get in for free.

Still, if you're as quiet as the other 'togs shooting, it shouldn't be a gear issue.

[IchabodCrane]

I don't think it's been mentioned yet that most events have much more ambient or background sound than we think. For example, when the bride comes walking down the aisle, the music drowns out about any noise a camera is going to make. If you don't press the shutter button at the moment it seems dead silent in the room or hall, I doubt anyone will care or perhaps even notice you just took a photo.

[john5100]

Hi guys, thank you for the feedback. Yes, you are all correctly on all sides. When I shot the Bar Mitzvah and 2 weddings an announcement was made and the folks expected me to be there. The same happened when I shot the business awards ceremony for the Seattle Business Magazine. It was when I shot the pop opera group, Il Divo that I was most conscious of the sound of my KX. The show was not as loud as most concerts I shoot and I was positioned near the fans who looked at me a few times. They might have been just curious of who I was though.

If budget allows, I'll try and go for the K5II but if doesn't then I will be happy with the K30. BTW, if the K30 is quieter with the DA18-135mm then it should be quiet with my DA* zooms.

The other just as important question is the AF if that type of light and I think we have discussed that.

[JimJohnson]

if the K30 is quieter with the DA18-135mm then it should be quiet with my DA* zooms.

I've been pondering that .... I don't think the K-30 body is any quieter with a specific lens. However, the DA18-135 is an internal focusing SDM lens. I am thinking others are mistaking the sound of the AF screw drive as part of the shutter sound. Try a couple test shots with a SDM lens and a screw AF drive lens in MF focus mode and tell me if the 18-135 is still quieter.

[Giklab]

I've been pondering that .... I don't think the K-30 body is any quieter with a specific lens. However, the DA18-135 is an internal focusing SDM lens. I am thinking others are mistaking the sound of the AF screw drive as part of the shutter sound. Try a couple test shots with a SDM lens and a screw AF drive lens in MF focus mode and tell me if the 18-135 is still quieter.

I'm pretty sure it's the "ass gasket" that's dampening the sound. I notice a very obvious difference when mounting the 18-135 or a m42 lens on my K-5II.

[john5100]

Ass Gasket...cracks me up

[VisualDarkness]

Ass Gasket...cracks me up

I needed that laugh today too!

I also think the WR/DA* weather sealing is a major dampening factor. The mirror/shutter sound logically moves a lot forward through the mount and the seals works as a cushion, minimizing vibrations moving through the lens. Using the M42 adapter on the other hand seems to work almost as a drum as it's thin metal around the lens allowing the sound vibrations forward through the adapter itself and the lens.

[Giklab]

Ass Gasket...cracks me up

Pun intended?

[JimJohnson]

I don't hear any significant difference in sound level with my eye to the viewfinder on my K-30 in MF and mounting the following lenses: DA 18-135 WR, KA-50, KA-50 on a macroconverter (equivalent to mounting an M-series lens), DA L 55-300 and F35-70.

Next, using the 18-135 and 35-70 at 45 degrees, from the lens in front of the camera, again in MF the sound level isn't any different either.

I do know that in AF mode, my 18-135 is much quieter with its SDM drive versus the screw drive on my other two AF lenses. But that has nothing to do with the K-30's mirror & shutter noise.

Now I supposed somebody wants my images with the EXIF information to verify all that!

[VisualDarkness]

I know that with my K-5 the difference between lenses is clear but I haven't tried it with a K-30. Also, to the tests with a tripod and stay 2m away with a remote to hear it like the surrounding people.