K20D sounds

HappySnap · 04-01-2009, 06:27 AM

Hello!
A year or so ago I got a Pentax Optio A30. I was happy in the beginning but my skills have improved and I figured out it's time to get a better camera. I decided to stick with Pentax. Salesman said that K2000 and K200D might be good enough, but I wanted something with live view and more pixels than my Optio so I got the K20D.
After a week of use I'm a bit disappointed. Live view is clumsy and works for 3min only, but at least it says so in the manual (even thou I can't understand why so expensive camera can't do it like a much cheaper compact can).

The reason I started my first post is I can't turn off the shutter sound. I've been through the manual and I couldn't find how to do it. Can you help me out? My niece is having a play at school this Friday and I don't want to disturb it with camera.

Thank you

mmm121 · 04-01-2009, 06:40 AM

You can't disable shutter sound on dslr, its a mechanice device that sounds like that everytime you press the shutter button.

Peter Zack · 04-01-2009, 06:44 AM

You're seeing the difference between a DSLR and a point and shoot.

A P&S camera has no mechanical shutter and a DSLR has a shutter curtain that physically opens and closes. On a P&S the sound is programed into the camera and the "shutter" is the chip turning on and off. You will notice a slight delay on your P&S every time you press the shutter button and that doesn't happen on a DSLR. On a DSLR it's the sound of a real shutter moving. So it can't be canceled. This is true of all brands.

The Live view is somewhat basic on the K20D but again it's a design issue with DSLR's. They use a mirror to display the image through the viewfinder (VF) and the idea of adding live view is new to all brands in the last year or so. DSLR's and SLR's (film) always just used the viewfinder to compose the shot. So the metering and AF systems used the mirror to send information to the VF and sensors. To create a P&S style liveview requires a complete redesign of how the camera works. Since there's no mirror in a P&S taking the image data off the sensor wasn't an issue.

You're in for a lot of differences in the operation and image quality between the 2 styles of cameras. Everything from lenses to file formats etc.

rburgoss · 04-01-2009, 06:49 AM

Shutter sound? Hmmm... are you talking about the "click" when you press the shutter? Similar to the one you hear from your Optio P&S?

If that is the case, then it is my obligation to reveal some stunning information about BOTH your cameras (optio and K20D).

First: The sound coming from the K20D when you press the shutter, is a real sound created when the actual mirror and shutter curtain moves to take the picture. It is a phenomena normally associated with things moving fast and flapping against something, like hand clapping or so. THERE IS NO WAY TO GET RID OF THIS CLICKING SOUND since it is inherent from the actual moving parts inside the camera.

Second: The sound coming from your Optio is FAKE. Camera makers, including Pentax, make this feature in point & shoot cameras so the user: a) knows when the actual picture was taken; b) The camera's mechanics is so silent, there has to be some "audible" signal so the user knows... (see point A). Since this sound is a fake (electronic), some cameras may even have different sounds you can set up. For example, my Optio Wpi has several sounds including a cat's "meaow". Of course, since this is electronic, it can be turned off.

**DAZ** · 04-01-2009, 07:32 AM

Some years ago I was out taking photos with my DSLR and standing next to me was someone with a P&S. As I was taking photos this guy asked me if I would turn off my “shutter sound”. He said he did not like that sound and he had turned off the sound on his camera. I told him that I could not turn off the sound. He said what kind of cheap camera did I have? If I had a good camera like his I could turn off the sound.

I said it is like this. Remember when you were a kid riding your bike. You would put a playing card on your bike so that when you were riding your bike the card would hit the spokes and sound like a “real motorcycle”. Just because your bike made that sound did not make it a real motorcycle it was still just a bike. Because it was just a bike you could always just remove the card to make the sound stop. A real motorcycle can’t do that. I said the sound your P&S makes is the same thing.

DAZ

kenyee · 04-01-2009, 08:06 AM

Originally posted by DAZ

Some years ago I was out taking photos with my DSLR and standing next to me was someone with a P&S. As I was taking photos this guy asked me if I would turn off my “shutter sound”. He said he did not like that sound and he had turned off the sound on his camera. I told him that I could not turn off the sound. He said what kind of cheap camera did I have? If I had a good camera like his I could turn off the sound.

LOL. Classic.

steve500 · 04-01-2009, 08:29 AM

I was quite sure that many point and shoots do actually have a true shutter. My Konica Minolta Dimage Z3 sure had a physical shutter. My Casio Exilim had a true mechanical shutter. Even some point and shoots that have a fixed focus and aperture have a shutter, you can see it for yourself looking into the lens barrel.

maybe i'm wrong ??

Quension · 04-01-2009, 09:01 AM

Well, besides the shutter itself (which is physically larger than a P&S), there's the entire mirror assembly and the lens aperture lever that have to move. Most of the sound is from the mirror, as you can tell when you put it in 2s/3s delay drive mode to get mirror lock-up.

My Canon P&S does have an actual mechanical shutter, but it's single-blade since the initial "open" is done by electronic switching on the sensor. The only sound it makes is a small click.

Edvinas · 04-01-2009, 02:03 PM

Originally posted by DAZ

I said it is like this. Remember when you were a kid riding your bike. You would put a playing card on your bike so that when you were riding your bike the card would hit the spokes and sound like a “real motorcycle”.

That's amazing! I grew up on the other side of the iron curtain, in Soviet Union. And we were making with our bicycles exactly the same!

OregonJim · 04-01-2009, 02:19 PM

Originally posted by HappySnap

The reason I started my first post is I can't turn off the shutter sound. I've been through the manual and I couldn't find how to do it. Can you help me out? My niece is having a play at school this Friday and I don't want to disturb it with camera.

Hopefully, others have explained the situation to your satisfaction.

You could always give the person next to you a bag of Doritos - then your shutter will not be so noticeable...

*isteve · 04-01-2009, 04:10 PM

Nice one....had me going for a while

Originally posted by HappySnap

Hello!
A year or so ago I got a Pentax Optio A30. I was happy in the beginning but my skills have improved and I figured out it's time to get a better camera. I decided to stick with Pentax. Salesman said that K2000 and K200D might be good enough, but I wanted something with live view and more pixels than my Optio so I got the K20D.
After a week of use I'm a bit disappointed. Live view is clumsy and works for 3min only, but at least it says so in the manual (even thou I can't understand why so expensive camera can't do it like a much cheaper compact can).

The reason I started my first post is I can't turn off the shutter sound. I've been through the manual and I couldn't find how to do it. Can you help me out? My niece is having a play at school this Friday and I don't want to disturb it with camera.

Thank you

benjikan · 04-01-2009, 04:24 PM

Originally posted by HappySnap

Hello!
A year or so ago I got a Pentax Optio A30. I was happy in the beginning but my skills have improved and I figured out it's time to get a better camera. I decided to stick with Pentax. Salesman said that K2000 and K200D might be good enough, but I wanted something with live view and more pixels than my Optio so I got the K20D.
After a week of use I'm a bit disappointed. Live view is clumsy and works for 3min only, but at least it says so in the manual (even thou I can't understand why so expensive camera can't do it like a much cheaper compact can).

The reason I started my first post is I can't turn off the shutter sound. I've been through the manual and I couldn't find how to do it. Can you help me out? My niece is having a play at school this Friday and I don't want to disturb it with camera.

Thank you

You are JOKING of course?! This has to be an April Fools Farce...

Ummm if it isn't, ahhhhh welll, ummmmm...OK. Just wrap a huge wool sock around your K20D and that should do the trick for the noise problem. If you want live view, no problem. You know that iddy biddy glass square above the screen? That is a magnified version of Live View, but a lot larger.

borno · 04-01-2009, 04:33 PM

HA! great first post happysnap

**DAZ** · 04-01-2009, 04:35 PM

On the serious side some of these are amusing too.

Rob Galbraith DPI: Camera Muzzle keeps it quiet

http://www.soundblimp.com/what.htm

How to make a sound blimp for your camera | Picturedujour.com

But if you are trying to be stealthy you end up looking a little comical.

DAZ

Quicksand · 04-01-2009, 05:35 PM

Originally posted by *isteve

Nice one....had me going for a while

I'm wondering which forum regular "HappySnap" really is.

I agree about live view being clumsy, though!

04-01-2009, 06:27 AM	#1
HappySnap Inactive Account Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: NYC Posts: 2	K20D sounds Hello! A year or so ago I got a Pentax Optio A30. I was happy in the beginning but my skills have improved and I figured out it's time to get a better camera. I decided to stick with Pentax. Salesman said that K2000 and K200D might be good enough, but I wanted something with live view and more pixels than my Optio so I got the K20D. After a week of use I'm a bit disappointed. Live view is clumsy and works for 3min only, but at least it says so in the manual (even thou I can't understand why so expensive camera can't do it like a much cheaper compact can). The reason I started my first post is I can't turn off the shutter sound. I've been through the manual and I couldn't find how to do it. Can you help me out? My niece is having a play at school this Friday and I don't want to disturb it with camera. Thank you

04-01-2009, 02:03 PM	#9
Edvinas Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Kaunas Posts: 1,458	Off topic Originally posted by DAZ I said it is like this. Remember when you were a kid riding your bike. You would put a playing card on your bike so that when you were riding your bike the card would hit the spokes and sound like a “real motorcycle”. That's amazing! I grew up on the other side of the iron curtain, in Soviet Union. And we were making with our bicycles exactly the same!

04-01-2009, 04:10 PM	#11
*isteve Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: London, England Posts: 1,187	Happy April 1st!!!! Nice one....had me going for a while Originally posted by HappySnap Hello! A year or so ago I got a Pentax Optio A30. I was happy in the beginning but my skills have improved and I figured out it's time to get a better camera. I decided to stick with Pentax. Salesman said that K2000 and K200D might be good enough, but I wanted something with live view and more pixels than my Optio so I got the K20D. After a week of use I'm a bit disappointed. Live view is clumsy and works for 3min only, but at least it says so in the manual (even thou I can't understand why so expensive camera can't do it like a much cheaper compact can). The reason I started my first post is I can't turn off the shutter sound. I've been through the manual and I couldn't find how to do it. Can you help me out? My niece is having a play at school this Friday and I don't want to disturb it with camera. Thank you

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04-01-2009, 06:40 AM	#2
mmm121 Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Gevgelija, Macedonia Posts: 7	You can't disable shutter sound on dslr, its a mechanice device that sounds like that everytime you press the shutter button.

04-01-2009, 06:44 AM	#3
Peter Zack Pentaxian Moderator Emeritus Join Date: May 2007 Location: Edmonton Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 10,643	You're seeing the difference between a DSLR and a point and shoot. A P&S camera has no mechanical shutter and a DSLR has a shutter curtain that physically opens and closes. On a P&S the sound is programed into the camera and the "shutter" is the chip turning on and off. You will notice a slight delay on your P&S every time you press the shutter button and that doesn't happen on a DSLR. On a DSLR it's the sound of a real shutter moving. So it can't be canceled. This is true of all brands. The Live view is somewhat basic on the K20D but again it's a design issue with DSLR's. They use a mirror to display the image through the viewfinder (VF) and the idea of adding live view is new to all brands in the last year or so. DSLR's and SLR's (film) always just used the viewfinder to compose the shot. So the metering and AF systems used the mirror to send information to the VF and sensors. To create a P&S style liveview requires a complete redesign of how the camera works. Since there's no mirror in a P&S taking the image data off the sensor wasn't an issue. You're in for a lot of differences in the operation and image quality between the 2 styles of cameras. Everything from lenses to file formats etc.

04-01-2009, 06:49 AM	#4
rburgoss Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: San Jose, Costa Rica Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 972	Shutter sound? Hmmm... are you talking about the "click" when you press the shutter? Similar to the one you hear from your Optio P&S? If that is the case, then it is my obligation to reveal some stunning information about BOTH your cameras (optio and K20D). First: The sound coming from the K20D when you press the shutter, is a real sound created when the actual mirror and shutter curtain moves to take the picture. It is a phenomena normally associated with things moving fast and flapping against something, like hand clapping or so. THERE IS NO WAY TO GET RID OF THIS CLICKING SOUND since it is inherent from the actual moving parts inside the camera. Second: The sound coming from your Optio is FAKE. Camera makers, including Pentax, make this feature in point & shoot cameras so the user: a) knows when the actual picture was taken; b) The camera's mechanics is so silent, there has to be some "audible" signal so the user knows... (see point A). Since this sound is a fake (electronic), some cameras may even have different sounds you can set up. For example, my Optio Wpi has several sounds including a cat's "meaow". Of course, since this is electronic, it can be turned off.

04-01-2009, 07:32 AM	#5
DAZ Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Everett, WA USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 744	Some years ago I was out taking photos with my DSLR and standing next to me was someone with a P&S. As I was taking photos this guy asked me if I would turn off my “shutter sound”. He said he did not like that sound and he had turned off the sound on his camera. I told him that I could not turn off the sound. He said what kind of cheap camera did I have? If I had a good camera like his I could turn off the sound. I said it is like this. Remember when you were a kid riding your bike. You would put a playing card on your bike so that when you were riding your bike the card would hit the spokes and sound like a “real motorcycle”. Just because your bike made that sound did not make it a real motorcycle it was still just a bike. Because it was just a bike you could always just remove the card to make the sound stop. A real motorcycle can’t do that. I said the sound your P&S makes is the same thing. DAZ

04-01-2009, 08:06 AM	#6
kenyee Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Boston, PRofMA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,026	Originally posted by DAZ Some years ago I was out taking photos with my DSLR and standing next to me was someone with a P&S. As I was taking photos this guy asked me if I would turn off my “shutter sound”. He said he did not like that sound and he had turned off the sound on his camera. I told him that I could not turn off the sound. He said what kind of cheap camera did I have? If I had a good camera like his I could turn off the sound. LOL. Classic.

04-01-2009, 08:29 AM	#7
steve500 Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Salt Lake City Posts: 86	I was quite sure that many point and shoots do actually have a true shutter. My Konica Minolta Dimage Z3 sure had a physical shutter. My Casio Exilim had a true mechanical shutter. Even some point and shoots that have a fixed focus and aperture have a shutter, you can see it for yourself looking into the lens barrel. maybe i'm wrong ??

04-01-2009, 09:01 AM	#8
Quension Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: west coast USA Posts: 206	Well, besides the shutter itself (which is physically larger than a P&S), there's the entire mirror assembly and the lens aperture lever that have to move. Most of the sound is from the mirror, as you can tell when you put it in 2s/3s delay drive mode to get mirror lock-up. My Canon P&S does have an actual mechanical shutter, but it's single-blade since the initial "open" is done by electronic switching on the sensor. The only sound it makes is a small click.

04-01-2009, 02:19 PM	#10
OregonJim Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon Posts: 1,327	Originally posted by HappySnap The reason I started my first post is I can't turn off the shutter sound. I've been through the manual and I couldn't find how to do it. Can you help me out? My niece is having a play at school this Friday and I don't want to disturb it with camera. Hopefully, others have explained the situation to your satisfaction. You could always give the person next to you a bag of Doritos - then your shutter will not be so noticeable...

04-01-2009, 04:24 PM	#12
benjikan Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Paris, France Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,308	Originally posted by HappySnap Hello! A year or so ago I got a Pentax Optio A30. I was happy in the beginning but my skills have improved and I figured out it's time to get a better camera. I decided to stick with Pentax. Salesman said that K2000 and K200D might be good enough, but I wanted something with live view and more pixels than my Optio so I got the K20D. After a week of use I'm a bit disappointed. Live view is clumsy and works for 3min only, but at least it says so in the manual (even thou I can't understand why so expensive camera can't do it like a much cheaper compact can). The reason I started my first post is I can't turn off the shutter sound. I've been through the manual and I couldn't find how to do it. Can you help me out? My niece is having a play at school this Friday and I don't want to disturb it with camera. Thank you You are JOKING of course?! This has to be an April Fools Farce... Ummm if it isn't, ahhhhh welll, ummmmm...OK. Just wrap a huge wool sock around your K20D and that should do the trick for the noise problem. If you want live view, no problem. You know that iddy biddy glass square above the screen? That is a magnified version of Live View, but a lot larger.

04-01-2009, 04:33 PM	#13
borno Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: md-usa Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,580	HA! great first post happysnap

04-01-2009, 04:35 PM	#14
DAZ Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Everett, WA USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 744	On the serious side some of these are amusing too. Rob Galbraith DPI: Camera Muzzle keeps it quiet http://www.soundblimp.com/what.htm How to make a sound blimp for your camera \| Picturedujour.com But if you are trying to be stealthy you end up looking a little comical. DAZ

04-01-2009, 05:35 PM	#15
Quicksand Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Central Ohio (formerly SF Bay Area) Posts: 1,519	Originally posted by *isteve Nice one....had me going for a while I'm wondering which forum regular "HappySnap" really is. I agree about live view being clumsy, though!